Okinawan Feng Shui in Historical Perspective

When Feng Shui came to Okinawa and who brought it are questions that have not yet been definitively answered. There are four accounts of the introduction of Feng Shui to Okinawa

1) In the latter half of the 14th century, "Bijin," a group of Chinese known as the "36 families," came to Okinawa during the reign of King Satto and settled in Kume Village. This account has it that they and their descendants introduced Feng Shui.

2) Knowledge of Feng Shui was brought to Okinawa by the Imperial Sappo envoys and other Chinese visitors.

3) Japanese priests brought the Yin and Yang principles of Japanese Feng Shui to Okinawa in the latter 15th century.

4) A man named Shukoku Shun, who was sent to China as an interpreter in 1667, studied Feng Shui in Fujian Province. He subsequently returned to Okinawa to become the first Feng Shui master. The four explanations suggest that Feng Shui was not introduced to Okinawa all at once, but instead came in gradually over several centuries.