The Stone gate of Sonohyan-utaki tightly closed to those who have no business here

After passing through the Shureimon Gate and climbing up a gentle slope, I found a solid stone gate on my left. This gate is the stone gate of Sonohyan-utaki. Sonohyan-utaki is a sacred site of the Ryukyu Kingdom, where the king always worshipped when he made a pilgrimage to various places. It is also the first Utaki where Kikoe-ogimi, the highest-ranking priestess in Okinawa, worshipped when she took office. One would think that a place of worship in a sacred place of the nation would have been luxurious with the prestige of the nation, but the place of the stone gate in this photo is the place of worship. It was simple and a bit surprising.

Unfortunately, when I arrived in front of the place of worship, I could not feel the solemn atmosphere. Although it was massive, if I didn't know anything about it, I would have walked right past it without saying a word. Now the stone gate could only stare at the people on their way to Shuri-jo Castle.