S P O T ／ SPOT-321
Sefa-utaki
斎場御嶽せーふぁうたき
In Nanjo City, southern Okinawa, lies the supreme sacred site (utaki) of the former Ryukyu Kingdom, inscribed in 2000 as a component of the World Cultural Heritage "Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu." An utaki is a place of prayer in Ryukyuan nature worship: it has no shrine building or idol, treating natural rock, forest, and springwater themselves as the sacred domain. Sefa-utaki's emblem is the Sangui, where two great slabs of rock lean together to form a triangular tunnel-like space, beyond which opens a place to worship the sacred island of Kudaka from afar. It was the heart of a female priesthood — the site of the inauguration rite of the highest priestess, the Kikoe-okimi — and as a still-living place of faith it demands local etiquette of visitors in their photography and movement.
H I G H L I G H T S
Highlights
- 01The tunnel-like triangular space of the Sangui, where two great rocks lean together, is the foremost highlight
- 02A distinctively Ryukyuan form of utaki worship with no shrine or idol — the rock, forest, and springs themselves are the sacred domain
- 03From beyond the Sangui you can worship Kudaka Island, regarded as the island of the gods, from afar
- 04A World Heritage site that was the heart of a female priesthood, where the highest priestess (Kikoe-okimi) was inaugurated
A C C E S S ／ M E T A
Essentials
- Location
- Okinawa Prefecture Nanjo City
- Address
- 沖縄県南城市知念久手堅539
- Fee
- 大人（高校生以上）300円、小人（小・中学生）150円、6歳以下無料、団体（20名以上）200円
- Hours
- 3〜10月 9:00〜18:00（最終入場17:30）／11〜2月 9:00〜17:30（最終入場17:00）。年2回の休息日あり
- Status
- 現存
- Official
- https://okinawa-nanjo.jp/sefa/
- Nearest
- ゆいレール終点からは遠く、最寄り駅は実質なし（那覇市内から車・バス）
- Walk
- 10 min
- Parking
- あり・南城市地域物産館の駐車場（約150台）を利用
- Time
- 1〜1.5時間