Ryukyu Women Wearing White Robes

What Should We Call Them?

They are a special sort of people, performing important rituals in the Ryukyu Islands.

Pictured above, are five of these ladies on the island of Kouri-Jima, yesterday morning.

Coronavirus has canceled many cultural events on the islands this year but, not this one.

It's obvious, watching these gals, they are praying so, it's some sort of religious event.

There are questions, to be asked, just to satisfy my curiosity and maybe, other folk's, too.

It's such a solemn-looking ceremony, I can't just say, "Hey Lady, what's going on?"

Another Island - More Women in White Robes

Afternoon provided an opportunity to photograph more ladies wearing those white outfits.

Back on the main island of Okinawa, in the village of Ogimi, similar ceremonies took place.

 Many times, I've attended gatherings like this, and the question arises.

Are the gals in the white robes, Kaminchu, Noro, or Yuta?

Priestesses, of some sort, I guess you could call them. I'm sorta a shy individual.

Whenever I want to ask one of them something, I try to be polite and respectful.

"Nene, Can I ask you what that thing is, you're wearing in your hair?" 

To me, they are special people so, I call them Nenes.

Noro or Nuru, would be the terminology a local would consider these women to be.

From Wikipedia:

"Noro (祝女, sometimes 神女 or 巫女) (Okinawan: ヌール nuuru^[1]) are priestesses of the Ryukyuan religion at Utaki. They have existed since at least the beginning of the Gusuku Period (late 12th century) and continue to perform rituals even today. They are distinct from yuta [ja] (psychics), but are classified as kaminchu ("godly people")."

Wordless Wednesday: Ryukyu Ritual

Travel Photo: Deep in Prayer

Spiritual Woman of Kouri Island

This photo and probably 200 more, are dated March 19, 2017.

A fairly busy time of year for me, I just developed this today because, a friend reminded me.

Mick McClary, a guy from Montana was visiting Okinawa on one of his annual excursions.

And, about two days before his departure, we went down in this cave for some rituals.

Several times, I've attended this event and, thought Mick might enjoy seeing it.

Little did I know, he'd take a tumble and, get bloodied, going down the mountain trail.

Knowing how slippery and dangerous it can be, I got a head start and, went slow descending.

When Mick showed up, he looked like he got caught in a meat grinder. 

He says a tree snapped and he fell, coming down the trail. He was sort of escorting the women.

The woman in the photo, I've known for a few years, now. She wouldn't push him.

But, the rest of the gals, I'm not so sure about. OK, let's just blame it on a tree.

The rituals take place in Sururu Gama, a cave at sea level on Kouri-jima, Okinawa.

Mick, took plenty of video footage and, at Tripod, they're available for viewing.

If, you have the time and patience, you can see everything except, the part where he fell.

Old geezer me, even showed-up in a few scenes and, I looked really old.

So, I have to get back to weight lifting and kickboxing, to get ready for the next cave tour.

Next time, I want to hop down that trail like a youngster. I'd better get in shape.

Related Post: Okinawan Spirits and Spirituality

Sometimes People Get in the Way

Rituals on a Seashore

A priestess, at an annual event called Abushibare (畦払) is centered in this photo.

The challenge, for me: Get an image of her, isolated from the crowd.

It's sort of a religious ceremony so, I couldn't do what I did last night in a crowded bar.

Yell, "Get out of my way everybody. I gotta pee."

Besides, I know some of those folks with cameras and they're trying to get good photos, too.

From my position I couldn't zoom-in for a good shot so, I went wide angle, to shoot everyone.

Moving around a bit, I managed to catch the priestess and her assistant, from an angle.

But, this wasn't exactly the type of composition, I was aiming for.

Off to her other side, I was able to capture some good elements of the rituals.

She was talking to the spirits, making offerings and, the wooden sailboat was in the scene.

The plastic cup in the boat, contains some varmint snails, that will be sent out to sea.

Those rascal cameramen, just wouldn't get out of my picture but, I kept quiet.

When I did my photo editing some sand and vegetation, made them disappear.

