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

Memories of Kakihana-Higawa River, Nanjo City: A Village Landscape Where the God of Water Lives (1950s-1970s)
Kakihana Higawa (Kakihana Higawa River) in Nanjo City, located in the southern part of Okinawa's main island, is the center of a local belief that reveres spring water as the source of life. The Higawa, with its three springs, was not only a source of water for agriculture and daily life, but also a place of prayer and thanksgiving for the villagers. The water of the Higawa River was considered "divine water" and was used to purify the sanctuary during rituals. Especially on the 15th day of the 6th month of the lunar calendar, "Mizu-nu-ugan" was held to pray for a good harvest and stable water supply, and women were seen carrying offerings and worshipping at the spring.

After the war, Okinawa under U.S. military rule experienced rapid urbanization and tourism development, while at the same time the structure of village society was shaken. Drinking and domestic water was replaced by modern water systems, and the role of the Higawa River gradually disappeared. However, the local people continued to protect the water source not as mere infrastructure, but as a "place where the gods dwell. The topography of the water flowing from the top of Kakihana Gusuku and pouring into the spring tells us of the "mountain-water-village" relationship that has existed since ancient times.

In Okinawa, where mountain deities were scarce, a belief developed in the spiritual power of the springs themselves. The dragon god was believed to dwell at the bottom of the water, and prayers for rain and for the birth of a child were held at this place. The custom of parents going to the gusuku to report the birth of their children remains because the mountain, spring, ancestral spirits, and life were considered as a single cycle. This is a system of "horizontal holiness" that differs from the belief in mountain and rice paddy deities on the mainland, and is a strong reflection of the characteristics of island culture.

After the return to the mainland in 1972, Higawa was maintained as a cultural asset, but its value as a "spiritual history of the region," rather than a mere tourist resource, was reaffirmed. Even today, people still talk about "the water of Kakihana Higawa as water of God," and beyond the postwar changes, the scenery where nature and faith intersect is still alive.