liuchiuan

By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by ChatGPT)
Note: I began publishing this series on July 29, 2026, in ETC Journal and decided, on July 31, to also publish it in Liuchiuan because of the subject matter. -js

The usual origin story is satisfyingly simple. Okinawa possessed an indigenous fighting art called ti or te. Chinese boxing arrived from Fujian. The two traditions merged and became karate. That outline may contain a substantial truth, but nearly every part of it raises another question. What was ti before people began describing it retrospectively? Which Chinese arts reached Ryukyu, by what routes, and in what periods? Who actually studied in Fuzhou? Can a modern kata preserve the outline of a Chinese routine practiced two centuries ago? And how much of the story was reconstructed only after karate entered Okinawan schools and then moved to mainland Japan? 

Introduction + Part 1 of 8: The History That Almost Disappeared

This post is in response to a question (10 Sep. 2025) posted by Hiro in the comments section of Rodney Inefuku’s “Haneji Community Center – Sometime After 1945” (27 January 2015): “Hi! Do you know where can I see a map showing exactly were was Haneji? People told me that today that location is part of Nago, but I can see maps with Nago, but nothing showing the exact place.”

Hi, Hiro. Here’s a screen capture from Google Maps that shows the present-day Haneji area, which is in Nago, Okinawa:

“When Jerry Baba had to vacate his San Francisco, Nihon-machi (Japantown) home, he recalls the pain of having to watch their family dog, Fussy, being loaded into a locker on a dog-catcher truck and driven off. ‘I was crying. It was very traumatic for me as a kid.’ Imagine the emotions of abandonment, confusion and fear that must have raced through Fussy’s mind. As for Jerry’s family, their feelings of helplessness and loss over being evacuated must have been extra stressful with the pangs of guilt and worry for what Fussy was going through.” (Gary T. Ono, “Camp Pets: Doggone It! – Part 1,” Discover Nikkei, 21 Aug. 2012)

“Norman Y. Mineta, former cabinet member of two U.S. Presidents: Secretary of Commerce under Democratic President, Bill Clinton and Secretary of Transportation under Republican President, George W. Bush, told me how painfully sad it was to leave his dog when he was an 11-year-old boy.” (Gary T. Ono, “Camp Pets: Doggone It! – Part 1,” Discover Nikkei, 21 Aug. 2012)

 Director, Roy Kimura. Aired on 24 April 2025 on PBS Hawaiʻi.

Description from PBS Hawaiʻi: April of 2025 marks 80 years since the Battle of Okinawa. “Persevere” tells the story of the Nakasones, separated during the war – Yoshino hid with grandparents, while Junichi joined Japan’s imperial army. Decades later, Junichi’s nephew embarks on a journey to uncover his uncle’s fate, leading to a surprising connection with another Hawaiʻi family and powerful lessons of kindness.

Mahalo to Rodney Inefuku for this alert.

Editor’s note: The following article with photos is from Karina Satomi Matsumoto‘s Okinawando blog, translated from Portuguese to English. -Jim

Hajichi – the tattoo of the Okinawan woman
okinawando / March 21, 2017

This is my obá’s family – the Yagi family. Sitting on the left are his parents (my great-grandparents) and around him are his brothers (my great-uncles). And sitting there, dressed in black, are her grandparents – my great-great-grandparents. My oba is standing between them, to whom she was very attached. She always tells me family stories and has many photos saved, but there was one thing she had never told me – that my great-great-grandmother had hajichi, the tattoo that Okinawan women had in the past.

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Full title: “China – Ryukyu Relations: presentation at University of Hawaii at Manoa [29 April 2020]”

Preface by Kajiwara: China and Loochoo (Okinawa) have had friendly relations since time immemorial and formal relations since the Ming Dynasty. Yet this relationship is today often misunderstood by both scholars and the public alike. Learn the truth about the historic China-Loochoo relationship from Loochooans (Okinawans). Done as part of the Master of Asian International Affairs, part of the Asian Studies program, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Editor’s Comment: From 1374 to 1875, for a period of 500 years, the Ryukyu Kingdom enjoyed a tributary relationship with, first, Ming and, later, Qing China. In that span, 347 missions have been recorded. Missions from Ryukyu entered China via Quanzhou and, later, Fuzhou, and traveled overland to the capital in Nanjing or Beijing to pay their respects to the Emperor. To facilitate these missions, the Ming sent large trading ships and “36 families” skilled in shipping, trade, and cultural transmission to Okinawa. Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki’s trip to China with a delegation of Japanese economic organizations in July 2023 is a provocative reminder of Okinawa’s tenuous position between two superpowers, China and Japan, and its historical reliance on diplomacy for survival. In the coming months and years, it’ll be interesting to monitor Okinawa’s development as it rekindles cultural ties with China. -Jim

