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Home , December solstice, Eiso (Ryukyu), Gusuku, June solstice, Nanzan, Okinawa Island

Solar Kingdom of Ryukyu: the formation of a Cosmovision in the Southern Islands of the

Akira Goto University

Abstract: and the Korean Peninsula. A star lore and On the Island, the largest of the island chain, cosmology developed, based on the mix- the Kingdom of Shuri was established around the 15th ture of , Shintoism, Confucian- century A.D. Its political ideology was characterized by ism, and probably indigenous animistic a ritual, and the king was worshiped as a child of folk beliefs (Dolce 2006; Sano 1994). On the Sun. Women had a sacred role on these islands, and the other hand, in the “north” there is a priestesses had the role of introducing sacred power from the Sun to the royal palace. In the religious thought of hunter-gatherer group, Hokkaido Ainu, this kingdom, Kudaka-jima Island was the most sacred. which has a rich star lore tradition that is This tiny island in the southeastern sea off the shore of mainly based on animism and has some occupied an important position in royal relevance to those of ethnic groups in rituals, including an enthronement ceremony of the high- northeast Asia (Sueoka 1979). In the est priestesses who were close kin of the king. In the “south,” the developed, Urasoe , predecessor of the Shuri Dynasty, it which had maintained independence until was possible to see the rising Sun of the December sol- the beginning of the 17th century. Their stice behind the Kudaka-jima Island, and the ritual on lore is built by the mixture of Chinese, Jap- the December was probably performed for the re- birth of the king. During the proceeding Period anese, and indigenous traditions which between the 13th and the 14th centuries, several probably include some Austronesian ele- were constructed there with gates that opened toward the ments (Goto 2010, 2015). In this paper, I . This custom was meant to introduce the analyze the development of the sun wor- strongest power of the Sun into the sacred place of the ship that culminated in the Ryukyu King- . On Kudaka-jima Island facing these castles, dom. I will trace the development of an there is a folk belief in celebrating both June and De- ideology that placed kings as the children cember . This paper traces the process in which of the sun. I also attempt to relate this a primary folk belief of the Sun had been transformed into a political ideology in which the king himself became royal ideology to folk beliefs concerning the Sun, radiating the land and the people. the sun.

Keywords: Ryukyu (Okinawa) Islands, Shuri Dynasty, sun rituals, solstice The Ryukyu Islands lie at the southern end of the Japanese Archipelago, between Introduction Kyushu Island and . (Figure 1) The Japanese Archipelago is a long island The largest island of the Ryukyu Islands is chain, extending almost 20 degrees of lati- the Okinawa Island where the Ryukyu tude (from 25 to 45 degrees North). This Kingdom flourished between the 15th and north-south extension provides an interest- the 19th centuries. The Kingdom extended ing situation for the comparison of star lore its original trade relations to include and cosmology within the archipelago. In and . Unlike the main Jap- the “middle,” there is “Japanese” culture anese islands, the Ryukyu Islands have with a long history influenced by China been little influenced either by Buddhism

Journal of Astronomy in Culture 1(1), 2016, pp. 77-88 Copyright © International Society for Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture 78 Figure 1. Map of Ryukyu Islands

