Kikoe-ōgimi

is the title worn by the highest priestess of the ryūkyūan religion. Although the title is mentioned in sources dealing with periods older than the Ryūkyū Kingdom, the current characteristics of the function have been fixed during the great religious reform at the beginning of the second Shō dynasty.

Kikoe-ōgimi is the (the “sister-goddess” of the person with the highest status in the Ryūkyū Kingdom: the king. She protects by her spiritual power non only the king but also the whole kingdom. The function is assumed by a woman close to the king (sister, queen, daughter) or a member of a minor branch of the royal family.

Kikoe-ōgimi is at the top of the hierarchy of the ''noro'' priestesses of the whole kingdom and owns direct authority on them, although the king appoints them. She is responsible for the ceremonies held at the most sacred site of Okinawa Island, Sēfa Utaki as well as the ones given in the ten ''utakis'' inside Shuri Castle.

Kikoe-ōgimi is the incarnation of three deities who express themselves through her: "Shimasenko", "Akeshino" and "Tedashiro".

History

Etymology and origins

Although the origin of the name is obscure, a theory is that would be a laudative prefix meaning “the very famous” and would mean “god”. The ''noros'' who take care of the rituals in the different villages of the kingdom are also called . The emphasis , literally meaning “the great god” would be due to the high status of the person. The texts mentioning her use the term , ''-ganashi'' being an honorific suffix.

The first mention of the name of "Kikoe-ōgimi" is found in the ''Nagahama Family genealogy'', generally considered as the oldest conserved genealogy of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. It mentions a woman designed by the title of Kikoe-ōgimi, “venerable eldest daughter of King Eisō (r. 1260-1299), former king of Chūzan and King of Hokuzan”. Very little is known about the rites and the religion of this period of Ryūkyūan history, but it seems it was at first a title that was common to all priestesses who served as ''onarigami'' for a king.

The second Shō dynasty

Religious reform

King Shō Shin (r. 1477-1526) starts a political and religious reform including a centralisation of the political administration and a unification of the religion. It is during this reform that the hierarchical network of the noros is created in order to organise the many priestesses of the kingdom and that the ''kikoe-ōgimi'' priestess, until then the king’s ''onarigami'' who presided to the royal family’s religious ceremonies, is put at the head of this hierarchy.

Until then the most powerful priestesses of the kingdom had been the and the priestesses, who would then come second after the ''kikoe-ōgimi'' priestess.

On the dedicatory stele of Tamaudun, dated 1501, that lists the persons authorized to be buried in the mausoleum, Shō Shin’s sister is mentioned as .

Characteristics of the function

Kikoe-ōgimi is first the protective divinity of the king: her prayers are made to bring him long life, health and prosperity. She also provides prosperity in the crops of the kingdom and safety for the sea travels. She takes part to many ceremonies, daily ones in her residence or in the castle of Shuri, but also pilgrimages in diverse sacred locations of the kingdom, that can occur one or twice a year, or less frequently.

Several divine names are attributed to Kikoe-ōgimi: "Shimasenko", "Akeshino" and "Tedashiro", who are the three deities expressing themselves through her. The divine name of "Shimasenko Akeshino" is also the one that was used by the very respected Jichaku Noro. The third divine name of "Tedashiro" (lit. "the sun’s spiritual receptacle") had been until then the one of Baten Noro, who gives it up for Kikoe-ōgimi. It might correspond to a wish to conserve the existing religious concepts into the newly created structure.

After her investiture, Kikoe-ōgimi receives the fief of Chinen Magiri and other lands in the kingdom, that corresponded to an annual revenue in taxes between 200 and 500 kokus.

In 1509, when king Shō Shin creates rules concerning the type of hair ornaments authorized for each nobility rank, the law mentions that Kikoe-ōgimi wears “a large golden ''jīfā'' with dragons and flowers”.

The Kyūyō states that in 1677, king Shō Tei decided that only queens could be promoted to the rank of ''kikoe-ōgimi'', but this reform was never applied and the function was still given to daughters and sisters of kings afterwards.

In 1732, king Shō Kei appoints a surgeon who stays constantly at Kikoe-ōgimi’s residence in order to take care of the health of the members of her household.

