A Place Where Water and God Talk to Each Other: Landscapes of Water God Beliefs in the Japanese Archipelago (1950s-1970s)

A Place Where Water and God Talk to Each Other: Landscapes of Water God Beliefs in the Japanese Archipelago (1950s-1970s)

The water god beliefs found in Kakihana Higawa, Nanjo City in the southern part of Okinawa's main island are symbolic of the diversity of nature beliefs in the Japanese archipelago. In Okinawa, belief in mountain deities is rare; instead, spiritual power is believed to reside in springs and fountains, and dragon gods and water gods are worshipped. In Kakihana village, the custom of reporting the birth of a newborn baby to a gusuku located at the top of the mountain continues to this day. The characteristic of this belief is that the ancestral spirits are not believed to dwell in the mountains, as is the case in the mainland, but that the water itself is recognized as having a spiritual power. Such beliefs can be found in various regions, including the Tohoku region, Izu, and the Kamo River basin in Kyoto, and are closely linked to agricultural rituals, forming unique views of the gods and forms of prayer in each region. They are cultural activities born from the close relatio
nship between the natural environment and people's lives, and have important implications from the perspective of environmental folklore. The landscapes that link water and deities bring to light the Japanese view of nature that has been passed down through the ages.