''Sunufan-utaki'' is a sacred grove of trees and plants (''

utaki Utaki (御嶽) is an Okinawan term for a sacred place, often a grove, cave, or mountain. They are central to the Ryukyuan religion and the former noro priestess system. Although the term ''utaki'' is used throughout the Ryukyu Islands, the te ...

'') of the traditional indigenous Ryukyuan religion. It is located on the grounds of

Shuri Castle was a Ryukyuan ''gusuku'' castle in Shuri, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Between 1429 and 1879, it was the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom, before becoming largely neglected. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroyed ...

in Naha, Okinawa, a few paces away from the

Shureimon is a gate in the Shuri neighborhood of Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is the second of Shuri Castle's main gates. Construction It was first built in the 16th century, and the structure of the gate is similar to that of Ch ...

castle gate. The ''utaki'', or more specifically its ,Kadekawa, Manabu. ''Okinawa Chanpurū Jiten'' (沖縄チャンプルー事典, "Okinawa Champloo Encyclopedia"). Tokyo: Yama-Kei Publishers, 2001. p56. is one of a number of sites which together comprise the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

officially described as ''

Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu The is an UNESCO World Heritage Site which consists of nine sites all located in the Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The heritage sites include two ''utaki'' (or sacred sites, one a gate and the other a grove), the Tamaudun mausoleum, one garden, and ...

'', and has been designated an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese national government."Sonohyan utaki." ''Okinawa konpakuto jiten'' (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia")
Ryukyu Shimpo
(琉球新報). 1 March 2003. Accessed 14 February 2009. While the gates were once opened only for the king, today they are always closed, and so the gates have in a way become a sacred space themselves, representative of the actual sacred space behind them. Many travellers and locals come to pray at the gates. The stone gate was first built in 1519, during the reign of Ryukyuan king

Shō Shin was a king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the third ruler the second Shō dynasty. Shō Shin's long reign has been described as "the Great Days of Chūzan", a period of great peace and relative prosperity. He was the son of Shō En, the founder of the d ...

, though the space had been recognized as a sacred ''utaki'' prior to that. Whenever the king left the castle on a journey, he would first stop at Sonohyan-utaki to pray for safe travels. The site also played an important role in the initiation of the of the native religion. The gate is said to be a prime example of traditional

Okinawan architecture Ryukyuan architecture ( ja, 琉球建築, りゅうきゅうけんちく) is the architecture in Ryukyu islands (the Okinawa Prefecture and the Amami Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan). The history of Ryukyuan architecture dates back to the ...

, and shows many signs of Chinese influence, along with a Japanese-influenced

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

in the ''

karahafu is a type of curved gable found in Japanese architecture. It is used on Japanese castles, Buddhist temples, and Shinto shrines. Roofing materials such as tile and bark may be used as coverings. The face beneath the gable may be flush with the wa ...

'' style. It was severely damaged in the 1945 battle of Okinawa, but was restored in 1957, and officially designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, along with a number of other sites across Okinawa Island. The ''utaki'', i.e. the sacred grove itself, was once much larger than it is today, an elementary school and other buildings having encroached upon the space.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonohyan-Utaki World Heritage Sites in Japan Ryukyu Kingdom Naha Buildings and structures in Japan destroyed during World War II