Katsuji Nakazawa, in “Analysis: Xi throws Okinawa into East Asia geopolitical cocktail” (Nikkei Asia, 15 June 2023), draws attention to the little-known fact that Chinese President Xi Jinping, a quarter-century ago, was acting governor of Fujian Province and played a prominent role in greeting, in Fuzhou, Fujian’s capital, descendants of the original 36 Min families visiting from Kumemura in Okinawa.

If necessary, click “CC” in the menubar for English subtitles.

The cache of artifacts was discovered in the attic of a veteran’s home after he died. The items were turned over to the F.B.I., which arranged for their return eight decades after the war.

The following list of Okinawan proverbs were found here.

Ataishi turu atairu. – We get along well with those we can get along with well.

Achinee ya tankaa mankaa. – Business is a two-way street.

Aramun jooguu ya duu ganjuu. – One who eats plain food is healthy.

From Southern Exposure: Modern Japanese Literature from Okinawa, edited by Michael Molasky and Steve Rabson, translated by Davinder Bhowmik, University of Hawaii Press, 2000. Source: books.google.com

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Okinawan Festival in Honolulu will once again be held virtually. Here’s a quick glimpse of the Hawaii United Okinawa Association’s (HUOA) two-day schedule of events. For more information, go to www.OkinawanFestival.com.

Day 1, Saturday, Sep. 4

2:00 pm to 5:00 pm (all times are Hawaii Time)

LIVE performances on YouTube

Special Performances:

• Nanaironote w/ Karin Miyagi (Okinawa performer) To enjoy more Nanaironote go to their youtube page to learn more! 
• Manoa DNA. Find out more about them here!

Welcome / Opening Statements
Greetings from Special Guests

Watch these events live:
 On the okinawanfestival.com homepage from 2:00 pm Sunday! Hosted on Zoom.
Streaming Live on HUOA’s YouTube Page
Streaming Live on HUOA’s Facebook Page

2:00 pm (Hawaii Time)
 Welcome / Opening Statements
 Greetings from Special Guests
 Performance: Kilauea Okinawa Dance Club
 Special Performance – Radio Okinawa Miuta Taisho
 We Are HUOA Club Feature
 Performances: Hawaii Okinawa Shorin-Ryu/Shinden-Ryu Karate Association
 We Are HUOA Club Feature
 Hawaii Okinawa Center 30th Anniversary

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Watch these events live:
 On the okinawanfestival.com homepage from 2:00 pm Saturday! Hosted on Zoom.
Streaming Live on HUOA’s YouTube Page
Streaming Live on HUOA’s Facebook Page

2:00 pm (Hawaii Time​)
Welcome / Opening Statements
 Greetings from Special Guests
 Tingsagu nu Hana Music Video
 Performances: Ryukyu Sokyoku Koyo Kai Hawaii Shibu | Ryukyu Koten Ongaku Nomura Ryu Ongaku Kyokai Hawaii Shibu
 We Are HUOA Club Feature
 Performance: Hawaii Taiko Kai
 120th Anniversary of Uchinanchu in Hawaii
 Performance: Paranku Clubs of Hawaii | Chinagu Eisa Hawaii

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FRIDAY, Sep 4, 5:00 – 7:00 pm (Hawaii Time)
Webinar: 120th Anniversary of Okinawan Immigration

Streamed live from www.okinawanfestival.com.

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This video is from the webinar, “Shaping Okinawan Identity and Community in Hawaiʻi During World War II,” held on 18 May 2020 from 5:30-6:30 PM (HST). The photos are especially fascinating. For details on this presentation, see “Okinawan POWs in Hawaiʻi – 5/18/20 5:30pm HST.” This webinar was sponsored by the King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center.