or Shintoism. Their indigenous religion is tools, and distributed them to their follow- based on shamanism until today. ers. Small chiefdoms were united into The earliest human occupation of the three kingdoms by the late 14th century Ryukyu Islands is now traced back to into the Northern Kingdom, the Central 35,000 B.P. and the oldest human remains Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom. in so far have been found from these These three kingdoms were eventually islands (Kaifu et al. 2015). Since 9,000 united by the Central Kingdom and this B.P. a ‘shell-mound’ period started, based marked the beginning of the Ryukyu King- on a foraging economy with distinctive dom (Asato 1998). pottery. By the period between the 10th The Ryukyu Kingdom consisted of and 12th centuries A.D., the foraging econ- three : the Urasoe Dynasty omy had shifted to an agricultural econ- whose era was still in the Three Kingdoms omy, and this marks the beginning of the Period; the First Sho Dynasty, between Gusuku Period. Gusuku literally means A.D. 1406 to 1468; and the Second Sho ‘castle,’ and many castles were constructed Dynasty, between A.D. 1470 to 1879. In throughout the islands. A gusuku was a res- 1879 the Ryukyu Kingdom came to an idence and a that included a end, right after the Tokugawa Govern- sacred shrine and was constructed by local ment was collapsed by civil war and the chiefs. In this period, social stratification Modern Japanese era had started. was marked based on agriculture and do- During the era of King Shonei of the mestication (Asato 1990). Second Dynasty, the Satsuma Clan, the Local chiefs in the 13th and 14th centu- southernmost clan of Kyushu Island, in- ries competed with each other by trading vaded the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1609 with China and Southeast Asia to obtain (Asato 2006; Irumada and Tomiyama prestige goods such as ceramics and iron 2002). Then the Satsuma Clan subordi-

Goto, A. 79

nated the Ryukyu Kingdom, but let it ap- Shuri, there were 10 generations in the pear to be independent, since the Satsuma Urasoe dynasty whose royal history was Clan wanted to take advantage of the im- not linear at all. The Urasoe Dynasty con- ported goods from China and Southeast sisted of three discontinuous lineages. The Asia that the Ryukyu Kingdom had ob- first king, , was said to be a son of tained through trade. Along with this Minamoto Tametomo, a legendary samu- trade, the Chinese geomancy practice of rai hero. Legend has it that after being de- feng shui and the calendar had been intro- feated by a rival clan in Kyoto, duced. Also throughout the islands, there Tametomo escaped by boat and arrived at were situated marine affairs stations to the Ryukyu Islands. Then Shunten was watch the going and coming of ships born to him, and became the first King of (Irumada and Tomiyama 2002). the Urasoe Dynasty. His lineage contin- Omoro-soshi, a collection of chants com- ued for three generations, but became piled (between A.D. 1531 and 1632) by the the 4th king by abdication by an emperor Second Sho Dynasty is full of expressions in favor of a more virtuous successor: zenjo of the King as the Sun. I examine the de- (禅譲) that is the Chinese philosophy of velopment of the thought of the king as the ideal succession of the emperorship. Sun in the Ryukyu Kingdom. The final king of the Urasoe Dynasty, King who lived in the latter half of Three Kingdom Period and the Uni- the 14th century, was invited to Shuri Cas- fication of the Islands tle to construct a new capital: again zenjo The Ryukyu Kingdom that united the is- succession. King Satto was succeeded by lands in the 15th century originated in the his son Bunei, but King Bunei was de- Urasoe Dynasty of the Central Kingdom. feated by the Sho Clan. The Sho Clan Urasoe is located 5 km north of Shuri then founded the Sho Dynasty at the be- where the Ryukyu Dynasty was finally es- ginning of the 15th century, and defeated tablished. (Figure 2) Before coming to the Northern and Southern Kingdoms,

