The Ryukyuan religion, Ryūkyū Shintō (), Nirai Kanai Shinkō (), or Utaki Shinkō () is the indigenous belief system of the Ryukyu Islands.
While specific legends and traditions may vary slightly from place to place and island to island, the Ryukyuan religion is generally characterized by ancestor worship and the respecting of relationships between the living, the dead, and the gods and spirits of the natural world.
Some of its beliefs, such as those concerning protective spirits and many other beings classified between gods and humans, are indicative of its ancient animistic roots, as is its concern with , or life essence.
Over time, Ryukyuan religious practice has been influenced by Japanese Shinto, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. It has also been shaped by other Chinese religions such as White Lotus, Chinese Manichaeism, and folk beliefs. One of its most ancient features is the belief in , the spiritual superiority of women derived from Amamikyu, which allowed for the development of a noro (priestess) system and a significant following for yuta (female mediums or shamans).
Family-centered worship Ryukyuan religion, with its focus on demonstrating respect of and reverence toward ancestors, is naturally based in the family home. The oldest female relative acts as a primary celebrant, officiating rituals concerning ancestors, household gods and those family members who live both in and outside the home. Daily incense offerings are made and prayer "reports" are delivered aloud, in which each family member is described for the benefit of the incorporeal being addressed. The oldest female relative is also responsible for cleaning and upkeep of the buchidan (ancestors altar), hinukan (hearth god and his home on the hearth), and furugan (bathroom god).
Ancestors and their relationship to time The Ultimate Ancestors, those from whom all life springs, are Utin ("Heaven", the father), Jiichi ("Earth", the mother), and Ryūgū ("Sea", the place from which we were born). They originate and exist, along with kami, or the gods of the world, during the Usachi-yu, the "Ancient Age". They are held in highest regard as the originators of all things and are worshiped in the community's . Ancestors living in the distant past, but not in the Usachi-yu – that is, ancestors living more than about 25 generations ago but not living with the gods at the beginning of time – are said to be living in Nakaga-yu, the "Middle Age". These ancestors are worshipped as collective spirits called futuchi (futuki), whose worship is focused usually in Buddhist temples. Other, more immediate ancestors are those who lived between the present day and the twenty-fifth generation into the past, a time period called Ima-ga-yuu, the "Present Age". They are those enshrined in the family home's buchidan, and it is these ancestors who visit on special occasions in the home and at the haka ("family tomb", v.inf).
Hinukan is a hearth god, represented by three small stones and usually located in the kitchen. As his name suggests, he is essentially a fire god, but more specifically, he is the guardian of the "family fire"; his worship is officiated by the family matriarch. Hinukan, by extension, is also the guardian of sacred communal fire; his worship is officiated by the community priestess. Hinukan, while he inhabits the family home, does not regard it as his own home and, in fact, leaves to return to his home to celebrate the solar New Year. Hinukan is also known as the and is the local name of Kōjin in mainland Japan.
Fuuru nu Kami The fuuru nu kami, or "god of the toilet", is the family protector of the area of waste. The pig toilet, lacking this benevolent god, could become a place of evil influence and potential haunting (such as by an akaname, or other negative spirits, welcomed by the accumulation of waste matter, rejected and abandoned by the human body). Because he is considered a primary household god, the fuuru nu kami's habitat (the bathroom) is kept clean and is perceived to warrant deferential behavior. Reports on the family's status are delivered regularly to the fuuru nu kami. He shares traits with the Korean bathroom goddess, Cheukshin.
Eight Shrines of Ryūkyū
Ryukyuans practiced Shinto and Buddhism. The Eight Shrines of Ryūkyū were a group of shrines that received special status and support from the Ryukyu Kingdom's royal government. These shrines played a significant role in the kingdom's religious and political life. 7 of them are dedicated to Kumano Shrine and the other is Hachiman.
According to Ryūkyū-koku yurai-ki, the Amekugu shrine’s origin dates to the reign of the Chenghua Emperor (1465–1487) of Ming China. A villager of Mekaru reportedly encountered a noble woman descending from Mount Ameku, accompanied by a Buddhist monk. She was observed entering a small cave and vanishing. When the event was reported to the Ryukyu court, officials offered incense at the cave, which ignited on its own.
A divine oracle then declared, “I am Kumano Gongen. The woman is the guardian deity of the realm, the deity known as Benzaiten.” A shrine was subsequently built to honour her. From this tradition arose the belief that the Ryukyu Islands are a manifested domain (honji) of Benzaiten, who protects the nation and ensures the well-being of its people. According to the honji suijaku practice, Benzaiten is Ichikishima-hime.
