WITH all due respect to MVA, the Sumiyoshi Shrine, featured on page 6 of your September 20 edition, is not located on Rota, but rather on Tinian.
It was built in 1939-40 by Japanese farmers, mostly Okinawans, who lived on the rich valley lands below it.
As your readers undoubtedly noticed from the excellent photograph, this particular historic site is well-maintained by the MVA office on Tinian. It is the only Ginza on Tinian that has been refurbished, done by an Okinawan Repatriation group in the 1970s. There, one can see a shrine with the spirit house intact, protected by a variety of spirits represented by gargoyles. It is an outstanding subject for photographers.
The ambitious visitor to Tinian can take a small trail that begins just to the right of the bottom of the stairs and leads to the top, winding through an ancient Chamorro latte village.
DON A. FARRELL
Marpo Heights, Tinian
