This huge Ficus microcarpa known as Gajumaru ("banyan") grows just outside of the village of Tekuzuku, on the south coast of Kikai island. At the ripe old age of 100, it has a trunk circumference of 16m and branches up to 4m long. It is necessary to step back in order to take in the grace of its aerial roots spreading outwards. They are reputed to hold the body of the priestess or noro, who, in the mythology of the Ryukyu Islands, embodies the spiritual supremacy of women over men.