The hillsides of Tamagasuku form green terraces above the shore, and the lanes of the village and its houses, some traditional, are pleasant places to amble, with gardens full of sub-tropical plants and fruits.

A more socio-historical approach to exploring the area would take you first to the Nakandakari Hiijah, a natural spring around which stone tanks, pools, steps and faucets were added for cleaning, cooking and washing. Surrounded by tropical banyan and fukugi trees, the spring is similar to something you might come across in a Balinese village. This would once have been the social center of the community, at least for women, a place where vegetables and bodies alike were washed, information and gossip disseminated. This green and plentiful region of southern mainland Okinawa is pierced with countless natural springs. Some like Ukinju and Hainju springs, located amidst some of the oldest rice paddies on the island, have acquired sacred status.

The skeleton of an older community is visible also in the region's martial and sacred prayer sites. The diminutive scale of the founding village belies its historical importance. Okinawan lore has it that Tamagusuku is where the female deity Amamikyu, first came ashore. Early artifacts found in the district date back 3,000 years, and its oldest castle, the ruin of Minton Gusuku, has a thousand year old history. Warlords in the Tamagusuku region are believed to have traded with China and other Asian nations as early as the 12th century.

The area has a spiritual legacy that has long imbued it with a special mystique. Because of its association with the gods, kings and high priestesses gravitated here to perform rituals. The area is dotted with several utaki (prayer sites). Hamaga Utaki is particularly well appointed, it's setting above the beach in a dense jungle, but with views of the blue Pacific. If you were to elect one sacred spot to visit, this should be Sefa Utaki, now inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's name, meaning a place holding divine power, is accessed by walking up an ancient stone path

The site provided religious authority and endorsement to the Ryukyu kings, through a series of complex rituals performed by Kikoe okimi, the highest ranking of priestesses. Even today, many Okinawans make the pilgrimage to Sefa Utaki, though they now have to share the site with a steady trickle of visitors. Huge natural rocks, stalactites and carved altars stand under a canopy of sub-tropical trees. A divination site, holy water from the springs here was used to foretell the future of the Ryukyu dynasty.

Want to know more? Act now and take advantage of our reasonable subscription rates to read the article in full.