Figure 2. Urasoe Castle, and Kudaka-jima Island

JAC, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2016 80 uniting the islands. The First Sho Dynasty of the sun’ at the horizon of the sea (Waku- continued for 7 generations, and the Se- gami 1992). cond Sho Dynasty continued for 19 gener- There is also a royal tomb, Urasoe Yo- ations (Asato 2006). dore in Urasoe Castle. This tomb was con- structed by the 4th king of the Urasoe Dyn- Solar Kingship from Urasoe Castle asty, King Eiso (A.D. 1260-1299). King to Kudaka-jima Island Eiso constructed this tomb and is often re- As already mentioned, the first King ferred to as the child of the sun; he is the Shunten of the Urasoe Dynasty is said to key person when considering the develop- have been a son of the samurai hero Mina- ment of solar ideology of the dynasty. Leg- moto Tametomo. On the southeastern end has it that the wife of Chief Iso had a end of the castle, there is a rock called dream of the Sun coming into her breast, Tametomo Rock (or hanareji, meaning and she was pregnant the next morning. ‘separated rock’ in the Ryukyu dialect). She begot a baby who later became King Looking towards the southeast from this Eiso. When grown, he became the king by rock, there lies Kudaka-jima Island, which zenjo succession. Later kings of the Sho is the most sacred island in the kingdom dynasty often referred to this King Eiso to (Kojima 1987). (Figure 3) From Urasoe ascertain their royal status of the solar dyn- Castle, the sun is seen to asty. rise behind this island. (Figure 4) In Omoro- The tomb consists of two spaces sur- soshi chants, there is a frequently used ex- rounded by stone walls under a high cliff. pression of teda-ga-ana, that means ‘the hole Going down to the tomb from the castle, of the Sun.’ Since Kudaka-jima Island is a we see Kudaka-jima Island from the de- low island, when viewed from Urasoe Cas- scending approach. When going through tle, the Sun appears to rise from ‘the hole the first gate, Anshinmon (or ‘dark gate’), we Figure 3. Kudaka-jima Island, seen from Tametomo Rock.

Goto, A. 81

Figure 4. December Solstice Sunrise seen from Urasoe Castle (Dec. 22, 2015).

come to the dark front yard. Before being that has been held every 12 years during destroyed in WWII, this yard was a kind of the year of horse. This ritual was last per- tunnel. If we go further through the se- formed in 1978, and unfortunately ceased cond gate, Nakamon, (or ‘middle gate’), we after that. A series of rituals were held for suddenly come to the bright main yard sur- five days until one day before the Decem- rounded by white shining coral rocks. ber solstice, in order to initiate the priest- Here lie royal tombs including the grave of ess. King Eiso. The approach from the dark Kudaka-jima islanders consider that front yard to the bright main yard may sig- the direction of sunrise is sacred, since nify the shift from the dark world of death there is an ideal space, Nira-hara or Nirai- to the heavenly world, Nirai-kanai, ‘full of kanai from which gods visit the island. This sunlight.’ Interestingly enough, the Sun of place is also where ancestors live and the the December solstice is seen to rise just in fertility of crops and sea food came from. the Nakamon gate that connects the world As already mentioned, the Sun rises at teda- of darkness to that of light. Seen from this ga-ana, ‘the hole of the Sun,’ that lies to- tomb, the direction to Kudaka-jima Island ward Nirai-kanai. The islanders pray to- appears to be the direction of the heavenly ward this direction, eastward. On the world (Asato 2006). other hand, the Sun sets in tida-banta, which means ‘the cliff where the Sun Kudaka-jima Island hides.’ Kudaka-jima Island was the most sacred The islanders consider that the direc- island in the Ryukyu Islands. The size of tion of this sunset is impure. Once a year, this island is only 1.38 km2 and its maxi- they put harmful insects on a model raft mum height is 17.5m. (Figure 5) This made of banana tree and ritually drift them small island is known for the ritual Izaiho to this direction in order to prevent a crop JAC, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2016 82 Figure 5. Kudaka-jima Island

