Kume Tenpi-gu
Kumemura, the Ryûkyû Kingdom's center of Chinese learning, had two shrines to Tenpi (aka Mazu), a Taoist goddess of the sea. The two shrines, called Upper (Kami) and Lower (Shimo) Tenpi-gû, are believed to have been built during the reign of the Yongle Emperor (1403-1424), within the first decades after the establishment of the town.
Ryukyuan sailors prayed to Tenpi for safe travels at sea, often carrying statues of the goddess onboard their ships, and offering the statues to the shrine upon their safe return.
The stone gate of Kami Tenpi Shrine survives today, attached to the Tenpi Elementary School built on the former site of the shrine. The construction style of the gate indicates a transition at that time (in the early 15th century) from the aikata-zumi style of stone construction to the nuno-zumi style.
References
- Plaques on-site.
- "Tenpi-byô." Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia 沖縄コンパクト事典, Ryukyu Shimpo, 1 March 2003.