Photo Essay: Kanekadan Jomicha Tomb

 

 

Every path on Okinawa leads somewhere. . . . this is one of those paths.



 

 



 

"It is not clear when exactly this tomb was built. This tomb was constructed by carving into the side of the mountain; underneath the bridge are three small gates varying in size.

The tomb is worshipped by the people as it is said to contail the ashes of those who held important posts in the region such as niche and noro (female priest of the Ryukyu Religion)as well as men who lived during the nakanuyu times (generally understood as the time of the Shuri Royal Government rule). In 1963, to honour their spirits, the locals reconstructed the tomb and carved the names of the above-mentioned individuals into the entrance stone on the fifth month of the lunar calendar. They also fitted out the exterior of the tomb and are working diligently to preserve it to this day."

 



 



 



 

 



 



 



 



 



 

As this site was visited by Mr OkiNinjaKitty on his way from work I don't have much to say about this location other than what I have seen in the photographs. It looks absolutely amazing and I can not wait to visit back again. It's just another fine example of the fact that Okinawa is full of surprises.

Statue in the park

 

 

Yesterday I showed you a photo of a barred locked area. From the photo it doesn't seem like much and to be honest neither did it when I was walking by. This is located just off an open path in a park located in the vicinity of Camp Courtney. The park is in a bit of disrepair today. The fountain is no longer working and much of the playground equipment has been left without maintenance. Distracted as I was I almost didn't notice what it was I was about to walk past.

The first thing that called my husband's attention was the smell of pine. You don't often find pine trees in the city here in Okinawa unless there is a special place. I am not entirely sure of the meaning that pine trees have to the people of the Ryukyus but I know that at a popular shrine in Futenma pine trees once lined a path traveled by the royals. Knowing that my husband stopped me and called my attention to the right side of the walking path. He pointed out the seemingly freshly planted trees, one of which had fallen presumably due to the typhoon season that had passed a few months ago.



Behind the trees I could see the bars which had faded red paint. They were inclosed by a stone wall and there was a clear path leading towards it. Now paying attention to the area it was clear that something was inside. Upon closer inspection we saw the statue.



 

Jizo as he is known here in Japan stood behind the bars. This Jizo is larger and more detailed than any I have seen to date here in Okinawa. Here in Okinawa parks are a common site for Jizo because he is a beloved deity who is the guardian of children.

The facts as to why this statue is behind bars remains a mystery. Other Jizo that I have seen around have the statue in the open. My best guess is that because of it's location the bars are meant to protect the statue from vandals.

Shrine in Ozato

Yesterday when driving to a few places that we thoughts would be fun and exciting we stumbled upon an area that looked interesting. After a detour which took us round the block we found a quick place to park and I went up the inconspicuous stairs to investigate.

When I got to the top I saw that the area was a small local shrine. Much like other shrines in Okinawa this one was concrete and grey in color. Inside the shrine were five small offering areas where people often put incense to burn. Unfortunately there is not much to say about this shrine. There were no markers nor where there any indicators on the maps in the are that it was even here. Another thing that I found interesting is that there were 5 offering areas but no stones or ceramics in the shrine itself. Generally inside these shrines you can find something other than the offering areas themselves. Either way it was a nice little area that I thought you might like to see.

[caption id="attachment_1041" align="aligncenter" width="652"] Entrance[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1040" align="aligncenter" width="652"] Inside the shrine[/caption]

Special Place In Empty Lot

I am often asked how I find some of the places that I share in my videos and blog. My answer to those who ask always consists of two basic parts. The first is to look through what you see and the second is to lose the watch. This small shrine is the perfect example of what might happen if you do both those things.

Last weekend while doing some exploring on the Motobu Peninsula we found ourselves, as one might, driving from planned location to planned location. As we moved from one location to the next we found an interesting little area which we could barely see at first glance but decided to pull over in an empty lot. Once pulling over we noticed that what we saw was clearly a tori gate, lanterns and a shrine.

Unlike the shrine that I had mentioned yesterday this one was not unlike others I have seen throughout Okinawa. It was void of color and was settled in a quiet area surrounded by threes. The one unique thing about this particular shrine, however, was that it was located in a large empty lot. This was strange because generally speaking these do not have parking areas.

Like many other places in Okinawa there is a bit of mystery which surrounds places like this. There are no signs and at this particular area there were no markers either. Of course this area is used in spiritual practices and I have been told that yuta, most commonly women who are known for their ability to contact spirits, come to places like this. Unfortunately that is the extent of my knowledge of this particular location.



 

Shrine in Genka

 

One day while driving through some of Okinawa's villages we found ourselves at a shrine in an area of Okinawa called Genka. There is honestly not much to saw about this shrine as I am not entirely sure of it's specific purpose although I thought that it was very unique at least compared to what we usually see here in Okinawa. The colors not being simply grey as well as the shape of the roof. Another thing that I also thought was interesting about the shrine was the large amount of parking around the shrine. It was something I became curious about because of the fact that it was in a very small area where space like this seems huge.

Unfortunately as I said I do not know too much about the shrine itself. I will continue to see if I can research and if there is anything that I find out I will be sure to include it in a future post.