Amamichuu, or , is the creation goddess of the

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yona ...

in the Ryukyuan religion.

Name

Amamikyu's name comes from the reading of the

Chinese characters Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji ...

阿摩美久 or 阿摩彌姑, which were most likely written

ad hoc Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning literally 'to this'. In English, it typically signifies a solution for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a generalized solution adaptable to collateral instances. (Compare with '' a priori''.) C ...

for the Okinawan pronunciation. Readings can vary widely from Amamikyu, Amamikyo, Amamikiyo, Amamiko, Amamiku, Amamigu, Amamichuu, and Amanchuu. "Amamikyu" was used by

George H. Kerr George H. Kerr (November 7, 1911 – August 27, 1992), also known in Taiwan as 葛超智 (or 柯喬治), was a United States diplomat during World War II, and in later years he was an author and an academic. His published works and archived pap ...

in his ''Ryukyu: Kingdom and Province Before 1945'' in 1953.

Creation myth

The beginning of ''

Chūzan Seikan , compiled in 1650 by Shō Shōken, is the first official history of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. In six scrolls, the main text occupies five and an accompanying summary the sixth. Unlike later official histories such as '' Chūzan Seifu'' and '' Kyūyō ...

'' details the creation of the Ryukyu Islands. The Heavenly Emperor (天帝), who lived in the Heavenly Gusuku (天城), looked down on the world and saw that there were no islands, so he ordered Amamikyu (阿摩美久) to create the Ryukyu Islands. She asked for materials to build the islands, so the Heavenly Emperor sent Shinerikyu to bring her grasses, trees, and stones. She descended to Earth on

Kudaka Island Kudaka Island (久高島, Japanese: くだかじま, Ryukyuan: ''Kudaka-shima'') is an island in Ryukyu Islands, located in Nanjō, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan and 5.3 kilometers away from Cape Chinen, Nanjō. From Nanjō, Kudaka Island can be r ...

, and then made landfall on Okinawa Island on the spot of

Sefa-utaki ''Seefa-utaki'', meaning "purified place of Utaki," is a historical sacred space, overlooking Kudaka Island, that served as one of the key locations of worship in the Ryukyuan religion, native religion of the Ryukyuan people for millennia. Later ...

, and later built Tamagusuku Castle and

Chinen Castle is a Ryukyuan ''gusuku'' in Nanjō, Okinawa. It is the second oldest castle in the Ryukyu Islands. The ruins consist of the old castle to the east being made out of rock and the other newer castle to the west being made out of ashlar masonry. ...

and a number of communities. She asked the Heavenly Emperor for materials to make people, but the other gods would not go down to Earth. Without sexual intercourse, she became pregnant by Shinerikyu (志仁禮久, ryu, シニリチュー ''shinirichuu'') and populated the islands. Some generations later, a "heavenly grandchild" named Tentei was born, who split Ryukyuan society into five classes with his three sons and two daughters: the first son was Tenson, who became the first King of Ryukyu; the second son became the first feudal lord (

Aji Aji or AJI may refer to: Location *Aji (town), Tieling County, Liaoning, China *Aji Island, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan *Aji, Kagawa, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan * Aji River (disambiguation), rivers with the same name Other * Aji (Go), a latent tr ...

); the third son became the first farmer; the first daughter became the first royal noro priestess; and the second daughter became the first village noro priestess. Her final home was located at Minton Castle in Tamagusuku, Okinawa.

Historical legacy

Amamikyu's tomb is located on

Hamahiga Island Hamahiga Island (浜比嘉島, Japanese: ''Hamahiga-jima'', Okinawan: ''Bamahija-shima'') is an island located in the Yokatsu Islands of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Its administered by the city of Uruma and is located near the Katsuren Peninsul ...

Uruma, Okinawa is a city located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The modern city of Uruma was established on April 1, 2005, when the cities of Gushikawa and Ishikawa were merged with the towns of Katsuren and Yonashiro (both from Nakagami District). As of M ...

. Sefa-utaki is the holiest

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 ...

site in the Ryukyuan religion. During the

Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryukyu Kingdom, Middle Chinese: , , Classical Chinese: (), Historical English names: ''Lew Chew'', ''Lewchew'', ''Luchu'', and ''Loochoo'', Historical French name: ''Liou-tchou'', Historical Dutch name: ''Lioe-kioe'' was a kingdom in the ...

era, the king and

kikoe-ōgimi チフィジン
首里・那覇方言データベース was the highest ranking priestess ...

made an annual

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

to the site from

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 ...

to worship Amamikyu, facing

References

{{Jmyth navbox long Ethnic religion Religion in the Ryukyu Islands Ryukyuan culture Shamanism in Japan Creator goddesses