2020 Volume 39 Issue Special_Issue Pages 222-231
This study aimed to explore the spatial composition and maintenance of “Utaki”（traditional sacred space） and the management of the local festivals at Kabira, Taketomi, and Hoshidate in the Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa. A spatial survey of Utaki was conducted. Further, the officers of the organization of community centers that holds each of these local festivals were interviewed. In Kabira, Utaki have a closed spatial composition and are managed by parishioners that migrants from outside the prefecture are not allowed to participate. Prayers are conducted in Utaki by a female priest called “Tsukasa” in most of the local festivals. In Taketomi, the management of Utaki differs depending on their rating in the village. Utaki have an open space like a shrine. The organization of community centers conducts festivals in which all the islanders participate. The migrants can also participate in these festivals. In Hoshidate, the organization of community centers plays a major role in the management of Utaki. Some Utaki are used as tsunami shelters and windbreaks. The organization where migrants serve as executives holds traditional festivals along with contemporary events. The above results show that the spatial composition of Utaki and the local festivals differed among the three regions. Based on this, the study makes the following suggestions. If the traditional organizations remain like in Taketomi, it is important to manage the organization to educate migrants about Utaki and the local festivals. However, if the traditional organizations are weakened, as in the case of Hoshidate, it is important for the organization of community centers to maintain traditions by making them easily accessible for the younger generations and migrants.
