16/02/2022
Kudaka Island is located 5 km from the main island of Okinawa in the south. It is a small island (8 km around) full of untouched nature and historical sites, with the population about 200 of which half is elderly.
Kudaka is called God's island and there is a legend that says it is the first of the Ryukyu islands created by Goddess Amamikiyo. The land and its people still maintain strong connection with the Gods and the divine utopia Nirai Kanai. Praying and offering gratitude is part of daily life on the island.
During the Ryukyu Dynasty era, the King and the High Priestess of the Dynasty made their pilgrimage together to Kudaka island, most sacred place of the Ryukyus, every year.
It is still considered so sacred that a visitor is forbidden to take anything (a shell, a rock, flowers, etc.) as a souvenir. It is believed that everything, even a grain of sand on the island was placed there by the Gods and is not to be removed.
There are many sacred sites and places of worship including buildings, wells, hills and beaches, where prayer ceremonies and rituals are still being carried out more than 30 times a year. On the island, men are called "Uminchu" (Sea people=fishermen) and the women who carry out prayer ceremonies are called "Kaminchu" (God's people=priestesses).
Island residents live in the village area near the port, and the north of the village which is about 3/4 of the land is left natually with only the roads to connect the sacred sites and beaches. Except for some nationally owned areas, there is no land ownership even in the village, based on the belief that the land is borrowed from the Gods. No outsiders can come in and buy the land to develop into hotels and sightseeing spots, so the island's nature is preserved and the traditional lifestyle and rituals have been able to continue. No one is allowed to go north of the village during some of the main prayer ceremonies in the northern area.
The visitors often experience a different feel once he/she sets foot on Kudaka island. The time slows down. Some may get sleepy, some get energized. The air seems different, filled with sparkly light particles. Energy may felt rising up from the sand on the beach....
I hope you will join the retreat and experience a weekend on Kudaka with us to see for yourself why they call Kudaka "Gods' Island".
