Watatsumi Closes Its Doors to Foreign Visitors

We all remember the game Ghost of Tsushima, right? Developed by Sucker Punch Productions and Nixxes Software, and released in July 2020, this stunning action game set in Feudal Japan not only managed to win a significant number of awards since its launch, but also gained huge popularity among the gaming community, a popularity that no doubt still continues today, especially considering it’s getting a sequel soon!

One of the things that most caught the public’s attention was the fidelity and respect with which many places and events had been portrayed. Among them, a certain shrine that, even for those of us who never visited Japan, became well-known and a symbolic reference tied to the game of the Phantom Jin Sakai. We’re talking about the Watatsumi Shinto Shrine, located in Tarumi-ku, in the Kobe district, and in fact one of the three main shrines of the Harima province, directly linked to the story of the legendary Empress Jingū, who, according to Japanese folklore, ruled as regent after her husband’s death in the year 200 A.D.

Anyway, back to the present, around 2020, fans of Ghost of Tsushima raised and donated just over $260,000 to repair one of the shrine’s torii gates, which had collapsed due to a typhoon. Even though the shrine only asked for $60,000, this donation helped a lot with the restoration. At the time, the head priest of the shrine, Yuichi Hirayama, encouraged fans of the Sucker Punch Productions and PlayStation game to visit the site once the COVID-19 health restrictions were lifted.

Currently, Japan is having problems with tourism, and that has led the country to take drastic measures. Just a few days ago, we heard about a certain controversy involving Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, in which even the Japanese Prime Minister had something to say. If you want to find out what we’re referring to in detail, in case you haven’t heard, you can do so by following THIS LINK. So now we get to the fact that the Watatsumi Shrine has decided to close its doors to “non-worshipper” visitors, which we could pretty much say includes all foreign tourists. The letter shared through social media and official channels is signed by Yuichi Hirayama himself.

According to the information released, starting last Sunday, March 23, only worshippers who wish to go pray at the sacred site will be allowed access. “This includes a strict ban on taking photos, recording videos, and livestreaming any building, structure, or object of the shrine, including the torii gate in the sea,” the statement reads. Although they haven’t gone into details, representatives of the shrine explained that “a foreign visitor committed an extremely serious and unacceptable act of disrespect within the sacred grounds,” which led to the shrine being closed to tourists. They also stated that “mass tourism is eroding Japanese culture itself.” The local authorities believe that this tough decision is the most appropriate one to “protect the shrine and the hearts of those who consider it sacred.”

    “The shrine staff has suffered immense psychological distress due to the repeated desecration of the sacred area, in addition to frequent verbal abuse and even acts of violence, which has generated a deep sense of crisis regarding the continuation of its operation.”

Yuichi Hirayama, Head Priest of the Watatsumi Shrine

I don’t even want to imagine how serious the offense was this time, though just as the shrine staff says, this wasn’t the only time the site and the people working there have suffered disrespect and varying degrees of aggression. I imagine they had very good reasons to make this decision, although I can’t help but feel sorry that it had to come to this 🙁

And this is the part where we ask you for your opinion, because even though we’re in “serious” mode, we always want to know what you think. It would be great if you stopped by the comments and shared your take on this matter, which, as a gaming community, and having actively contributed to the restoration of a sacred site in Japan, I think we could say concerns us all, right? Tell us what you think. You know gamer, we’ll be reading you! 🙂

Images Source: Reddit, X