failure due to insect plague. On the island, for the Sun to be reborn. On this day, god there is a proverb saying that to make a or probably the Sun-god descends on the wish, one should finish before the Sun small rock in the sea and then lands on this comes to the culmination. The islanders beach (Higa 1993). The rock is called consider that the Sun before has a Ugan-jima, which means ‘the island for stronger power, and after noon the sun prayer.’ The villagers said that the June loses its power. The islanders were rather solstice Sun is seen to rise behind this rock. scared of the Sun in the culmination at The trail is extended from this beach noon. The sacrifice of the dead and the southwestward to the village, and this trail ritual to remove harmful insects should be is said to be the road of the Sun. I suspect done in the afternoon. They also sacrificed that this ritual is to introduce the strongest the dead in this direction, and the dead power of the sun at June solstice to the vil- were considered to follow the setting Sun. lage. Both the Sun and the souls go through the According to the creation myth, this is- underground or under the sea, and finally land is the original place of wheat. Actu- reach the Nira-hara in the eastern sea (Higa ally rice does not grow on this island. The 1993). legend has it that a white shining pot was Kaberu-hama Beach is located at the drifting and beached on Ishiki-hama northeastern-most corner of the island. Beach, on the east side of the island. Once Kaberu means ‘the field of the god,’ and this opened, the pot contained seeds of five is the place where the heavenly god Ama- crops, including wheat. The wheat was mikyo first ascended. At this beach, rituals dedicated to the royal palace and after that are held in February and June in the old the king visited this island to celebrate this calendar. The June ritual held on the sol- event (Suetsugu 1995). stice is said to be miruku-gwati, which means Another legend has it that the daugh- ‘beautiful’ or ‘new’ June. This is the time ter of the founder of Kudaka-jima Island Goto, A. 83 served as a priestess in the royal palace. serves the same purpose (Goto 2011). (Fig- She was beautiful and loved by the king. ure 6) Here the June solstice Sun actually She became his wife and got pregnant. But rises up in the gate (Figure 7), and today other women who were jealous abused this phenomenon is used in the festival for her, saying that the lady broke wind and the revitalization of a town. (Interestingly they laughed at her. Being ashamed, she enough, the December solstice Sun is seen returned to the island and begat a boy. to set through this gate, if viewed from out- The boy, when becoming seven years side.) old, went to the Ishiki-hama Beach and Next, I refer to the archaeologist, Su- prayed to the gods. After seven days, a sumu Asato’s (2006) hypothesis. He found golden gourd drifted to him. He dared to that the alignments of the palaces before see King , the fourth king in and after unification tended to shift from the royal lineage founded by ‘the solar south or eastward to westward. He deter- king’ Eiso (the eighth king of Urasoe Dyn- mined that the palaces facing the south or asty originated in Shunten), and dedicated eastward were often constructed before the the golden gourd to the king. He said to unification reflecting the idea of introduc- the king, “if there is a woman who never ing sacred power, sezi, from the Sun. On breaks wind and plants it, it will produce a the other hand, after unification, the royal lot of fruits.” The king realized his fault, palace in the Shuri Castle faced westward and came to know that this wise boy was reflecting the idea of the king himself being his son. The king adopted him as his suc- the Sun (or the child of the Sun), radiating cessor, and the boy became the fifth dyn- sunlight toward the people. ast, King Seii. After that, kings came to visit Kudaka-jima Island to get the first Solar Kingdom in Shuri crop of wheat and also to worship the Sun After unification of the islands by the Sho at this beach (Suetsugu 1995). Dynasty in the Shuri district of City, The legend of a shining pot or golden there was a growing tendency to see the gourd drifting to the Ishiki-hama Beach, king as the Sun itself. Omoro-soshi is full of which is the place to pray for the sun, such expressions (Hokama 2000a, 2000b). strongly suggests that the origin of wheat For example: was closely related to worship of the Sun. In Shuri Castle lives a child of the Sun, Pre-stage of Solar Kingdom He built a beautiful stone wall. There are Omoro-soshi chants, saying that [No. 217 song in Volume 5] the gates of some castles were constructed (Hokama 2000a) toward the East and toward the ‘hole of the Sun.’ In a previous paper, I offered the in- Mentioned above, teda means the Sun, and terpretation of these chants to say that the teda-ko means the child of the Sun. Teda is sunlight penetrates the castle through the a symbolic expression applied to king as gate opened toward the Sun, and that the well as local chiefs, but teda-ko is used only chiefs get sacred power from the Sun, lead- for the king. So originally, the Sun was a ing to a flourishing country. I mentioned symbolic expression for someone with po- that the new gates of some castles appear litical power, but the child of the Sun was to be directed to June solstice sunrise. In specifically used to mean king or para- particular, I referred to Tamagusuku Cas- mount chief (Irumada and Tomiyama tle, where the gate made of a natural cave 2002; Suetsugu 1995).

