Okinawa Prefecture Specialties, Souvenirs, Shrines and Temples, and Sightseeing | 47 Prefectures Guide

Okinawa is a place that was a separate country called the Ryukyu Kingdom until 1879. Its premises are different from the 46 prefectures we have seen in this series.

Specialties

Awamori is, A shochu made with black koji mold using an all-koji, single-batch preparation method. Its raw ingredient is Thai rice.

Black koji mold produces large amounts of citric acid, helping prevent the moromi mash from spoiling. It was a solution for making alcohol in a hot climate. And kusu is awamori aged for three years or more. Some families protect it across generations, replenishing the jars over time. The idea of inheriting alcohol is hardly found in other prefectures.

Goya champuru, soki soba, rafute, Agu pork, and shikuwasa citrus.

Souvenirs

Chinsuko cookies, purple sweet potato sweets, and awamori. And shisa made of yachimun ware.

Chinsuko originated in the court sweets of the Ryukyu royal government. It is made only with flour, sugar, and lard. It was a sweet served to welcome envoys from China.

Shrines and Temples

The center of Okinawan belief is not shrines or temples, but utaki sacred sites. They are places without buildings, where forests and rocks themselves are worshipped. The same form remains on the mainland at places such as Omiwa Shrine and Munakata Taisha, but in Okinawa it has continued as the mainstream.

Sefa Utaki in Nanjo City is the highest-ranking sacred site of the Ryukyu Kingdom. In 2000, it was registered as a World Cultural Heritage site as part of the Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu. Beyond a triangular opening formed by leaning massive rocks, you can see Kudaka Island.

Naminoue Shrine in Naha City is a shrine built on a cliff and one of the Eight Shrines of Ryukyu. It is oriented for prayer toward Nirai Kanai, the paradise said to lie beyond the sea.

Sonohyan-utaki Stone Gate, an Important Cultural Property, Kudaka Island, the island of the gods, Shikinaen Garden, and the ruins of Nakijin Castle.

Sightseeing

Shuri Castle lost its main hall and other structures in the 2019 fire, and restoration work is now under way. Lacquer, stonework, roof tiles: the craft techniques we have seen throughout this series are being mobilized as they are.

Churaumi Aquarium, Cape Manzamo, Taketomi Island, Ishigaki Island, Iriomote Island, a World Natural Heritage site, and the Himeyuri Monument.

Traditional Crafts

There are 16 nationally designated items, the fourth-highest number after Tokyo, Kyoto, and Niigata.

Ryukyu bingata, Kijoka banana-fiber cloth, Miyako jofu ramie fabric, Kumejima tsumugi silk, Yuntanza hana-ui weaving, Chibana hana-ui weaving, Tsuboya ware, Ryukyu lacquerware, sanshin, and more.

Of the 16, more than ten are dyed or woven textiles. Where Kyoto leaned toward decorating and Osaka toward using, Okinawa is overwhelmingly weighted toward wearing. The system by which the royal government made each island pay textiles as tribute remained in place as production areas for each island. The stencils for bingata were almost entirely lost in the Battle of Okinawa. After the war, it was rebuilt once again using the few remaining stencils and memories as clues.

For details, see [VILLAGE Report vol.9] The Stencils, Once Again

Articles About This Prefecture

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References: Okinawa Prefecture, Naha City, Nanjo City, Yomitan Village, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries -- Value Village Editorial Team