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Sefa-utaki

Okinawa · Nanjo · Shrines & Temples

Japanese name: 斎場御嶽

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Sefa-utaki
Photo: そらみみ / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗
WHAT TO DOSefa-utaki

The centre of belief in Okinawa is neither shrine nor temple but the utaki: a place with no building, where a forest or a rock itself is worshipped. The same form survives on the mainland at Omiwa Jinja and Munakata Taisha, but in Okinawa it has continued as the mainstream. Through the triangular gap where two great rocks lean together, Kudakajima can be seen.

WHEREOkinawa

Southern Okinawa Island · Nanjo

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Overview

The centre of belief in Okinawa is neither shrine nor temple but the utaki: a place with no building, where a forest or a rock itself is worshipped. The same form survives on the mainland at Omiwa Jinja and Munakata Taisha, but in Okinawa it has continued as the mainstream. Through the triangular gap where two great rocks lean together, Kudakajima can be seen.

About this place

Sefa-utaki (Okinawan: 斎場御嶽, セーファウタキ, romanized: Sēfa-utaki), is a historical sacred space, overlooking Kudaka Island, that served as one of the key locations of worship in the native religion of Ryukyuan for millennia. It was designated a National Historic Site in 2018. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu in the city of Nanjō, Okinawa, Japan.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Source ja.wikipedia.org ↗

Key facts

Founded:Unknown (Ryukyu Kingdom period) Shrine rank:Highest sacred site of the Ryukyu Kingdom Designation:World Cultural Heritage Site, Historic Site Blessings:Good fortune, Rebirth

Source ja.wikipedia.org ↗

Official website

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Source okinawa-nanjo.jp ↗

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