Yachimun no Sato

Chibichiri Gama - October 22, 2015 Yomitan, Okinawa, Japan

While visiting at the Kina Banjo (bahn'-jo) a couple of days ago I asked the curator what other points of interest I might check out in the area. Of course, she talked about Zakimi Jo and the Yachimun no Sato but she also mentioned a place called Chibi Chiri Gama. Gama, in the local vernacular, means 'cave'. She couldn't explain enough to my limited comprehension what it is or what it represents but nevertheless I decided to go there. So Zac and I set out this morning, in the rain, to find it.
I got the general drift of its location by referring to a local sites map. It's somewhere between Murasaki Mura and the Yomitan Fire Department HQ. While driving around Zac spotted the fire department so I got off on a farm road just east of Murasaki Mura and drove up a couple of those dirt farm roads. At one point we noticed a bunch of scrapped cars side by side and front to end in the midst of a field. Then we encountered a grand stench which once experienced can never be mistaken for anything but a pig farm. We drove a little further up the road till we came to what did indeed appear to be a pig farm. There was a guy in one of the large concrete enclosures and I stopped to ask if he knows where to find Chibi Chiri. He brightened up and indicated that we were very close. I understood his directions enough to know that as we left his property we'd go to the right then we'd pass a junk yard (which he said in English). Zac and I knew right then where that was as we had just passed it and commented about what an unusual location for an auto scrap yard.
He further instructed that 30 meters past that I would see an 'Okinawan house' that is really a toilet. The cave would be right next to that toilet. Okay, I thought.
After abundant bowing and domos I began to pull away from his property. At that point a guy in a work truck honked his horn and gestured for me to stop. He pulled his truck out in front of me and gestured as if to say 'Ikimashou' - Let's go! He guided me to the public restroom which indeed looks like a tiny traditional old Okinawan house.
The first thing to greet us when we got out of the car was a sign warning us to watch for snakes. Hmmmm.... a little off-putting but I wasn't going to be dissuaded from our mission. Proceeding to the right of the warning sign is a concrete staircase leading down into a wide, lush green depression in the earth.
A large tree greeted me at the bottom of the stairs and to the left stood a tomb-like stone structure bearing what would appear to be gun slots in the wall of a fort or a castle. Atop that stone structure is a four or five foot statue of a man playing a sanshin before a backdrop of eerie mournful images of suffering souls. Upon close inspection, peering inside the structure through those portholes, one can see multiple carved images of misery and suffering equal to the musician's backdrop.
The main cave is low and quite wide at its entry point. A large sign stands in the middle of the entry path and although it's all in Japanese it is clear that one is not to proceed past that point. Many multi-colored streamers are attached along both sides of the cave's entrance. It is clearly apparent to any visitor that this is a sacred area.
To the right are some natural springs with water flowing toward some smaller caves.
There are a number of signs with information carved in stone or painted upon wood - none of which am I able to comprehend.
Afterwards, I did indeed do my due diligence, researched it and added this to my travelogue:

Exploring Okinawa - Yomitan Pottery Festival 2014

The past few decades have witnessed the growth of a potters’ enclave amidst the scrubby sub-tropical brush of the Yomitan Peninsula. Around forty-five potters showcase their wares and demonstrate techniques in workshops. Fish seem to be the most common motif adorning the colorful creations. There are also a considerable number of stoic ceramic shisa, Okinawa’s famous lion dogs, guarding the stores and your home.
In the middle of the village, an old-style noborigama (climbing) kiln graces a small incline. The red-tiled structure is a communal kiln, shared by many of Yachimun no Sato’s artisans. Several times a year, it’s fired up to heat a batch of joyachi, glazed pieces that comprise the majority of the village’s income. There are also a number of private kilns scattered around the area, but be respectful of the roped-off sections. Most are off-limits to casual visitors.

Yomitan Pottery Village - Episode 01 - Okinawa Vlog

Okinawa pottery village. Beautiful time.

les fonds de Yomitan

Ryukyu Glass

The artisans of Onna Village in Okinawa are famous for their craft of glass blowing. Andrew tried his hand at making a tumbler at a glass blowing shop. Even though they pretty much did everything for him, it was a memorable trip and we still have the glass! May 2010.