With a bit more touching-up, I'll have a nice printed photo, to give the subject, this year.

Should she ask, how I managed to get the other photographers out of the image, I'll tell her.

"It was easy. I shoveled sand over them until, they all got covered up."

Once that sailboat is launched at sea, the rituals are completed and everyone goes home.

Before departing, I went and spoke to the priestess, which kind of surprised her.

She was friendly, smiled and tried to give me some of the offerings. I politely declined.

Last year, I decided to walk back to my office and, it was quite a hike.

This year if, she tries to give me some of the sake, I may accept. Somebody can drive me home !

You May Also Like:

Cultural Event: Abushibare (畦払) Getting Fields Rid of Vermin

Culture Photo: Prayer and Blessings in a Cave

Camera: Pentax K1

Lens: Pentax 50MM

Exposure:  f/1.8   1/25   ISO 3200

Location: Sururu Gama, Kouri Island, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  MAR 19 2017  1:58PM

Okinawan Spirits and Spirituality

Praying in a Candle Lit Cave

It's that time of the year again, where these rituals occur on Kouri-jima. 

The photo of the old guy, next to the Yuta (priestess) happens to be me.

Not particularly religious, I go through the motions, just like everybody else in the cave.

That photo was taken a few years ago by the Map It Okinawa dude, with my camera.

I don't recall, what kind of prayer, I may have been making. Let's see.

How about, "Don't let the tide come in, until I get me and the cameras, out of here."

Back Up to Last Night's Celebrations

 

This "Guy Walks Into the Bar Story" must be told because, it inspired me.

It was St. Patrick's Day and I was just about to finish my first beer.

The Irish Pub was extremely busy. Maybe 120 people in a bar built to hold 30.

Standing room only but, the crowd made sure, I got a barstool close to the door.

A very intoxicated youngster stumbled in and stood next to me.

He said something like, "Okinawa is a state of mind."  That impressed me and, I agreed."

It was something, I would have wrote down if, I had a pen, I told the guy.

As the bar tender came down our way the youngster ordered a round for himself and me.

When he dropped to the floor, everybody assumed, I decked him, for some reason.

A bunch of folks came running over and asked if, the kid had bothered me.

I laughed and said, "I didn't knock him down. He reached for his money and fell over."

The kid was so plastered, when he reached for the wallet, in his pocket, he fell.

I told everyone, he was trying to buy me a drink. They got someone, to cart him home.

All of a sudden, everyone wanted to buy me drinks. I told them to save their money.

When I finished my 1st beer, it was time to move on to another watering hole.

As I stood up, a pretty gal, walked in so, I told her the barstool was reserved for her.

Next stop was a Brazilian bar and, plenty of celebrating Irish were in there, too. 

When I ordered a beer and it came, they said it had already been paid for.

I drank it quickly and ordered another one. All my drinks got paid for in advance, somehow.

Some of the crowd from bar #1 were there and, paid for my drinks. Rough night.

After the second beer, I decided it was time to move along and spend, my own money.

And, I didn't want to forget, what that youngster had told me. State of mind.

It would be nice, to come up with one word to describe Okinawa.

Spirituality

Okinawa is part of Japan but, closer to Taiwan than Tokyo. It's different than Japan.

We're so far south, some people call Okinawa, The Other Japan.

If, I had to put my finger on one word, it would be spirituality. You could Tweet it.

The people above, are trekking through the brush, to crawl into a cave by the sea.

Several times, I've been down there and, really dread the climb. People go every year.

Locals and people from all over Japan, go to attend this ritual.

They will pray and be blessed by a Yuta (Okinawan priestess) while in the cave.

This cavern, isn't visible, when the tide comes in and, fills it with water.

This is what the mouth of the cavern looks like at low tide.

The congregation, literally, has to dig in the sand, opening the front door to enter.

Spring Equinox, I've learned, is when some of the lowest tides of the year, take place.

Other Okinawa rituals, involving the ocean, happen during this season.

This one, comes to mind because, I've invited another foreign friend to attend.

Not many Americans have gone to witness this sort of ceremony.

This younger shaman (yuta or priestess) is facing the rear entrance to the cave.

