Glossary
Agariumai (pilgrimage to sacred places)
The pilgrimage to the sanctuaries of Chinen and Tamagusuku,
where the "Amamikiyo clan", the ancestors of the Ryukyu
people, were said to have settled in when they first cameto the land of Ryukyu. The east area of Shuri Castle werecalled the "Agariyumajiri" or "Agarikata" which consisted ofthe Ozato, Sashiki, Chinen and Tamagusuku districts. The
pilgrimage to the sanctuaries in Chinen and Tamagusuku isreferred to as the "Agariumai". Like the Nakijin Nubui, there
was a custom of worship in each kin group of Okinawa.
Kudaka island is the birthplace of wheat, while Ufakaru inChinen and Ukinju-hainju(Mifuda) in Tamagusuku are thebirthplaces of rice. So king and Kikoeokimi priestess madepilgrimages, and then each kin group in Okinawa also cameto worship these sanctuaries.

Oaraori (ritual)
The inauguration ceremony of Kikoeokimi priestess as
the supreme priestess. After the ceremonies at Shuri, thepriestess went through some important places in Ozatomajiri-yonabaru, and arrived at the Sefa-utaki in Chinen area.
Many rituals would be performed there over a span of twodays. The Kikoeokimi priestess would receive the immortal
powers and become a peer of God, through performing theritual of "Ubinadi" where she would stroke her forehead
with the holy water. Preparations for this ceremony such asbuilding Ukariya (temporary house of worship) and repairing
roads would take many months for this biggest event of theRyukyu Kingdom.

Sefa-utaki

Midori no Yakata Sefa

THE WORLD HERITAGE

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539 Chinen-kudeken Nanjo City Okinawa

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9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Ticket sales end at 5:15 p.m.
Admission until 5:30 p.m.

Closed on

5-7 June 201631 October - 2 November 201626-28 May 201718-20 November 201714-16 June 2018
8-10 November 2018
3-5 June 201928-30 October 2019

せーふぁうたきSefa-utaki

Commemorative Stamp

Kudaka Island
Kudaka island is called "Island of the Gods", where holy
rituals of the Ryukyu dynasty were being performed. It isa small island of 7.75km in circumference, located 5km tothe east of the Chinen peninsula. It is said to be the place
where the founder of Ryukyu, Amamikiyo, first landed fromthe heavens and it is also the birthplace of grains. Needlessto say, every king made pilgrimages to the Kudaka island.
In Kudaka island, there is the mysterious festival typified bythe "Izaiho" which is held every 12 years during the year of
the horse, and it also attracts attention as a important ethnic
culture.

"Utaki" is the collective name for the sacred places widelydistributed in the Nansei Islands. Sefa-utaki is the mostsacred site of Ryukyu Kingdom, and it appears in legends
about the beginning of Ryukyu. There are six sanctuaries
called "Ibi" within Sefa-utaki. Among them, Uhugui,
Yuinchi and Sangui were named after the rooms in Shuri
castle, which represent the deep relationship between
erstwhile Shuri castle and Sefa-utaki. In the distant
Ryukyu dynasty, sacred white sand was brought speciallyfrom Kudaka island called the "Island of the Gods", andwas spread all over the ground of Sefa-utaki for nationalrituals. The most important ritual was the inauguration
ceremony of the Kikoeokimi priestess called the "Oaraori".
In this manner, kings and Kikoeokimi priestess made apilgrimage to Sefa-utaki. The people also came to make apilgrimage called "Agariumai", and continue to worship
this place even today.

Guidelines for Worship
Recently, the state of the place of worship has been
deteriorating. It is a very sacred place and a part of local
people's life . Let's be considerate of the local residents andobserve the manners of worship with respect.

Please bow once and greet
At the Ibi, first bow, then say your name and "I've cometo visit".

Kikoeokimi (priestess)
The Kikoeokimi means "the most famous woman priest",
which is a appellation of the supremacy at mediums "Noro"in the Ryukyu religious faith. The Kikoeokimi priestess is said
to be a spiritual guardian of the kingdom and its king who
is the supreme power. Therefore, women of the royal familysuch as a king's sister were mainly appointed to this position.
She is the supreme figure amongst the Noro in the entire
Ryukyu, and is also responsible for the Sefa-utaki, the mostsacred place in Ryukyu. The Kikoeokimi priestesses were in
charge of the holy rituals over a period of 400 years, from thefirst priestess in 1470 to the last 15th generation in 1875.

What is Sefa-utaki?

Sefa-utaki

Cleanse your body and worship with respect
Let's keep in mind that this is a place of worship andvisit with respect. If possible, please cleanse the body bydrinking some water before worship.

Please do not take away anything from the Utaki

Spiritual place "Bridge to happiness"

Nanjo City Tourism Association
TEL：098-948-4660
Nanjo City Culture Division
TEL：098-946-8990
Nanjo City Tourism Commerce Division
TEL：098-946-8817

The Most Sacred Site of Ryukyu Kingdom"Sefa-utaki"
Appears in Legends
about The Beginning of Ryukyu
HEART LOGOTaking away stones, animals and plants etc. as souvenir
is not allowed.

Do not disturb other people in worship
Do not talk to people who are in the midst of worship.
Please refrain from taking pictures of them.

Do not step on the incense burner
The incense burner is sacred. Climbing and stepping on
it are strictly prohibited.

Nanjo City Okinawa

Let's make efforts to keep it clean and beautiful
Thank you for keeping the Utaki clean and beautiful.
Please bring your trash home with you.

Sefa-utaki

THE WORLD HERITAGE

Excavated Items and Remains
４ Shikiyodayuru and Amadayuru Jugs

５ SanguiSefa-utaki Excavated Items(National Important Cultural Properties)

Pond

The two jugs are placed to collect the “holy water”
dripping from the two stalactites above.

４２３３ Yuinchi

５２ Ufugui

The innermost part of two stalactites and the enclosed triangularspace are each places of worship. Also, the Kudaka island can be seenbeyond the sea to the east.

１ Ujoguchi

６Located on the opposite side after rounding
the rocks of Ufugui. While Yuinchi means"kitchen" in the palace terms, it is alsointerpreted as a "place fully filled with
abundance of harvests" because trade goods
were gathered from all over the world to theRyukyu Kingdom in those days.

It is the first place of worship you see
on your left as you go up from theUjouguchi. Ufugui means the hall andthe salon, there is the praying placecalled “Una” laid with bricks in front.

６ Uroka※ no admittanceThis is the entrance to the Utaki. Six
incense burners placed on the rightindicate the number of sanctuary.

Various items, mainly from the Middle Ages to Early
modern times, have been excavated from the Sefautaki. Among them, jewelry items including gold,
Chinese celadon porcelain and ancient currency inparticular drew much interest. Items excavated fromthe extremely noble places within Sefa-utaki provide
extremely valuable materials in the studies of theRyukyu religious faith of that period.

Drainage ditch of Sangui confirmed by excavations

１Entrance

Midori no Yakata SefarabanoYToowuTn→Post Office← To YaeseTown↓Chinen Misaki Park331
R o u teA variety of remains were discovered from theexcavations, such as drainage ditch that is runningunder the stone pavements of the approach anddeposition of white sand used to cleanse the placesof worship. Also, it has been discovered how thepreparations for important rituals were made.

Parking Lot / Ticket Office

Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu