Kumaya Cave

About 1 hour by ferry from Okinawa Main Island lies Iheya Island, a remote island. On the northern part of the island, halfway up a rocky mountain on the edge of the Tana settlement, Kumaya Cave opens wide. Formed by the erosion of chert rock, this natural space is vast in scale, measuring Approx. 10 meters high, 40 meters deep, and covering 600 square meters.

This cave is considered the southernmost point of the Ama-no-Iwato legend, where Amaterasu Omikami is said to have hidden, and it is still an object of worship today. The name “Kumaya” means “a place to seclude oneself,” and once you step inside, you are enveloped in cool air and silence unlike the outside world, drawing you into a mysterious feeling where nature and mythology seem to cross paths.

Especially on mornings around the winter solstice, there comes a moment when a divine morning light shines into the back of the cave. Beams of light emerge across the rock surface, creating a solemn scene as if a god were about to appear. The moment you see it, it makes you feel that mythology is more than just a story.