"Revere gods and love people" was the motto of Sazo Idemitsu (1885-1981), the founder of Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., and he literally followed it his entire life.
In 1942, Idemitsu, a native of the Munakata area of Fukuoka Prefecture, led the Munakata Shrine Fukko Kiseikai (Restoration Committee) and was instrumental in restoring the grand shrine's buildings, which were by that point in a derelict state. So much work was involved that it was not until 1971 that it was ready to revive the tradition of receiving worshippers.
Now the Idemitsu Museum of Arts in Tokyo is holding an exhibition of 106 artifacts from the Munakata Grand Shrine, including many national treasures, alongside others excavated on the island of Okinoshima. The exhibition is the legacy of Idemitsu, who devoted his life to restoring the shrine prominence.
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