Sashikasa fiijaa

Sashikasa fiijaa

• Other Names: 鷺泉 (rosen)
• Japanese: 指司笠樋川 (sashikasa fiijaa)

Sashikasa fiijaa is a natural spring in the Tôbaru neighborhood of Shuri, in Okinawa.

Located within the grounds of one of the royal family's secondary properties, the spring is said to have been discovered by Princess Sashikasa-aji-ganashi, who frequently saw a heron there, and thus presumed there must be water nearby. Once discovered, the area immediately around the spring (providing access to the water) came to be divided into two sections - one for royal use, where the princess is said to have regularly bathed; and another section for communal use by the local people, becoming a valuable source of fresh water even in drought.

The spring came to be known as Sashikasa-fiijaa, or Sashikasa Spring, after the princess, and also as Rosen, or "Heron Spring," after the story of how she discovered it. Local people today continue to think of the spring as associated with the royalty, and with Princess Sashikasa in particular. Stone steps, walls, basin, and a tunnel, all in Ryukyu limestone define the site. Water continues to bubble up naturally from the ground at the site today, in considerable quantities.

References

• Plaque on-site.[1]