Sēfa Utaki: Okinawa’s Most Sacred Site

Within the sacred sanctuary, ferns take root in Ryūkyū limestone. (© Ōsaka Hiroshi)

At Yuinchi, people would pray for a plentiful harvest. (© Ōsaka Hiroshi)

From Sēfa Utaki, people would pray in the direction of Kudakajima, where the ancestral goddess first descended to earth. (© Ōsaka Hiroshi)

The Ufugūi site’s name means “Great Hall.” The area in front of the rock was a place of prayer. (© Ōsaka Hiroshi)

In front of the Sangūi, holy water drips from two stalactites into jars, which are revered as places of prayer. (© Ōsaka Hiroshi)

Fūrin bussōge (lantern hibiscus) flowers in bloom by the entrance into the sacred sanctuary. In Okinawa, hibiscus flowers are often used in religious ceremonies and to decorate sacred sites. (© Ōsaka Hiroshi)