.jpg)
Overview
Shaped as a gate but never walked through - a structure built purely so the king could pray at it before leaving the castle.
About this place
Sonohyan-utaki (園比屋武御嶽; Okinawan: スヌファンウタキ Sunufan-utaki ) is a sacred grove of trees and plants (utaki) of the traditional indigenous Ryukyuan religion. It is located on the grounds of Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa, a few paces away from the Shureimon castle gate. The utaki, or more specifically its stone gate (Okinawan: イシジョー/石門, romanized: ishi-jō), is one of a number of sites which together comprise the UNESCO World Heritage Site officially described as Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, and has been designated an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese national government. While the gates were once opened only for the king, today they are always closed, and so the gates have in a way become a sacred space themselves, representative of the actual sacred space behind them. Many travellers and locals come to pray at the gates. The stone gate was first built in 1519, during the reign of Ryukyuan king Shō Shin, though the space had been recognized as a sacred utaki prior to that. Whenever the king left the castle on a journey, he would first stop at Sonohyan-utaki to pray for safe travels. The site also played an important role in the initiation of the high priestess Kikoe-ōgimi (Okinawan: チフィジン/聞得大君, romanized: chifijin) of the native religion. The gate is said to be a prime example of traditional Ryukyuan architecture, and shows many signs of Chinese influence, along with a Japanese-influenced gable in the karahafu style. It was severely damag
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source ja.wikipedia.org ↗Key facts
Founded / opened：1519 Highlights / collection：Important Cultural Property stone gate, Place of prayer used by the king Genre：Architecture, Sculpture
Source ja.wikipedia.org ↗Before you go
Three questions from the World Question Box that relate to this entry.
Same place in other collections
More in Architecture
Check before you visit · References
The original sources are listed here. Confirm opening hours, whether visits are accepted, fees and access with the latest official information.
Crafts and specialties of this prefecture
Written by Value Village from public sources. Nothing here is reproduced from another site. Languages: ja / en
Photos of Okinawa
Reference photos of the region related to this entry. They are not photos of the listed facility or product.
Enlarge ↗Instagram posts from Okinawa (from official accounts)
There are no posts linked to this place yet. Posts from the prefecture's official accounts are shown, rotating every minute.