At the tomb
Traditionally, periodic gatherings of the extended family occur at the family haka, or "tomb" (v. inf. for information concerning the traditional dates of these gatherings). The tombs resemble houses, complete with a courtyard (naa), family name markers, and "porch" upon which offerings are arranged. A common tomb style in many areas is the so-called turtle-back tomb (kamekokata), whose roof is shaped as the carapace of a tortoise. These tombs have variously been described as "horseshoe-shaped" or "omega-shaped" tombs by Westerners, but Okinawans believe they are shaped like a womb; the dead "return to the source".Glacken, Clarence. The Great Loochoo: A Study of Okinawan Village Life. University of California Press, Berkeley, 1955. Page 246–247. Another very common type is the gable tomb (hafukokata), which appears like a small Okinawan house. Though not haka, the royal tombs of the Ryūkyū Kingdom are located at Tamaudun.
Inside the tomb is stored the cremated remains (funishin) of several generations of family members. Especially important is the thirty-third year after a relative's death; at this point, the deceased individual is believed to have taken their place with all their ancestors in the afterlife. During a typical extended family gathering at the tomb, incense, food, offering, and prayers are offered to ancestors, and then a picnic is enjoyed by those in attendance. Although responsibilities may vary on a case-by-case basis, generally it is the oldest male of a family whose financial responsibility is upkeep for existing tombs and establishment of new tombs if anything should happen to the old, including becoming too full.
Various taboos exist in relation to the tomb. It is rude to point at a tomb, speak loudly concerning the dead around a tomb, or take pictures of a tomb without expressed permission. It is considered dangerous to desecrate a tomb with graffiti, by disturbing offerings such as flowers, or by damaging the tomb in any way. Also considered dangerous may be to approach a tomb without proper authority (such as relation to the family) or to visit a tomb at night.
Other gods, goddesses, and spirits The most-often worshiped gods are undoubtedly those of the home; however, especially powerful deities are revered by the community as a whole, and certain legendary creatures exist who are not worshiped, but are respected.
Community worship
Community worship most often involves that of marine and mountain deities, who determine the success of agricultural, shipping/trade, and fishing pursuits. Community worship also includes chthonic spirits inhabiting rocks, trees, caves, and springs, who receive offerings and are respected with deference in their province (such as by not moving the rock, harming the tree, or entering the grove or cave).
Especially old or powerful ancestors act as local deities and inhabit an utaki, or "sacred place". This is usually a grove, a spring, or a cave located near the village, entrance to which is sometimes restricted and sanctity of which is always respected. The most sacred spot in an utaki is the ibi and the area around it (the ibi nu mae). Only the noro may enter the ibi to make offerings and prayers on the ibi nu mae.
Examples of famous utaki are Sefa-utaki (the most sacred official place in the Ryūkyū Kingdom). Legend has it that the goddess Amamikyu, who gave birth to the islands of the Ryukyus, descended here. From this sacred grove, people prayed to Kudaka Island, Okinawa's most sacred place. Once the inaugurations of the high priestess of the Shuri Court, kikoe-ōgimi, took place there.Gusuku Site and the Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu
As mentioned, Kudaka Island is the site of many utaki. Other especially sacred places in and around Okinawa include the area around Nakijin Castle and Gusukuyama (or Tacchu), a high, steep peak on Ie-shima.Gusukuyama (Ijimatacchu)
The line between kami, ancestors, and other spirits may be faint in community ancestor worship, such as when especially ancient ancestors are worshipped as with the same respect as other, never-corporeal kami. This is because "kami" is a broad term, meaning not only "god" but less specifically "concentration of spiritual energy"; thus, in the example of the especially ancient ancestors, they are treated as kami because of their power. Also, when a noro assumes the form of a god, she becomes the locus of this great energy, and thus is a kami.
Negative spirits Negative spirits in Okinawa are often referred to as "ghosts" in English, although they are not necessarily "ghosts" in the Western sense of the world (wandering souls of the dead). Those believed to visibly appear are usually the spirits of those who met an especially horrible end or those who did not receive proper funerary rites. As World War II fighting in Okinawa was particularly protracted and heavy, there are many tales of ghosts and haunted places with military-related origin stories. Other negative spirits are incorporeal chthonic beings classifiable between spirits of the dead and gods.
Negative spirits are believed to be irritated or angered by human presence. Negative spirits are responsible for accidents, illnesses, and deaths befalling those who have had contact with their habitation. Thus even today, haunted places are especially sacrosanct, to the point that many people refuse to develop otherwise suited properties or live next to beautiful areas because they have been judged to be inhabited by a negative spirit. An especially famous example of this is the half-finished Nakagusuku Hotel ruins that stand within walking distance from Nakagusuku Castle in Kitanakagusuku, which was abandoned during its construction as the result of several deaths both on- and off-site and still stands as it was; most Okinawan people will not go near the hotel.
Places are determined to be haunted if people in contact with the areas encounter severe misfortunes. In this case, a yuta, or several yuta, are usually contracted to contact the offended spirit and determine both how the offending individual can recompensate for their trespass, and whether or not the spirit can be brought to terms with the aims of the individual for the spirit's area. Though the spirit can almost always be pacified, it many times cannot accept the disturbance of its space, and thus the area is marked by the community as forbidden territory for development or travel. A yuta, a Buddhist monk, or a Shinto priest may be called upon to banish the spirit.
Magical creatures