Mekari Shrine The Mekari Shrine, which stands on the Kyushu side of the Kanmon Strait, is said to have been built around 200 AD, and has been revered by many people to this day as a festival to celebrate the god who controls the tides The current Shrine was rebuilt in 1767 (Meiwa 4) by Ogasawara Tadaso, the lord of the Ogura Domain The midnight Mekari Shinto ritual on Lunar New Year's Day, in which wakame seaweed from Hayatose is harvested and offered to the gods, has been held annually since Empress Shen Gong first Implementation to pray for safe navigation and good fishing