Objective: This study describes the folk beliefs of elderly people living in Kume Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, and clarifies their relationship with life history, ikigai (reasons for living), and the number of children.
Methods: Interviews were made for 9 men and 18 women aged 69 to 96 years old on their belief on Hinukan (god of fire), Totome (precious ancestors), Chimbe (chief priestess or places of worship), Noro (formal priestess), Yuta (private priestess), and Mabui (spirits), as well as their life history, ikigai, and the number of children and grandchildren.
Results: In total, 70% (19 out of 27) believed in Hinukan, 78% in Totome, 37% in Chimbe, 37% in Noro, 37% in Yuta, and 48% in Mabui. The subjects were classified into three types: traditional type (10 people), intermediate type (9), and non-traditional type (8). Both the traditional and intermediate types believed in Hinukan and Totome. The traditional type believed in Chimbe and Noro, but the intermediate type did not. Non-traditional type believed neither Hinukan, Totome nor Chimbe. The numbers of children of the traditional and intermediate types (median; both 6.0) were significantly more than the non-traditional type (median; 3.5, p-value: 0.001 and 0.004, respectively).