JAC, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2016 84 Figure 6. The gate of Tamagusuku Castle, seen from outside.

Figure 7. June Solstice Sunrise at the gate of Tamagusuku Catle, seen faced westward (Asato from inside (June 22, 2015). 2006; Irumada and Tomi- yama 2002). The follow- ers in the royal garden looked up eastward at the king symbolizing himself a Sun god. This ritual was of clearly Chinese influ- ence, since before the rit- ual, the king worshipped the north direction, i.e., Polar Star and the forbid- den city of , China (Ikemiya 1990; Maehira 1989). But I argue that its basic meaning must have been to pray for the reju- venation of the king as the Sun, and this thought was During the Ryukyu Dynasty, the his- inherited from the Urasoe Dynastic era. torical record states that they performed When a king died and a new king the same ritual at the December solstice came up to the palace for the first time, he and the New Year. At this ritual, the king passed through a particular gate, Keiseimon, stood at the balcony of the palace and which means ‘the gate for succession (of

Goto, A. 85 the King),’ and Bifukumon that means palace and everywhere in the country ‘beautiful and happy gate.’ These gates (Suetsugu 2012). At certain times of the were usually used only by women officials, year, the priestesses opened the sacred but at the time of succession they were used doors to introduce sunlight into this space. by the new king. He passed from the east- Concerning this custom, there is an Omoro- ern end of the castle through Keiseimon and soshi chant, saying “Let Kikoe-ookimi, the Bifukumon, and moved westward to the pal- highest priestess and the king work in close ace. So the new king seems to have be- cooperation to protect this country where haved as a rising Sun. Also when the king the Sun is shining beautifully” (Hokama died, the coffin of the king was carried out 2000a). The expression that the king as the through the gate located in the west side of Sun and Kikoe-ookimi work in close cooper- the castle (Maehira 1989). ation may symbolize the motif of a “pri- In addition, the Keiseimon appears to be mordial pair and sacred marriage (Hieros directed toward the December solstice Gamos)” seen in the creation myth of the sunrise. Considering the azimuth and alti- Ryukyu Islands. tude of the Sun at 8:00 to 10:00 in the There are differing opinions whether morning when the main ceremony was the Kudaka-jima Island was visible from held, the gate corresponds to the direction Shuri Castle or not. But the Sho Dynasty of the December solstice sunrise. But un- settled the Benga Mine Shrine on fortunately, the detailed description of the the eastern side of the castle to worship the December solstice ritual does not mention Kudaka-jima Island. They constructed a the orbit of the Sun or these gates at all. stone paved road for easy access by the priestess as well as the king to this shrine. Dual Kingship In Ryukyukoku Yuraiki (The Origin of the Ryukyu After unification of the kingdom, the ritual Kingdom, Volume 1), there is a description of receiving sunlight continued, and it was that the king worshipped Kudaka-jima Is- held by official priestesses. In the Ryukyu land from Bengataki Utaki Shrine Islands, there is a traditional belief that (Suetsugu 1995). In the small shrine on women are more sacred than men: this be- this sacred place, we could see an epitaph lief is called , and this means that of important kings of both the Urasoe and men are guarded by their close relatives, Sho Dynasties, such as, Shunten, Eiso, such as aunts or sisters. Satto and so on, suggesting continuous Through the process of the establish- worship of Kudaka-jima Island for the Sun ment of the Shuri Dynasty, a gender divi- ritual from the Urasoe to the Shuri Dynas- sion of the role developed: the king as a ties. Sun to govern the kingdom and the Finally, I mention briefly the most sa- women as priestesses to take a religious cred shrine of the islands. Seifa-Utaki role. This is a type of ‘dual kingship’ that Shrine is the most sacred shrine, since the consists of combining the male political au- succession rite of Kikoe-ookimi, of the highest thority and female sacred power. Kikoe- priestess