Shikina Shrine
- Japanese: 識名宮 (Shikinaguu)
Shikina Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Naha, Okinawa, counted as one of the Ryûkyû Eight Shrines.
A frequent site of the devotions of the King of Ryûkyû himself, Shikina Shrine is said to have been established, along with its associated Buddhist temple, Jin'ô-ji, as part of efforts by King Shô Gen (r. 1556-1572) to pray for the health of his eldest son, Shô Kôhaku, who was gravely ill at that time.
From the time of King Shô Ken (1644) onwards, the king regularly visited the shrine in the first, fifth, and ninth months every year.
The shrine faces a street which traditionally was known as a sacred street, or kami no michi. This road connected Shikina Shrine with a set of three sacred sites known as hi nu kan (fire god [shrine]), takigusai, and ubiigaa (Ubii spring), as well as with shiima nu utaki (utaki of the island) and an utaki dedicated to the protection of the royal government. On festival days, only noro and other priestesses traveled this road, which was at those times strictly off-limits to laypeople.
References
- Plaques on-site.
