seifa-utaki

seifa-utaki in okinawa. a UNESCO world heritage site.

the most sacred site in okinawa is seifa-utaki (斎場御嶽), a shrine located in the south east of the island. the natural ceremonial altars at seifa-utaki are named after rooms in shuri castle. due to its strong connections to the ryukyuan royal family, entrance to seifa-utaki was limited to royal officials.

seifa-utaki is composed of two significant words. the first word, seifa, refers to a place holding divine power. while utaki refers to sacred places in the ryukyuan language. therefore this word is specific to japan's southwest islands. this UNESCO world heritage site is one of seven sacred places in okinawa.

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• okinawa
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