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The text is divided into five chapters (''kan''), beginning with one on the four Buddhist realms. Chapter Two discusses India (''Tenjiku''), birthplace of [[Buddhism]], and Chapter Three traces the history of China (''Shittan'') by imperial reign, up through the [[Ming Dynasty]]. The fourth chapter describes the main objects of worship (''honzon'') of Ryûkyû's temples, identifying for each Ryukyuan manifestation (''suijaku'') the "true" deity (''honji'') being manifested.<ref>See ''[[honji suijaku]]''.</ref> The final chapter then discusses beliefs and worship in Ryûkyû, including summaries of the origin stories (''[[engi]]'') of Ryûkyû's [[Ryukyu Eight Shrines|major Shinto shrines]].
The text is divided into five chapters (''kan''), beginning with one on the four Buddhist realms. Chapter Two discusses India (''Tenjiku''), birthplace of [[Buddhism]], and Chapter Three traces the history of China (''Shittan'') by imperial reign, up through the [[Ming Dynasty]]. The fourth chapter describes the main objects of worship (''honzon'') of Ryûkyû's temples, identifying for each Ryukyuan manifestation (''suijaku'') the "true" deity (''honji'') being manifested.<ref>See ''[[honji suijaku]]''.</ref> The final chapter then discusses beliefs and worship in Ryûkyû, including summaries of the origin stories (''[[engi]]'') of Ryûkyû's [[Ryukyu Eight Shrines|major Shinto shrines]].
Though the nine shrines Taichû focuses on have strong connections to Japanese deities and their worship (i.e. [[Shinto]]), Taichû goes on to describe native [[Ryukyuan religion]] as well, touching upon the indigenous fire/hearth spirits (''hi nu kan''), pestilence spirits, and so forth, as well as ''[[kagura]]'', [[torii]], [[Amaterasu]], and ''[[dosojin|dôsojin]]'' (street spirits) stemming from Japan, and the Chinese goddess [[Tenpi]].
In the last sections of the book, Taichû touches upon a wide range of Ryukyuan customs and myths, from the origin of ''[[hachimaki]]'' (court caps), theories connecting Ryûkyû to the [[Dragon King|Dragon King's]] under water palace (''Ryûgû''), and ''[[habu]]'' (Ryukyuan vipers), to whaling and fishing, [[tattoos]], and how the servants of the mountain gods are called Tarô and Jirô.
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==References==
==References==
*Yokoyama Manabu 横山学, ''Ryûkyû koku shisetsu torai no kenkyû'' 琉球国使節渡来の研究, Tokyo: Yoshikawa kôbunkan (1987), 52.
*Yokoyama Manabu 横山学, ''Ryûkyû koku shisetsu torai no kenkyû'' 琉球国使節渡来の研究, Tokyo: Yoshikawa kôbunkan (1987), 52-53.
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