End of the Trail for Minamoto Tametomo

Cave is a Cultural Property

 

 

Last week's discovery in Motobu, led to a search for this cavern.

The site, where Minamoto Tametomo arrived in Okinawa was the first half of the story.

The good Doc, who drives me around, agreed, we'd go hunting for his point of departure.

 All we had to go on, was a tiny image of a cave, somewhere in the Makiminato area of Urasoe.

Neither one of us was drunk but, that smartphone of mine tracked, where we went.

The part, going into the ocean, must be a satellite hiccup; we stayed high and dry.

But, the rest of the map, looks pretty accurate. We zigged and zagged plenty in our hunt.

As the Story Goes

Minamoto Tametomo, sailed out of a port in Urasoe and, never returned.

His wife and son, lived in a cave, near the sea and, waited for him to come home.

Machinato or, Makiminato means, "waiting harbor" so, that's what the area was named.

Image credit: Urasoe City Cultural Property Guidebook 

After covering almost every centimeter of the coast along Makiminato, we became enlightened.

Weaving in and out of alleys, hitting dead ends and, sweating, wasn't getting us anywhere.

If, we were going to find that cavern, we had to get some help so, up the hill we went.

Image credit: Urasoe City Cultural Property Guidebook 

We got everything we needed at the Urasoe City office, in English and, it was free !

It helps, to communicate in Japanese or, the local dialect, even if it's just a smidgen.

A woman at the counter, gave us guidebooks and, maps of Urasoe, in a language, we can read.

It was still a little tricky, locating this cave but, we gotterdun.

Knowing this is sort of a sacred site, I wouldn't enter the cave, just take a peek inside.

Then, I turned around and, took this photo, to show the stairway, leading to the entrance.

Hopefully, the geocache enthusiasts, respect this cultural asset, as well.

The only way, I'd enter a site, like this, is if, I was invited to attend a ritual in there.

 This sign, off to the right of the site, gives the story in Japanese and English.

There are different versions of the story, concerning the fate of Tametomo. 

One thing, for sure is, the son he left behind, did become King of the Ryukyu Islands.

READ MORE AT:

Cultural Properties of Urasoe

Okinawan at Heart

Samuraiwiki

Chinese New Year's Day - A Visit to an Outer Island

Happy Lunar New Year!

 

 

A Quick trip to Hamahiga-jima was made with the camera today.

Map It Okinawa dude and I wanted to see if anything unusual was going on. 

Boats were all decked out with flags and banners at some fishing ports.

Not sure if we had missed an important cultural event, we went around asking questions.

It appears, tomorrow morning the boats will be blessed and, do some sailing.

 This is the trail leading to Shirumichu (シルミチュー) a sacred site.

It's been a few years since we last visited this spot so, we climbed up the stairs.

Bright colored streamers were strung on the ropes along the way.

In the heat of summer, I don't feel like climbing up all those stairs.

Today, it was sunny and cool outside so, up I went to take some photos.

Noticing the young ladies, coming up the stairs, I stopped.

Pretending I was taking photos, I let them pass by me so, I could rest.

Depending on where, you search, there are either 100 or, 108 steps, to climb.

Now, I'll have to go back and, hike up there again, to count them for everybody.

goddammit

See, I really don't like cussing, lying or, climbing stairs but we'll getterdun,  next time.

The gals took off their shoes, put on slippers and, went into the cave.

Most of the time, the cave entrance, is locked and, you can't go in there. 

So, after the gals exited, I squinched my feet into these tiny slippers and, went to have a look. 

Standing at the entrance, I pointed the camera down and, got this shot.

Special places like this, are where some people worship and perform rituals.

So, I don't want to mess things up being sacrilegious or, anything like that.

They say, some women, go in there praying for fertility.  Don't look at me.

See, I'm just an old cameraman and, I don't like climbing stairs.

Now, you know, what I did for the Lunar New Year.

More about this site, including directions, can be found at Map It Okinawa. 

