Sefa-utaki

Sefa-utaki is the principal utaki, sacred grove, of the Ryukyuan religion, and its significance is bound to a female priesthood: the kingdom's high priestess, the kikoe-okimi, was invested here, and the site was for centuries closed to men. It is not built - there are no shrine buildings. What is there is limestone: a path through subtropical forest to a series of prayer places, ending at Sangui, where two enormous slabs of rock have fallen against each other leaving a triangular passage, and through the gap at the far end Kudaka island is visible offshore, the island where the Ryukyuan creation account places the descent of the gods. That alignment is the point of the place. It is part of the UNESCO Ryukyu inscription. It remains in religious use and visitors are asked to keep quiet and stay on the path.

History

According to the Chūzan Seikan, a chronicle of the Ryukyu court, this is where Amamikyu, goddess of creation, came ashore on Okinawa. Under the Ryūkyū Kingdom it was the most sacred place in the realm, in the care of the high priestess, the kikoe-ōgimi; like all utaki it was off-limits to men, and even the king had to change his sleeves to women's dress to go beyond the Ujoguchi entrance. When Japan absorbed Okinawa the site was made to serve as a Shinto shrine; its buildings are gone, but the outer and inner precincts can still be traced. It is a National Historic Site and part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing of the Ryukyu sites (Wikipedia, Sefa-utaki).

What to look for

• A triangular rock gap - two fallen limestone slabs forming a passage at Sangui.
• Kudaka island framed - the creation-account island visible through the far end of the gap.
• No buildings - a grove and rock formations rather than a constructed shrine.
• A female priesthood - the site where the kingdom's high priestess was invested.

When to go

All year; early morning for quiet. Two hours.

Good to know

It is a live religious site and worshippers use it - silence and staying on the path are expected. Certain areas are closed to entry. The path is stone, uneven and slippery in rain. Tickets are bought at a visitor centre a short walk away, not at the site.

Nearby

Kudaka island is reached by ferry from Azama port; Naha is north-west.

Key facts