The ''kikoe-ōgimis'' of the second Shō dynasty

, the sister of king Shō Shin, has been the first ''kikoe-ōgimi'' at the head of the new religious structure decided by the king. After the dead of Shō En, the first king of the second Shō dynasty, the power goes to his younger brother, Shō Sen'i, but Utuchitunumuigani, who already was ''kikoe-ōgimi'' as the daughter of the previous king, reveals that the gods are against this succession, and rather want Shō Shin, Shō En's son, on the throne. Shō Sen'i abdicates in favour of his nephew, showing how strong the political power of the ryūkyūan religion was.

Fifteen generations of kikoe-ōgimi follow until the fall of the kingdom in 1879. The Shō family is then sent in exile to Tōkyō.
After the annexation of the kingdom by Japan, several local priestesses claim the title of kikoe-ōgimi, although the women of the Shō family exiled in Tōkyō go on with their religious duties.

In 1924, Princess Amuro manages to obtain authorisation to come, alone, to Okinawa, where she unofficially visits Sēfa Utaki for her investiture ceremony. The ceremony is shortened to one day, and none of the noros are allowed to assist her. This is the latest of the Kikoe-ōgimi’s investiture ceremonies.

At the beginning of the 2000s, due to the confusion created by the multiplication of self-proclaimed ''kikoe-ōgimis'', Hiroshi Shō, then head of the Shō family still in exile in Tōkyō, appoints officially his sister Keiko Nozu (1947-2019) as the new Kikoe-ōgimi. He also appoints posthumously his aunt, Fumiko Ii, who had occupied the function before Keiko, until her death in 2004.
Keiko Nozu is the first ''kikoe-ōgimi'' to regularly come back to Okinawa to perform the ceremonies there. The current ''kikoe-ōgimi'' is Maki Shō, daughter of Mamoru Shō, current head of the Shō family still in exile in Tōkyō.

List of the ''kikoe-ōgimis'' of the second Shō dynasty

Twenty-one women of the Shō family have succeeded one another in the function of Kikoe-ōgimi since the reign of Shō Shin.

Ceremonies

Investiture

The investiture of Kikoe-ōgimi is called (lit. "the new descent"). The details are mainly known thanks to a report of the investiture ceremony of the fourteenth ''kikoe-ōgimi'', queen of Shō On, the .

The preparations for the ceremony take about six months, including the renovation of the roads and the construction of several temporary residences on the way of the procession that take the future ''kikoe-ōgimi'' from Shuri to Sēfa Utaki. The wood for the residences is obtained from the northern forests and is prepared and transported according to the ritual. Sand from the sacred island of Kudaka is transported to Sēfa Utaki and spread on the ground at the location of the ceremony.

The future ''kikoe-ōgimi'' leaves her residence with her followers early in the morning and goes to Shuri Castle. After several ceremonies inside Shuri Castle and in , the future ''kikoe-ōgimi'' goes to Yonabaru, mounted on a white horse, surrounded by the songs (''kuēna'') of the ''noros'' and priestesses following her.

In Yonabaru, she is welcomed by and her followers, all wearing white clothes. The future ''kikoe-ōgimi'' goes to the Udun'yama sacred site where she receives the (her forehead is rubbed with sacred water), and then to the sacred spring where she purifies herself. The ''noros'' and the other priestesses sing and dance in front of the temporary residence that has been built for the investiture. In the afternoon, they leave Yonabaru, lead by Ufuzato-Haebaru Noro and form a procession to go to Sēfa Utaki.

The and her followers welcome them at the boundary between the magiris of Sashiki and Chinen. The future ''kikoe-ōgimi'' demounts and climbs in a litter. The procession arrives to Sēfa Utaki in the evening. After a rest in the temporary residence that has been built in front of Sēfa Utaki, the ceremony takes place at night. The arrives in the night, on a white horse, and is welcomed by the Chinen-Tamagusuku Noro and her followers.

The processions counts about seventy ''noros'' and priestesses, who escort the future ''kikoe-ōgimi'' from the temporary residence to the sacred site while singing. The procession visits the and sacred sites before they go back to Ufu-gūi. The investiture ceremony itself is held at Ufu-gūi, it is presided by Kudakajima-Kudaka Noro, assisted of Chinen-Tamagusuku Noro. The future ''kikoe-ōgimi'' is seated on a throne and the ''noros'' sit in circke around her. The set a crown on her head while the other priestesses sing and dance around. Before dawn, the future ''kikoe-ōgimi'' returns to the temporary residence, where a golden folding screen has been set, hiding a bed and a golden pillow. This is where the gods come down and incarnate themselves in her in a ritual of celestial wedding.

