Makabe-gu Shrine

Also known as Makabe no Tira, Makabe-gu Shrine hallows the Saraswati and the magical stone of Lord Makabe.  It is said that the one of the lord’s posterity, Shuri Oyako, contributed a small wooden shrine during the era of Nanzan Kingdom.  At the end of the 17th century, a Buddhist named Rinkaiji Raikyu enshrined the three avatars of Kumano no Kami, and the people of Makabe Village rebuilt their early ancestor’s shrine.  Throughout the year, many people from all over the Ryukyu Islands visit and pray for safe voyage and childbirth.  Annual rites are conducted on September 9 of the lunar calendar by the Shingaki Family (also known as the Kanemoto) who are said to be the legitimate descendants of medieval Lord Makabe.