斎場御嶽

Architecture & Buildings

Asia, Japan, Okinawa Prefecture

Seifa-utaki (斎場御嶽), meaning "purified place of Utaki," is a Shinto Shrine. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu in Nanjō, Okinawa. Seifa Utaki on Chinen Peninsula has been recognized as a sacred place since the earliest peiod of Okinawan history. The shrine area itself comprises a number of caves and overhanging ledges opening to the east and south among towering rock formation sof a high promontory over the sea. All buildings have been destroyed, but the outer and inner precincts can still be traced. From July 2007, a local shrine began charging a 200 yen admission.