Prayers are uttered by the priestesses in some unintelligible language.

Blessings are given to each attendee, individually and, I keep worrying about the tide.

There are alcoholic spirits in that cave, along with any other spirits summoned for the event.

To me, Okinawa is not a state of mind. It's something about the people. They are different.

Let's just say, spirituality is what separates them from the rest of Japan.

Previous Posts:

A Cave Called Sururu Gama on Kouri-jima Island Okinawa

Today on Kouri Jima Okinawa We Visited a Cave (Images)

  

Read This Christmas Message Every Day

Soon the Santa Suit Gets Put Away

The season to be jolly can get fairly exhausting and, I'm feeling the effects, already.

Physically and mentally exhausted, I'm too tired to write a blog post today.

 I want to share this email, that came from my Nene (older sister) and, hope you'll do the same.

It doesn't have to be Christmas and, you don't need to be a Christian. Read it daily:

What Happens in Heaven When We Pray ?

""I dreamt that I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around. We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels. My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, "This is the Receiving Section. Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are received."

I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous  paper sheets and scraps from people all over the  world.

  

Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.

  

The angel then said to me, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section. Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them." I noticed again how busy it was there. There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.

  

Finally, at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing. "This is the Acknowledgment Section," my angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed.
"How is it that there is no work going on here?" I asked.

  

"So sad," the angel sighed. "After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments."

  

"How does one acknowledge God's blessings? "I asked.
"Simple," the angel answered. Just say, "Thank you, Lord."

  

"What blessings should they acknowledge?" I asked.

  

"If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep,  you are richer than 75% of this  world. If  you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and  spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8%  of the world's wealthy, and if you get this on  your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the  world who has that opportunity."

  

"If  you woke up this morning with more health than  illness.. You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day."

"If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the  agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...  You are ahead of 700 million people in the  world."

"If  you can attend a church without the fear of  harassment, arrest, torture or death you are  envied by, and more blessed than, three billion  people in the world."

  

"If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm, you're unique to all  those in doubt and despair......."

  

"Ok," I said. "What now? How can I start?"

  

The Angel said, "If you can read this message, you just  received a double blessing in that someone  was thinking of you as very special and you are  more blessed than over two billion people in the  world who cannot read at all."

  

Have a good day, count your blessings,  and if you care to, pass this along to remind  everyone else how blessed we all  are.........

  

ATTN: Acknowledge  Dept.

"Thank  you Lord, for giving me the ability to share  this message and for giving me so many wonderful  people with whom to share it."

  

If you have read this far, and are thankful for all that you have been blessed with, how can you  not send it on?

Thank God for everything,especially all  your family and  friends.""

AFTERWORDS

My Nene and I have been hundreds if not thousands of miles apart, most of our adult lives.

In my travels, I've probably associated with every type unfortunate mentioned above.

Big sister, is certainly more of a Christian than, I'll ever be. But, we're still close, to each other.

She can sort of, read my mind and, knew, I'd appreciate this, as well as, pass it along.

Different angles, have touched me along the way but, I still know right from wrong.

Years ago, I stopped donating any funds, to organized religions and, do things differently, now.

Most of my expendable donations go towards beer and pretty women, these days.

"What Happens When We Pray" could have been authored by any religion, I believe.

All religious denominations have importance, to me. I try to relate to them all, as well.

For example, the Dalai Lama, came to Okinawa once but, I missed him.

In case he ever returns, I'm practicing a little tune, to sing, when I shake his hand.

2016 Abushibare (畦払い) A Favorite Photo

Everyone Praying

 

 

This photo was taken at 10:16AM on the beach at Yaka, Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan.

It's a favorite, out of 150 images taken today because, I was fortunate enough, to get that close. 

There were plenty of other photographers and note takers at this cultural event.

Sometimes, the crowd of reporters and photographers, outnumbers the worshipers at an event.

That was probably, true today but, everyone acted professionally and, I'm glad they did.

Each of us, took turns, allowing others, to get in close, to do their work.

It's been a long day and, I'm still waiting, to find out if the full moon will appear tonight. 