Shaping Okinawan Identity and Community
in Hawaiʻi During World War II
Monday, May 18, 2020
5:30-6:30 PM
Live Webinar — Zoom

Brandon Marc Higa, JD, BA, MA; Director of Resources Development at Kapiolani CC; conducted post-graduate research on the U.S. military base presence in Okinawa Prefecture; currently pursuing a doctorate in law. Kelli Y. Nakamura, PhD; Assistant Professor at Kapiʻolani CC, History and Ethnic Studies; research interests include Japanese and Japanese American history.

To join the live webinar, please register using the sign-up link. You can also visit our Facebook page or Youtube channel to view the live stream video on May 18, 2020.

The King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center invites you to join Kelli Y. Nakamura and Brandon Marc Higa as they share stories about community building between Okinawan immigrants and Okinawan prisoners of war in Hawaiʻi. They will discuss assimilation policies enforced during Japan’s Meiji Restoration Era (1868-1912) to contextualize Okinawan people’s treatment as a minority within a minority.  Continue reading →

Al Toma is a member of the Okinawan Genealogical Society of Hawaii (OGSH), which is part of the Hawaii United Okinawan Association (HUOA). He says that the new Okinawan database just went online. This means that we can submit an electronic request for information about our issei ancestors through the OGSH website.

Here’s the text from form 1 below: Hi! We are the Okinawan Genealogical Society of Hawaii (OGSH). Along with the Okinawa Prefectural Library (OPL), we are providing this FREE resource to find your isseis! All our volunteer members can provide help in Okinawan genealogical research, koseki request preparation and non-commercial translation services.  Continue reading →

UPDATE 9/4/21: DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THE 2021 TAIKAI WILL BE POSTPONED UNTIL 2022 October 30  to November 3.

Ryukyu Shimpo, 1/17/20: Governor Denny Tamaki announced during a regular press conference on January 16 that the 7th World Uchinanchu Festival is planned to be held October 28-31, 2021. The governor encouraged world-wide participation and support: “The festival unites uchinanchus (Okinawans) globally, and provides an opportunity to demonstrate the Okinawan chimugukuru (spirit) to the world. We will work to further the preservation effort and expansion of the global uchinanchu network.” The 7th World Uchinanchu Festival is scheduled to fall on October 30, which was declared World Uchinanchu Day during the previous festival.

2/26/20: Here’s a YouTube video that my sister, Bessie, shared with me:

安里屋ユンタ 氷川きよし

See related post: ‘Asadoya Yunta’ – A Common Bond for Okinawans the World Over

Note: The electronic version of this book is available free at play.google.com. The following excerpts are from pages 381-385 and 409. -js

Élisée Reclus, edited by A. H. Keane, The Earth and Its inhabitants, Asia: Vol. II, East Asia: Chinese Empire. Corea, and Japan. N.Y., D. Appleton & Co., 1884.

Click image to enlarge.

381
The Riu-kiu (Lu-chu) and Goto Archipelagos.

Siunanguto and the small Linshoten group adjacent to Kiu-siu, belong geographically to the Riu-kiu Archipelago, which is better known by its Fokien name of Lu-chu, and which the natives themselves call Du-kiu,* that is, ” Land of the Precious Stone,” or of the ” Transparent Coral,” as the term may be variously interpreted. The geometrical curve described by all these islands between Kiu-siu and Formosa, the radius of which corresponds to that of Nip-pon itself, probably represents the remains of a highland region by which Japan was formerly connected with the mainland. Lu-chu comprises a number of secondary groups, the two most important of which stretch about half-way from Kiu-siu to Formosa, and form the so-called “Kingdom” of Lu-chu. Politically, this “kingdom” is at present a simple Japanese department, while the southern group of the ” Three San ” (Nan-san or Sak-sima) is still a subject of dispute betwen China and Japan. The Mikado’s government, however, seems now disposed to surrender these islands to its powerful neighbour.  Continue reading →

DATES:
Aug. 31, 9am-5pm
Aug. 31, 5:30pm-9:30pm – Bon Dance only. Select food booths will be open. All other booths/rooms will be closed.
Sep. 1, 9am-4pm

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Marla Miyashiro says:
August 5, 2019 at 8:24 pm

My maternal grandmother’s last name was Za. She was reportedly from a place called Zyasu, somewhere near Tomigusuku in Okinawa. Could Za be a variant of Zaha, which you have on the list? My grandmother emigrated to Oahu in the early 1900s, and unfortunately we don’t know how Za was written in kanji.

