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Sefa Utaki (斎場御嶽) is the most sacred spiritual site in Okinawa, a UNESCO World Heritage grove of trees and rock formations on the Chinen Peninsula. It was the highest-ranking utaki (sacred place) in the Ryukyu Kingdom, where the chief priestess performed the most important state rituals.
Sefa Utaki was established during the mythological creation of the Ryukyu Islands by the goddess Amamikiyo. Historically, men — including the king — were forbidden from entering the innermost areas; only the chief priestess (Kikoe-Ōgimi) could perform rituals there. UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 2000.