Many other images, will have to be processed, at a later date.

Some more candid shots (unprocessed) may be seen, in a Facebook album. 

Learn more about Abushibare:

 Abushibare (畦払い) Snails Got Sent Out to Sea Today

Culture Photo: Prayer at Abushibare

An Annual Ritual

 

 

This scene shows Okinawans praying at the shore before launching small boats into the sea.

More about this event can be seen on my blog post from APR 2015.

Camera:  Pentax K3

Lens:  Pentax 18-250 at 27MM

Exposure:  f/11   1/500   ISO 100

Location:  Igei Beach, Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Latitude: 26.455   Longitude:  127.880

Date and Time:  APR 24 2016  11:04AM

10 Photos from Henza Island 2016 Sanguacha

It began at the Community Center

 

 

These characters were having photos taken at 10:22AM, before ceremonies commenced.

Later in the day they were sharing some of their black oil with uniformed policemen.

  

The festivities wouldn't start until afternoon but, we arrived plenty early.

That way, it's possible to capture some pictures, without a crowd scene, moving around.

Kijimuna, gladly posed in front of the fish and, I got the village office in the background.

My camera, says it was 10:26AM so, I think the village clock is a minute slow. 

 A closer look at the fish, reveals seashells were used in constructing its teeth.

The fish, is some sort of shrine, carried throughout the day in processions.

It was 10:35AM when this photo was taken and, I'd still have lots of time on my hands.

It's always better to arrive way too early than, way to late for these festivals.

 At 12:31PM, I caught these beauties, posing under a white tent.

After they let me photograph them, I blew them a kiss.

And, all four of them, blew kisses back at me. What sweethearts !

By 1:15PM the tent was surrounded with a crowd of a few hundred people.

The fish would, soon become targets for, a woman with a spear.

It was 1:19PM when the first fish was stabbed and, the woman danced around with it.

The ceremonies in the tent are performed for a noro (priestess) present for the event.

After the second fish gets harpooned, they might get carved up and eaten.

Satisfied with the images, I had captured, it was time to move on down the road.

I was afraid, my religious appearance could cause them to offer me some of the fish.

Cows or pigs, taste much better to me so, I weaved my way back out of the crowd.

 Climbing to the top of a concrete wall, I got in position to capture the parade to the sea.

There weren't any hamburger joints along the way so, my stomach started growling.

By the time the procession showed up, it was 1:49PM and, I was ready to shoot them.

The parade, passed me and, I had to hurry to catch them leaving the island. 

It was 2:09PM when they began to wade out to an rock outcropping in the sea.

Photo Credit: Rusty Robertson

Rusty, had wadded to the rock, in advance of the procession and, gotten in a good position.

Facing towards the east, prayers and offerings were made by the participants.

Octopus was served along with plenty of local spirits.

A bed of coral and seashells served as a table, to ensure no bottles, accidentally got tipped.

This photo was taken at 2:49PM and, people drank, danced and sang songs for awhile.

 Photo by: Rusty Robertson

From the rock, Rusty captured the scene as the parade wound their way back to Henza Island.

This scene took place at 3:27PM and festivities would continue where the event started.

More photos will be added to an album on the Ryukyu Life Facebook Page.  

Also See: Carrying a Portable Shrine to Pray for Safety

PREVIOUS POST:

Look at Some Characters and Faces from the Sanguacha

Travel Shot: Lunar New Year Ritual at Hakugindo Shrine

Ken Uehara and Friends

 

 

 

Things move along quickly at some of the cultural events, I attend and it was one of those days.

One camera crashed, due to human error and, luckily, I had a backup one handy.

One of the uminchu (fisherman) said, "Mikesan come over here."

This was the first, sailing of the sabani boats, since the beginning of the Chinese New Year.

Prayers and offerings were made at the shrine and, it was time to go out to sea.

Three martial arts experts had performed in the shrine, just minutes earlier.

They were posed, for photos, being taken by a young lady and, I was trying to get closer.

It's really, not a good idea, for a bearded foreigner, to shove people out of the way.