was held there. Seifa-Utaki is lo- ookimi is the highest priestess and she was cated at the opposite side of the Kudaka- onarigami to the King (Irumada and Tomi- jima Island. In particular, the sacred space yama 2002). behind the divided rocks was also the place In Shuri Castle, there is a sacred space, to worship Kudaka-jima Island. The white Kyo-no-uchi, where only priestesses could sand collected from Kudaka-jima Island enter, and there they worshipped the Sun was spread on the ground to purify the to introduce its sacred power to the king’s shrine. JAC, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2016 86 At the succession ritual, Kikoe-ookimi on the lucky day around June 1st in the old was supposed to arrive at this shrine calendar, the gates of the Shuri castle were around 9:00 in the evening. After praying opened in the early morning to introduce at the three altars at midnight, she was sup- fortune. I suspect that this ritual is a rem- posed to sleep in a temporary palace in nant of “opening the gate eastward” (Naha front of the shrine. In her bed, two golden City Education Board 1968). pillows were prepared: one pillow for her In historical records and Omoro-soshi and another pillow for the god, probably chants, the king who was the child of the the Sun god coming from Kudaka-jima Is- Sun was often described as a heavenly god: land. They say that when the first sunlight “The Sun in Shuri and the Sun in heaven coming from behind the Kudaka-jima Is- should be united together.” It seems that land, shines on the high place of the rock the king as Sun took the part of the heav- in the divided rocks it is a mark that the enly god in the creation myth. In the Shuri god descended to this shrine. Again this is Dynasty, the king himself became the Sun the motif of a sacred marriage (Nakamatsu radiating for others with a sacred power, 1992). and the priestesses were continually sup- plying sacred power to the king. But once Discussion a year, the king himself had to be rejuve- Solar kingship that sees the king as a child nated at the December solstice ritual that of the Sun does not seem to have been orig- was inherited from the Urasoe Dynasty. It inally from the Ryukyu Islands. In the cre- seems that the continual rebirth of the king ation myth, the heavenly goddess Ama- as the child of the Sun had become the miku, or Amamikyo, descended to the central theme of the royal ritual of the Ry- or drifted to the island. She created ukyu Kingdom. the islands, and then settled the primordial seven shrines. Then Amamiku distributed Conclusion the seed of crops such as rice on Tama- After the unification of the islands by the gusuku, and wheat, millet, etc. on Kudaka- Central Kingdom, there seems to have oc- jima Island (Suetsugu 1995). So in the cre- curred a transformation of religious ation myth it seems the Sun did not play a thought. I suspect that it was related to re- particularly important role. structuring local beliefs in the Sun with the In a previous paper, I described a rich royal cosmology of the Ryukyu Kingdom. star lore among the Ryukyu islanders. In In this process, the worship of the Decem- particular, they observe the rise of Pleiades ber solstice and Kudaka-jima Island inher- in the eastern sky at dusk as an index to ited from the Urasoe Dynasty was trans- seed wheat. Also in indigenous belief, it is formed into an elaborate royal ritual based natural to see the east as the sacred direc- on a dual structure. This resulted in the tion for praying for fertility. The aim to formation of a cosmovision that is signifi- obtain sacred power from the Sun was a cantly different from those of other parts of widespread custom among the village folks Japan. as well as chiefly clans. I pointed out that the gates of some castle sites had been re- constructed to be directed toward June sol- Acknowledgements stice for the maximum effect of sunlight. This work was supported by the Japan So- The mention of June solstice ritual is rare ciety for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) in the Shuri Dynasty Period; but there is KAKENHI Grant Number 26370967. one description in Ryukyukoku Yuraiki that Goto, A. 87

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