Kubura-bari
久部良バリ24°27′ N 122°57′ EViewpoint
Kubura-bari is a deep crevasse in the coastal rock just north of Kubura on Yonaguni, and island tradition remembers it as a place where pregnant women were made to jump the gap to reduce the population under the old head tax.
Kubura-bari is a deep split in the rock near the sea north of Kubura. The story told about it belongs to the era of the head tax, a levy by number of people that the Ryukyu court imposed on Miyako and Yaeyama from 1637 until its abolition in 1903. According to the tradition, pregnant women were ordered to leap the gap, and those who could not were lost, so that the island would owe less.
The tourism association records it as a tragic story handed down, and the island tells a second, about a rice field where, the story goes, those who could not crowd into it in time were killed. Visit it quietly, as you would a memorial, and keep back from the edge.
Worth knowing
- Keep children close to you near the edge of the crevasse.
FAQ
Quick answers about Kubura-bariよくある質問
What happened at Kubura-bari?
Island tradition holds that pregnant women were made to jump the Kubura-bari crevasse to reduce the population under the head tax, which the Ryukyu court levied on Miyako and Yaeyama from 1637 to 1903.
Where is Kubura-bari?
On the coast just north of Kubura village at Yonaguni's west end, a few minutes from the harbour, with a small car park.
How long do you need at Kubura-bari?
Plan about 20 minutes at Kubura-bari.
Can you get to Kubura-bari by bike?
A few minutes north of Kubura harbour; car park on site.
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