Wordless Wednesday: Torii at Sacred Site in Okinawa

Beyond the Torii: King Sho En (尚圓王) Once Lived Here

His Name Was Kanamaru

 

 

Born on an island off the northeast coast of Okinawa, Kanamaru farmed the land.

Hard working and successful, his ambitions may have led to his downfall.

One year, during a dry spell, his fields were the only ones where the crops had water.

Envious neighbors, accused him of stealing the water if, you can believe that.

Stealing, a precious thing like water, was considered a capital crime it that neck of the woods.

So, Kanamaru, hopped on a boat and, escaped to the big island of Okinawa.

Back behind the torii gate above, was the first place he resided.

It's in Ginama, a peaceful little fishing village, scrunched between the ocean and mountains.

There isn't much room for farmland so, maybe he decided to move along.

He might have suspected the captain of the boat he sailed on, would snitch and collect a bounty.

Or, it's possible, he tried his hand at fishing and, decided that wasn't the life for him. 

What possess people to move from the country, to the big city, always baffles me.

He moved to Shurii and got some sort of job with the government.

Pretty soon folks figured out how efficient he was and, the king hired him as treasurer.

Somehow, a the Sho Dude heading the dynasty started, disappointing the rest of the royalty.

They asked Kanamaru, how he would like to become the king.

He changed his name to Sho En and made all of his family some kind of royalty.

And, he kicked all the other Sho people out of the castle so, they couldn't be royalty anymore !

Dang. Don't you just love a good story with a happy ending ?

REFERENCES:

ISBN 978-0-8048-2087-5 The History of an Island People

Baltimore Sun
 

Okinawa Island Guide

Second Sho Dynasty

The Forgotten Dynasty of the Ryukyu Islands

The Samurai Archives

Then and Now Photos: Shureimon (守礼門) a Torii in Okinawa

This photo of Shureimon ( 守礼門 ) often called the Shuri Castle Gate, was taken in the 1960's.

Here is a photo of the Torii at Shuri Castle taken May 12, 2012.

The first photo was taken with color slide film and provided by Donn Cuson at

REMEMBERING OKINAWA

Visit his link above to see the original color print along with hundreds of other photos showing 

Okinawa, Japan as it looked during the last Century. 

More Then and Now Photos

The Torii Gate, Does It Lead to a Shrine or Temple?: Japan Insider's Tip

This can be a tough question to answer.

There are torii gates at hundreds maybe, thousands of locations throughout Japan.

The Torii Gate.  What does it lead to, a Shrine or a Temple ?

The simple RyukyuMike answer has always been, "It leads to a sacred site".

That way, I know I'm telling the truth.

Telling the difference between a shrine and a temple gets a little more confusing.

Just the other night, there was a discussion between a few of us on this topic.

To me, shrines and temples are both sacred places but, I never bothered to research and find out the difference between the two.

Well, a good citizen, named, Jun Ikemura must have heard me worrying about it and published an article that explains the difference between a shrine and temple.

Shrines:  There is a god, spirit, kamisama, or some sort of deity enshrined in a Shrine.

Temples:  This is Japan, I'm talking about, not Europe, USA, or the Mid East so, no hate mail.  OK?

Temples are places for Buddha.

Sounds like a simple enough explanation for me.  So, that's the story I'm sticking with, for now.

In the above photo, there is a torii at the bottom of the stairs.

After you walk up all 108 stairs, there is another torii at the top.  Passing through that torii, you come to a cave.  The cave is a shrine dedicated to the Okinawan gods, Amamichu and Shirumichu who, according to legend, lived there and took on human forms, way before Buddhism became fashionable in Japan.

Today you may pass through a torii gate and enter a place that is both, a sacred Shinto site and a place where a Buddha is present.  So, you may find both, a shrine and a temple on the same grounds.

HERE IS THE FULL ARTICLE BY JUN IKEMURA

MORE JAPAN INSIDER TIPS

The Torii on the Beach: Ghost at the Top of the Hill (Photos)

Aw, you don't really believe in ghosts.  Or do you? 

I promised a few people I'd show them the Ghost I mentioned in a previous blog post so, I guess it's time I dug her up.

First, you get to look at the scene as it would be if you were approaching this sacred site in late afternoon.

It can be pretty dark inside this wooded grove, even when the sun is shining brightly on the best of days.

After passing under the Torii and entering the site, this small Utaki, or place of worship, is the first thing you notice along the trail.


Climb all the stairs behind the small building and you'll come to this, very special, site of worship.
It is locked up. Only a high priestess opens the doors to pray and make offerings and that is only on special occasions. No one else has access to the place.  There is a chair on the right side.

Just about the time I started thinking of going the rest of the way up and sitting down to rest my weary bones. Something moved and I snapped this photo.  It's a GHOST and I know her.

She used to work with me here in Okinawa, Japan.  She did the writing and I was the photographer.  We worked together on Photo Essays for APOGEE PHOTO MAGAZINE, GO BACKPACKING and ROMAR TRAVEL.

Some of them, we did a couple of articles for between 2009 and 2010.  Then, all of a sudden, one day she just disappeared into thin air.  So, I figure, she really must have been a ghost.  A GHOST WRITER. 

There's the ghost on the top of the hill behind the Torii on the beach in Okinawa, Japan.  Wuuuu !