Getto (moon peach) or shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) is a ginger plant widely popular in the Nansei Islands of Japan, including Okinawa and the Amami Islands. It is associated with legends and folk beliefs, and its fragrant leaves have been used medicinally for food and for warding off evil spirits.
Also called “Sannin” in Okinawa, it was considered a plant that wards off evil spirits and disasters. It plays a significant role during events like the Lunar Bon Festival (the Buddhist custom that honors the spirits of one’s ancestors) and the Shiimii Festival. Shiimii is a very important event where family members that live apart after having their own family gather and work together, eat, and laugh. Its leaves are laid out, and offerings are wrapped in them not only to preserve them but also to ward off evil spirits.
It was believed that hanging the leaves and stems of the Getto on the roofs and gates of houses would ward off evil spirits and protect the family. Even today, there are areas where people still decorate the roofs and gates with Getto leaves as part of the annual events of the lunar calendar.
Its large leaves are considered to be the place where gods and ancestral spirits descend and were also used as vessels to hold sacred wine and offerings during sacred rituals.
Getto has high antibacterial properties and has long been used as a preserved food and medicinal herb, making it a plant that protects health and longevity from the Ryukyu Kingdom period.
During the Kingdom period, Okinawan people wore herbal pouches (incense pouches) made from the leaves of Getto for the wish that they would be safe on their journey. It was believed that the sweet fragrance would protect them from evil and misfortune.
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