The lens, I was using was a 10-20MM and, I needed to get right up front, to take this shot.

For a split second, I thought maybe, these dudes, would start whacking me with their weapons. 

Finally, Ken Uehara (right) told them, who I was and, what I do.

"Mikesan, gets our story in newspapers and on the internet," he told them.

So, I got out of there without a scratch and, had to hurry, on down to the ocean.

Doing stuff like this can give you goose bumps and make hairs stand up on your neck.

Maybe, they should assign a note taker/translator to me, to keep me out of trouble ! 

More About Ken Uehara and Sabani People

Itoman Uminchu Koubou

Hakugindo Shrine

What the Heck Is a Sabani ? 

UPDATE:

 

From a martial arts establishment in Belgium, the friends above, were identified as:

"Yamashiro Kenichi Sensei with his son Takesi Yamasiro and his student Yuki."

Thanks to 

Federation Geido Tao Chi Kihon on Facebook for sharing this post !

Travel Photo: A Ritual Called Shimakankaa

 

It Only Happens Once a Year

 

 

One of the things, I love doing, is taking the cameras to an event like this.

There are little cultural events held on the sideroads of Okinawa that nobody knows about.

It took about a year of preparation and, some good luck, to get invited to attend, this year.

The rock, sitting on the pedestal, is an ancient stone lion or, shisa.

But, in the Sokei district of Ginoza Village, it is called an Ishigantu or, Ishiganto.

A brochure from the Ginoza Museum says, they sacrifice cows  during rites performed here.

There are three of these Ishigantu in the village. A fourth one was destroyed during WWII.

Thinking, I would get to see, three cattle sacrificed, last year, I asked about the event.

It takes place during the ninth month of the year, by the Chinese calendar.

Believe it or not, last year, the Chinese calendar, had a leap month and, I missed the event.

The lucky part, for me, was, Shinzato-san, the district official, remembered me.

He knew, I missed last year's rituals and, invited me to document it, this time around.

He's the man in the yellow shirt, eating from a bowl with chopsticks.

 At each of the three stone statues, prayers and offerings are made and alcohol is consumed.

Plus, everybody gets to eat some of the piping hot meat from the soup bowl. 

This scene, took place at statue number three and, was the conclusion of the ceremonies.

Little did I know, women aren't allowed to participate and, got the boot.

My translator, Mami Sakiyama, and a news gal, had to watch from a distance but, that was alright.

At the second statue, I got called over to sample some of the meat offered.

It didn't taste like chicken or beef. Maybe it was some other worldly food, I don't know.

After the ritual stuff, women were invited, to join the men in the community center.

And, everybody got to eat some of the special treat that was offered earlier.

They had a great big pot of the meal and lots of awamori (Okinawan sake) too.

Well, I don't drink when out shooting cameras and, had to leave before too long.

There was another mission, to be performed, down the road apiece in Kin Town.

The bowl of meat, soup and vegetables, they gave me, got sipped on slowly.

There was no way, I wanted anyone to think, I needed a second helping !

Special Box in Okinawa Known as Binshii

Used During Rituals

 

 

On many occasions, I have seen these wooden boxes but, just learned the name today.

They are carried to shrines and sacred sites for prayers and offerings.

Most of the day was spent researching this one and, is was a toughie.

Some references, had me believing, Juu-baku, would be the correct terminology.

But, when verified through several other sources, I changed my mind.

Juu-baku boxes have similar compartments but, are usually square in shape.

 Luckily, I remembered this photo, from a book by Ayako Toguchi.

The shape of the boxes, I have been seeing, are always rectangular.

Using the characters ビンシー (binshii) I plugged them into a Japanese search engine.

And, got confirmation, that is the wooden box used for rituals in the Ryukyu Islands.

The wooden containers hold, rice, salt, incense and awamori for community rituals.

Do they have any special prayer boxes like this where, you come from ?

REFERENCES:

Photo illustration from Ayano Toguchi ISBN4-89095-136-9 P.243

Collaborative Reference Database Japan

Okinawan-English Wordbook ISBN 978-0-8248-3102-8 P.17