Utaki

The gate and walls of Suimui utaki, at Shuri castle.

• Okinawan/Yaeyama: 御嶽 (utaki / on)

Utaki are sacred spaces in the indigenous animistic Ryukyuan religion, the sites of religious rituals performed by priestesses known as noro or tsukasa, as well as more private, individual worship. Often consisting of groves of trees surrounded by stone walls, utaki were frequently maintained within the inner sections of Okinawan gusuku fortresses.

These spaces are known as on in the Yaeyama language.

The most sacred utaki on the island of Okinawa is an ancient site known as Sefa-utaki. Other famous sites include Sonohyan utaki and Suimui utaki on the grounds of Shuri castle.

References

• Thompson, Robin. "The Music of Ryukyu." Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing, 2008. pp305-306.