Memories of Kakihana-Higawa River, Nanjo City: A Village Landscape Where the God of Water Lives and Works (1950s-1970s)

Memories of Kakihana-Higawa River, Nanjo City: A Village Landscape Where the God of Water Lives and Works (1950s-1970s)
Kakihana Higawa (Kakihana Higawa River), located in Nanjo City in the southern part of Okinawa's main island, has long been the center of the villagers' belief in the sanctity of its spring water. The spring, with its three outlets, was not only a source of water for farming and daily life, but also a place of rituals to pray for a bountiful harvest and life. On the 15th day of the sixth lunar month, women carried offerings and offered thanks to the water god.

After the war, modern water supply became widespread under U.S. military rule, and the function of the Higawa River diminished, but the people continued to protect the spring as a "place where the gods dwell. The topography of Kakihana Gusuku, with water flowing from the top of the mountain, conveys the continuity of the "mountain-water-village" relationship that has existed since ancient times.

In Okinawa, where belief in a mountain god is rare, belief in a "water god" developed, in which a dragon god is worshipped at a spring. After Okinawa's return to mainland Japan in 1972, Kakihana Higawa River was designated as a cultural asset and has been passed down to the next generation as "water of the gods" despite the increasing popularity of tourism.