Utaki (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 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 gusuku have places of worship, and it is theorized that the origins of both gusuku 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- Biinudaki (弁ヶ嶽), 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
- Upugusuku-utaki (大城御嶽), Miyako
References
edit- ^ Laura Hein, Mark Selden, ed. (2003). Islands of Discontent: Okinawan Responses to Japanese and American Power. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 238–241. ISBN 9781461637929. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Clark Chilson, Peter Knecht, ed. (2003). Shamans in Asia. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
- ^ Tze May Loo (2014). Heritage Politics: Shuri Castle and Okinawa’s Incorporation Into Modern Japan, 1879–2000. Lexington Books. pp. 105–110. ISBN 9780739182499. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
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