Sefa-Utaki

The most sacred place in the Ryukyu Kingdom, Sefa-Utaki, consists of multiple sacred areas (ibi) surrounded by rugged mountains and forests. Among the priestesses who presided over the rituals in the days of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the Kikoe Okimi was the most prominent. A new Kikoe Okimi was appointed after the Oaraori ceremony. Priestesses left Shuri to visit Sefa-Utaki, and prayed at ibi. The new Kikoe Okimi became official at the end of the ritual in which the gods gave the spiritual power called seji to the new Kikoe Okimi.
In 2000, “Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu” was registered under UNESCO World Heritage Site.