Utaki

Sefa-utaki

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. 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.

Important Utaki

• 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