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, 03:13, 12 January 2020
*''Japanese'': 沖永良部島 ''(Oki no erabu jima)''
Okinoerabu Island is one of the [[Amami Islands]], located south of [[Tokunoshima]] and north of [[Yoronjima]] in the broader [[Ryukyu Islands]] chain.
Consisting primarily of flatland atop a raised coral reef, Okinoerabu was historically one of the chief islands for pasturing [[Ryukyuan horses|horses]]. The "lord of Okinoerabu" is strongly associated with horses in the ''[[Omoro soshi|Omoro sôshi]]'', which indicates that he has "a herd of horses ... at his disposal," and that "this remote lord attaches a golden saddle and rides down to Yowa harbor." The [[Ryukyu Kingdom]] as well as various ''[[wako|wakô]]'' groups sourced their horses from Okinoerabu, among other locations.
Okinoerabu was also one of four places where the Tsukishiro form of the deity [[Hachiman]] was historically worshipped.
In the early 15th century, the island was home to the ''wakô'' chieftain [[Guraru Magohachi]] (aka Goran Magohatsu), who is also mentioned in the ''omoro''.
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==References==
*Gregory Smits, ''Maritime Ryukyu'', University of Hawaii Press (2019), 71.
[[Category:Geographic Locations]]