What is "utaki"

うたき (Utaki) is an album by Japanese singer/pianist Misako Odani, released March 25, 1999 on the Universal label. It was co-produced by Misako and Hirokazu Sakurai from Hip Land Music. Misako herself wrote the piano arrangements for every song, as well as all the lyrics.

Utaki (御嶽) is an Okinawan term for a sacred place. Although the term utaki is used throughout the Okinawa region, the terms suku and on are heard in the Miyako and Yaeyama regions respectively. Utaki are usually located on the outskirts of villages and are places for the veneration of gods and ancestors. Most gusuku have places of worship, and it is theorized that the origins of both gusuku and utaki are closely related.