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A typical okinawan grave. Life for the Okinawan people actually centers around the grave. They worship or hold in divine reverence their ancestors and believe that the good and bad that happens to them is directly connected to whether they are being properly worshipped or not. |
The native religion of
the Okinawan people is a form of animism and ancestral worship called
sosensuuhai. The actual name itself is translated literally "the
reverence and veneration of ones ancestors". In this religion Okinawans
believe in the existence of a physical and spiritual world. And that both these
worlds are governed by ancestral deities that all find their origin in the ultimate god,
fire, which in this religion is symbolized by the three sacreds earth, ground and
heaven.
The basic aim of ancestral worship in the Okinawan context is to
bring a balance between the spiritual and physical world. The tradition of this
religion teaches that all adversity of life whether mental, physiological, or
natural is the result of ancestors not being able to rest due to something bad that
someone living or deceased has done, and that it is now the responsibility of the living
to right that wrong and bring proper balance back to the spiritual/physical world.
In order to understand and interpret exactly what has gone
wrong and who has done it there is what is called a yuta. A yuta is medium or
shaman. It is not a formally learned position, but one that is developed through
ones experience and spiritual sensitivity. There are hundreds in Okinawa, usually a
woman, and they are the primary links between the physical and spiritual
world. They are highly respected and play a primary role in the life of the
Okinawan people who flock to them during times of trouble and distress.
| A dragon statue. Dragons which are a direct influence from China are important and frequent symbols in the Okinawan religion. Seen as guardians they are often placed in entrances and gateways to ward off evil spirits. |
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As with all animistic peoples the culture and lifestyle can be
replete with rituals, superstitions, festivals and practices and the Okinawans are not any
different. Homes of the first born son have "butsudons" or god shelf
altars and are attended to daily by the lady of the house with incense burning, prayers,
and offerings of sake and salt. Shrines, altars and fetishes are common in every
neighborhood; every shoreline, mountain, or grove has a deity or demon associated
with it; and it isn't unusual to see people doing rituals on the sidewalks attempting to
ward off evil spirits per the instruction of their yuta. The high period of the
calendar year for the Okinawan is Obon, a three day festival period in which they welcome
home their ancestors, have a meal, make an offering and then send them off again with the
hope that they enjoyed their stay and will bless them in the coming days.
There is no written tradition of sosensuuhai, nor is there a
formal liturgy or sacrament. It is nearly all oral tradition carried from one
generation to the next with intricate care. And if anything else is needed, well the
yuta is only half a block away. It is a religion that in many ways has bound the
Okinawan people together, but it is also a religion that is high on the selling of
fear. For a modern society most foreigners are surprised by the high degree of
superstition they find here. It seems ironic that a people so modern could be so
influenced by dark animistic superstitions.
However, this darkness is one of the very avenues the Lord
has used to bring the Gospel here. The Okinawans though being more superstitious in nature
than the mainland Japanese are more sensitive and open to the light of the Gospel and we
are finding a more ready harvest here than anywhere else in Japan.
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A utaki or grove for worship, this particular one is situated in a secluded hill near a banana tree grove and a small waterfall. They are often put in quiet pleasant places such as this and are places of worship to the local gods of the surrounding environment such as the hill and waterfall in this scene. The shrine is simple with nothing more than a roof and shelf to house two cups for drink offerings and a bowl to burn incense. |