ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I will discuss the emergence of the Ryukyu Kingdom (Shuri Dynasty) based on the integrated analysis of archaeological material, oral history, and ethnographic information about indigenous religion. One of the basic elements of indigenous Okinawa religions was a worship of the sun. During the Gusuku Period, when social stratification had developed, the chiefs of this period were symbolized as the sun. After the unification of small chiefdoms into the Ryukyu Kingdom by the Shuri Dynasty, the king came to be identified as a child of the sun. In addition, priestesses held a sacred role in protecting the male king by worshiping the sun’s sezi (sacred power). This dual kingship, the king as a profane/political leader and the priestess as a sacred guardian, was one of the unique aspects of cosmovision in the Ryukyu Kingdom.
