World Cultural Heritage and women’s exclusion from sacred sites in Japan

Women's exclusion from Okinoshima, a remote and uninhabited island central to Japan's cultural and religious heritage, gained international attention during its World Heritage inscription process. Despite the island's significance as part of the 'Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region,' which was inscribed in 2017, its restrictive access policies—particularly barring women due to religious beliefs—remained a contentious issue. The study highlights how this exclusion clashed with global heritage values, prompting petitions to national and international bodies from July 2015 onward. While the island's tangible heritage, such as shrines and artifacts, has been extensively documented in Japanese scholarship, the social and ethical dimensions of its preservation received comparatively less attention until its World Heritage recognition.

DeWitt, L. E. (2020). World Cultural Heritage and women’s exclusion from sacred sites in Japan. Sacred Heritage in Japan, 65–86. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429265976-4