Yuta

In the Ryukyu Islands, this is a professional fortune teller. They are usually women. They ask for the will of the gods, perform riddles, and some also perform spirit possession. They are called Yuta in the Amami Islands and Okinawa Islands, and Munus (knowledgeable person) in the Miyako Islands and Yaeyama Islands. In documents from the Shuri Kingdom, they are written as "Yota". There are many users even today, but the riddles for the cause of troubles are usually "lack of worship" that means not enough ancestral worship or faith in the gods. Yutas are people who have experienced abnormal religious mental phenomena since childhood, and gradually become aware of it and gain religious experiences, and become fortune tellers. Eventually, they gain religious experiences under the guidance of a senior Yuta and become independent. The Amami Islands have a well-established shaman ritual, which is clearly influenced by Shugendo.

In the Yokatsu Peninsula of Okinawa's main island, said to be the home of yuta, yuta are diviners who perform divination for the rituals of the monchu (household court), and also perform divination at the request of the general public. In Naha City and other areas, there is a ritual called Mabuiwakashi (soul separation), in which the spirit of the deceased is sent to the afterlife on the 49th day, and yuta perform spirit possession and convey the words of the deceased, but in other regions, it is said that this is performed by elderly relatives. This may also have originated from the spirit possession performed by yuta of the monchu (household court). There were also "yota no amushirare" among the female court attendants of the Shuri royal court. "Amushirare" is an honorific title for female court attendants. This "yota" was in charge of leading the procession of Kikoe Ogimi, and was likely a royal court yuta who also performed divination. In 1728, the royal government issued a decree banning yutā, taking into consideration the harmful effects of yutā, and the royal government's yutā was also abolished at that time. Even after that, yutā's statements were often seen as misleading the public, and they often became a social problem and were cracked down on, but yutā's popularity has not waned to this day.

[Yo Kojima]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

琉球(りゅうきゅう)列島で、職業的な占い者のこと。女性が普通である。神意をうかがい、判じ事をするほか、口寄せをする者もいる。奄美(あまみ)諸島や沖縄諸島ではゆた、宮古列島や八重山(やえやま)列島ではムヌス（物知り）などとよぶ。首里(しゅり)王府の文書では「よた」と書く。現代でも多くの利用者があるが、悩み事の原因の判じは、たいていは祖先祭祀(さいし)や神信仰が足りないという「拝み不足」である。ゆたは、小さいときから異常な宗教的な精神現象を体験した人が、しだいに自覚して宗教体験を積み、占い者になることが多い。最終的には先輩のゆたについて宗教的な経験を積み、独立するらしい。奄美諸島には整った成巫(せいふ)儀礼があるが、明らかに修験道(しゅげんどう)の影響がある。

　ゆたの本場といわれる沖縄本島の与勝(よかつ)半島では、ゆたは門中(もんちゅう)の祭祀について占いをする神役で、一般の人の求めに応じての占いもするという。那覇市などでは、マブイワカシ（魂(まぶい)別かせ）といって、四十九日に死者の霊を後生(ごしょう)に送る儀礼があり、ゆたが口寄せをして、死者のことばを伝えるが、地方では親族の老女が行うという。これも門中のゆたが口寄せをしたのが原形かもしれない。首里王府の女官にも「よたのあむしられ」がいた。「あむしられ」は女官の敬称である。この「よた」は、聞得大君(きこえおおぎみ)の行列の先導などをする役であるが、やはり占いをする王府のゆたであろう。1728年に王府は、ゆたの弊害を重視して禁止の布達を出すが、このとき王府の「よた」も廃止したという。その後も、ゆたの発言が民衆を惑わすとして、しばしば社会問題になり取締りが行われたが、ゆたの人気は今日なお衰えていない。

［小島瓔］

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