Oyama Mayagama (Futenma Cat Cave)

Took the in-laws to a quick stop-off on our way to Kakazu Tadakai Park.  Oyama Mayagama is just outside of Futenma Gate 1 on 58.  If you're into local folklore, it's worth the ten minutes it takes to look around.

As all of the signs were in Japanese, I took the following info off of Okinawa Hai.

The legend of the Mayagama: 

“Maya” means “cat” in the Okinawan dialect. There is a legend that an evil spirit used to live in this cave a long, long time ago. It transformed into a cat and hid the local children. Local people beat the cat and it ran into a pot that was inside the cave. The people tied up the pot with rope so it could never escape, and they never saw it again.

In the same area, there are plaques showing the people that have lived here throughout history. The oldest picture is of the Azamabarujin people who lived about 600 to 6,000 years ago.

The men hunted wild boar while the women and children collected fruit. They caught fish, sea turtles, dugong and shells. They ate those sea animals by either boiling, cooking or just eating them raw. They commonly wore jewelry made from shells.





The picture of the village is a recreation of the same people. The food and tools were all from nature, such as, animals, dirt, stones and bones. The dwellings were 13×29 feet wide and were surrounded by stone or tree walls.

Please note that this is amidst family tombs, which are very sacred (no photos) and are private property. You will not be disturbing anyone as long as you stay around the cave ruin site.

Directions: From Foster’s commissary gate, turn left to drive south on 58 towards Futenma. There will be a stone sign for MCAS Futenma at the light, turn left and follow the road as it winds up the hill. When round the curve and you see the gate for Futenma, pull over and park on the side of the road.  You will see a picture of a cat next to some stairs on the left hand side of the road (when facing the gate).   

Futenma Shrine

Just outside of Camp Foster is our local shrine, Futenma Shrine.

It is one of the eight major Ryukyuan Temples used to worship Kumano Gongen.  It is composed of a shrine and a 280 m long  set of caves.  We did not get the opportunity to see the caves on this particular day.  However, the caves are also used as a place of prayer and worship.

You can purchase o-mikuji (random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples) and ema (small wooden plaques on which Shinto worshipers write their prayers or wishes. The ema are then left hanging up at the shrine, where the kami (spirits or gods) receive them.) while you are there.

Proper Shrine Ettiquette:

• Behave calmly and respectfully.
• Traditionally, you are not supposed to visit a shrine if you are sick, have an open wound or are mourning because these are considered causes of impurity.
•  At the purification fountain, take one of the ladles provided, fill it with fresh water and rinse both hands making sure the water does not go back into the fountain.  Then transfer some water into your cupped hand, rinse your mouth and spit the water out beside the fountain.  Do not drink directly from the ladle or swallow the water.  Some visitors skip the mouth rinsing part of the ritual.
• At the offering hall, throw a coin into the offering box, bow deeply twice, clap your hands twice, bow deeply once more and pray for a few seconds. If there is some type of gong, use it before praying in order to get the kami's attention.