At dawn, all the noros and Kikoe-ōgimi welcome the sunrise.
By noon, the procession visits , sacred springs and , before they go back to Shuri in the evening.
Once the ''uārauri'' ceremony is over, the new ''kikoe-ōgimi'' is considered equal to the gods. After this investiture, she will keep her function till her death.

Agari-umāi Pilgrimage

Kikoe-ōgimi, together with the king, made the pilgrimage once a year during the fourth month of the lunar calendar, during which she visited fourteen sacred places in relation with the goddess Amamikiyo between Shuri Castle and Sēfa Utaki. She left Shuri after devotions at and visited the sacred site and the sacred spring in Yonabaru, as well as the and sacred sites in Sashiki, before she went to Chinen Magiri where she prayed at the sacred spring before she entered Sēfa Utaki. There, she held rituals in six different sacred locations (''ibi''), praying for the kingdom's prosperity and safety, for good crops and safe sea trips.

After the ceremonies at Sēfa Utaki, she went to , to the sacred spring, to the sacred sources, to , to , to and finally to .

Kudaka Island Pilgrimage

Kikoe-ōgimi went once every two years to the sacred island of Kudaka, during the second month of the lunar calendar. She was authorised to take sand from this sacred island to spread it on the ground of the other utakis of the kingdom. During those trips, a temporary residence was built in in Yonabaru and she took the sea there.

Ceremonies in Shuri Castle

There are ten ''utakis'' inside Shuri Castle, for which Kikoe-ōgimi was responsible: , , an unnamed ''utaki'' located next to the gate, , the four ''utakis'' of ( and three unnamed ''utakis'') and .
Rituals to provide good health for the king, prosperity for the kingdom, good crops and safety during sea trips are held in those ''utakis''.

Ceremonies in Eboshigawa-nu-Utaki

This sacred site is a spring located at the foot of the hill in Nishihara. It is the location of a legend of the feather dress similar to that of the spring in Ginowan. Kikoe-ōgimi used to visit the site during the second and third months of the lunar calendar every year for a ceremony. Starting in 1691, the ceremony was only held once every three years.

Domestic ceremonies

The domestic ceremonies in her residence were performed by Kikoe-ōgimi, the women of her close family, high rank priestesses and many followers.
Kikoe-ōgimi's residence included the altars of four gods:
* or
* or
* or
* or
Kikoe-ōgimi prayed to the four gods every day to obtain health for the king and the princes, good crops of barley, rice and yam and safety for the trips around the islands and abroad.

Special prayers were addressed to O-hitsubo-suji-ganashi-mae and Kane-no-osuji-ganashi-mae on the first, seventh and fifteenth day of each month, still to obtain health for the king and the princes, but also for herself and to obtain the capacity for the members of the royal administrations and the peasants to accomplish their respective tasks.

Politics

There are several examples when Kikoe-ōgimi directly intervened in the political affairs of the kingdom. The first Kikoe-ōgimi, Utuchitunumuigani, is directly responsible for the abdication of Shō Sen’i in favour of his nephew Shō Shin in 1477.

In 1500, Kikoe-ōgimi tells Shō Shin that his military campaign against Yaeyama will only be victorious if he brings with him the noro of Kume Island.

Residence

Kikoe-ōgimi had her own residence, , located east of Shuri Castle, that included a temple in addition to the residential area for the priestess.

Tradition says that Chifijin Udun was long located inside Shuri Castle, before it was moved, but there is no document conserved to confirm this theory.

The first mention of the residence on a map puts it in the village of . The map mentions the location of the "former Chifijin Udun" and the "reserve areas around the former Chifijin Udun": this residence was destroyed by fire in 1609 during the Satsuma invasion and rebuilt afterwards at the location of the former Yuntanja Udun. In 1706, Chifijin Udun is transferred for a time in the neighbouring village of . In 1730 a new residence is built about 150 metres east of the first one in Teshiraji.

A bell is set in the reserve area on the left of Chifijin Udun to warn the people in case of fire.

After annexation by Japan, the temple is transferred to , another residence of the royal family, and Chifijin Udun is torn down by the end of the Meiji Era. The location of the 1730 residence is currently below the sports ground of .

See also

*Noro (priestess)
*Ryukyuan religion
*Sefa-utaki
*Omoro Sōshi

References

{{Government of the Ryukyu Kingdom

15th-century establishments in Asia
1879 disestablishments in Japan
1944 disestablishments in Japan
Religion in the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyuan culture
Shamanism in Japan
Religious titles
Priestesses