Travel Photo: Sukumui-utaki A Sacred Site in Kin Town

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens: Pentax 18-250 at 50mm

Exposure:  f/11  1/5sec   ISO 100

Location: Yaka Village, Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Have You Heard of the Ghosts at UNESCO Sefa-Utaki ?

Kudaka Island from Sefa-Utaki

Everybody Loves a Ghost Story

 

Just a few days ago I was there taking photos with Map It Okinawa.

There's no telling how many times I visited this site not knowing about the ghosts.

Now that I've been enlightened, this place deserves several more visits.

Sometimes a Slippery Trail

 Going up the hill to the sacred site (Utaki) it pays to walk with caution.

Your Choice, Sandbags or Stone

Even on a hot, dry day the stones can be slippery.

Short people can get away with just looking down at the ground.

Tall people, have to look up and down.

It's not the ghosts, I worry about.  Banana spiders are what I don't like running into.

The spiders, I don't mind.  It's the sticky webs that get mangled in my hair; I don't like.

 There's almost always travelers looking out at Kudaka Jima.

It's the island, where most Okinawans believe life originated.

This World Heritage Site is rated #3 out of 20 attractions in Nanjo, Okinawa.

Can Anyone See Ghosts ?

Today, when I went to TripAdvisor I learned about a ghost.

It whispered in somebody's camera microphone.

There has to be some way we can document these sorts of things.

It only costs 200 yen to get in there.

If I can catch a ghost for you with my camera, I will.

Then, I bet Sefa-Utaki becomes the #1 attraction in Okinawa, Japan !

Related Post: 

Travel Photo: View of Kudaka From Okinawa

5 Views of a Sacred Site on Sesoko Island Okinawa

There are hundreds of sacred sites (Utaki) on the island of Okinawa.

The stonework of the walls and steps here resemble that of a castle so, this one is very old.

With no one worshiping, it was a good time to take photos from several angles.

Notice, there are two separate structures.

The building in the back has an unusual ornament on the tiled roof.

 Here is a view, looking through the first building at the locked entrance to the second one.

Down the road, to the right, you can see both buildings are up on a hill.

The Ryukyu Islands have a fascinating history and culture.

It could take a non-native 100 years to understand it all.

Be patient.  I'm working on it.

Related Posts:

Forest, Rocks and Salt: The Less Traveled Path in Okinawa

Utaki the Sacred Sites of Okinawa

Ten Photos from the Full Moon Festival in Awa

It Rained a Little

 

The full moon decided not to show for these gals dancing in Awa Okinawa, Japan.

But, getting wet didn't dampen their spirits at all.

From the sacred site where it all started, they headed over to the festival area.

Excusing myself, I got in front of the procession before they started dancing.

That's because, I knew, once they started, it wouldn't be easy shooting them.

They move gracefully but, trying to freeze their motion in the dark was challenging.

Using a flash, I tried to just focus on a few dancers at a time.

They have been practicing for over a month to get ready for the event.

 I figured it would be nice to try and catch a photo of each gal, if I could.

Close to 300 pictures of them dancing in the rain were taken.

When it was over, some gals just kept on dancing.

They were real nice folks and I wish I could have stayed longer.

But, I have work to do.  And, all that rain could give a person a cold.

So, I figure I should see if any bars are still open and get me some cold medicine.


RELATED POST:

October Full Moon: Another Okinawa Festival

Travel Photo: Prayer in Black and White

This photo is from a rare occasion in my travels.

Before entering this sacred site, I asked if it was alright to take pictures.

The 95 year, young woman smiled and gave me permission.

Ancestor worship is practiced in Okinawa, Japan.

The woman prayed and made offerings.

She even told the ancestors that I was invited to come along and take photos.

The structure we were in was dimly lit with bright sun shining through the door and windows.

The high contrast scene just didn't suit me for color photography.

So, I converted it to black and white.

Visit my website for today's Feature Photo

More Photos from this event may be seen at Teniya Okinawa, Japan 2012