Utaki
Utaki (Okinawan: 御嶽) is an Okinawan term for a sacred place, often a grove, cave, or mountain. They are central to the Ryukyuan religion and the former Nuru(noro priestess) system.[1] Although the term utaki is used throughout the Ryukyu Islands, the terms suku and on are heard in the Miyako and Yaeyama regions respectively. Utaki are usually located on the outskirts of villages and are places for the veneration of gods and ancestors. Most gusiku have places of worship, and it is theorized that the origins of both gusiku and utaki are closely related.
These places usually face east, due to the mythical origin of the gods and spirits in the East, or southeast, south, or southwest in a few places.[2]
There are different theories about these places' origins. One reasonable explanation is that they were created by the indigenous people from the Jōmon period.[citation needed] Another, racialist theory was they were created from scratch by the Yamato people, which lead in the 1930s and 1940s to re-consecration and building new Shinto temples on the islands.[3]
Important Utaki
[edit | edit source]- Binnu Utaki (弁之御嶽), Naha
- Misaki-on (美崎御嶽), Ishigaki
- Miyatori-on (宮鳥御嶽), Nago
- Pyarumizu-utaki (漲水御嶽), Miyako
- Sefa-utaki (斎場御嶽), Nanjō
- Sunuhyan-utaki (園比屋武御嶽), Naha
- Tohaya-uganju (渡波屋拝所), Nago
- Tsunoji-utaki (ツノジ御嶽), Miyako
- Ufugusuku-utaki (大城御嶽), Miyako
References
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