Registration Date：2008.04.18
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Yuna leaf
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A hoole is a combination pigsty and toilet, and is made of Ryukyu limestone. Pigs were kept in the hollows, and their excrement was fed to the pigs. On the side of the hollow, there is a Yuna tree (Ohhamabou). Do you know why? Actually, the leaves of the yuna tree were used as toilet paper. Since paper was precious, they used the leaves of the plant. It is the ultimate eco-system.
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Description
“Fuuru” is the Okinawan word for a latrine that doubles as pigsty, said to have been introduced from southern China and the Korean Peninsula. The structure of the "Fuuru" on the Chinen residence is divided into two sections by Ryukyu limestone masonry, each with stone arches on the side walls of the cut stone masonry, which is typical of Okinawan masonry techniques. The two sections are divided into parent pigs and piglets according to their growth, and the masonry bulkhead has holes large enough to allow the piglets to move through them. In front of the stone floor, there is a latrine called a “tuushinumii” in the local dialect (“Tosu no ana” in standard Japanese), which slopes inward. After one uses the "tuushinumii", the waste is taken care of by the pigs. In general, sewage was flushed outside along the trenches and stored for a time for use, and there are still some slight traces of this. Around 1917, citing problems with hygiene, the police chief ordered that this type of latrine be destroyed in the presence of the district mayor and forbade the construction of any new "Fuuru". Fortunately, this one escaped destruction and was able to be preserved. *”Tosu” is the term for a toilet in a Buddhist temple, and “ana” means “hole”, thus ”Tosu no Ana” translates literally to “toilet hole”.
Okinawa was once an independent nation called the Ryukyu Kingdom. Its people traversed the seas and traded with other countries, adopting various cultures while developing a unique culture of their own. When you come here to Ryukyu Kingdom Castle Town, you feel like you have taken a trip in time back to that bygone era. The streets are lined with beautiful old houses with red tile roofs, people in dazzling Ryukyu clothing pass by, and tropical flowers decorate the streets.
This is a place where you can step back in time and experience the Ryukyu Islands of long ago, with surroundings that include the houses and “Fuuru” ( pigsty & latrine) more than 100 years old that are registered as National Tangible Cultural Properties, buildings known as "Kami Ashagi" where community religious rituals are said to have once been performed, and traditional houses featuring masonry that uses techniques unique to Okinawa.
Cultural property information
【Opening hours】
9:00-17:30 (last admission 16:00)
【Closing day】
-
【Fee】
Adult: 2,000 yen, Child: 1,000 yen *Child is between the ages of 4 and 14; 15 and older are charged at the adult rate. Admission is every 20 minutes from Gyokusendo. Web advance tickets are available until the day before admission. On the day of admission, please purchase tickets directly at the Okinawa World ticket counter.
Back to cultural properties in Nanjo City, Okinawa Prefecture
