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• Earthly paradise of the gods

  Many southwestern islands passed on the folklore and formed beliefs in the gods from a land called Nirai-Kanai, who visited yearly and brought happiness to these islanders. Depending on the island its imagined location is different, but the Nirai-Kanai was commonly held to be the land where gods resided. The oldest Okinawan petic text, Omorosaushi, calls it “niruya-kanaya,” and some people on Okinawa Island pronounce the name as “gire-kane.” Appearing in ceremonial songs in various parts of Okinawa, the word “niruya” is presumably linked with the ocean. What the text calls Niruya-Kanaya is thus commonly believed to be a paradise or a utopia beyond the sea. Gods were invited from the land of Nirai-Kanai to bring happiness and peace to villages, and in many communities the places for welcoming them were often located on a beach, at the top of a coastal cliff, or somewhere with a fair ocean view.

*Please note that there are reading mistake.

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