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Response from Jim (8/5/19 at 10:50 pm):

Hi, Marla. The only kanji for Za that I could find is 座 (hiragana ざ). Possible Romaji pronunciations Za, Jōyō, Jwa. I’ll add Za to our list of Okinawan surnames and hope that someone will have more information for you. I’ll also publish this as an article for greater visibility. Please keep me updated if you learn anything new. -Jim

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Marla Miyashiro says:
August 5, 2019 at 11:12 pm

Thanks a lot, Jim! My mom once told me that my grandmother pronounced it more like “Zha,” as in Zsa Zsa Gabor’s name, but an aunt said it could also be pronounced “Ja.” So, it’s a mystery. I also wonder if Zyasu is the correct place name, since I couldn’t find it on a map. Maybe it was destroyed during the war.

Gena Hamamoto, archival researcher on a forthcoming 5-part PBS series on the history of Asian Americans, is looking for photos of A’ala Park in the 1950s-60s. She’s also interested in photos or footage of Chinatown during the ‘50s-60s, or even home movies during that era.  The series is co-produced by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), WETA and the Independent Television Service (ITVS), with Series Producer Renee Tajima-Peña.

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Ukwanshin Kabudan 7/11/19 announcement shared by Rodney Inefuku 7/12/19:

The Bon Dance at Jikoen [731 N School St, Honolulu, HI 96819] offers Ukwanshin an opportunity to hold its annual fundraiser with a food booth that will feature an all-Okinawan menu. This is a good chance to sample authentic Okinawa cuisine outside of Okinawa. On the menu will be Kandaba Jūshi (rice soup with pork and sweet potato leaves), Uchinā Soba (noodle and pork dish) and a new item: Rafutē bowl (glazed, slow cooked pork with rice and condiments). Please come by to grab a bite to eat from the Ukwanshin booth.

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Robert H. Stiver
Pearl City
“Letter: U.S. Marines shouldn’t violate Okinawa bay”
Star-Adv Letter to Editor, 5/1/19

As an Army-occupying-force member from 1966-72, who married a lovely Okinawan gal and moved my family to Hawaii in 1972, I read and re-read the article, “Younger Okinawans are more tolerant of U.S. military presence, study finds” (Star-Advertiser, April 21)¹, with puzzlement and finally, dissatisfaction.

Older Okinawans would very naturally resent U.S. occupation because they managed to survive one of history’s most horrific wartime slaughters of civilians — and then endured (as did my wife as a young woman), for example, walking along a sidewalk and being groped by GIs in the 1950s-60s.  Continue reading →

Last updated 4/23/19 11:38AM

Thomas Feldmann

Thomas Feldmann is writing a biographical book about Ankō Itosu (1831-1915), “one of the most important characters in the development of modern Karate.” As part of his research, he’s seeking answers or leads to two questions:

1. In the 1880s, when did Ryukyuan officials (scribe, Chikudun Pechin) usually retire from the Ryukyuan (later prefectural) government?

2. What was the usual life expectancy in the Ryukyus in 1910-1920?

3. Looking for a historical map of the Ryukyu Shuri area showing the different villages such a Gibo, Yamakawa, etc. On the web, there are some, but they cannot be used properly.

Please share information or leads with Feldmann. You can reach him at hoploblog@gmail.com. Or you can post responses or comments in the discussion section attached to this post.

ALLEGIANCE – THE MUSICAL

MANOA VALLEY THEATRE COMES TO THE HAWAII THEATRE CENTER
MARCH 28 – APRIL 7, 2019
a musical drama
book by Marc Acito, Jay Kuo and Lorenzo Thione
music by Jay Kuo

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Inspired by true events, Allegiance is the story of the Kimura family, whose lives are upended when they and 120,000 other Japanese-Americans are forced to leave their homes following the events of Pearl Harbor. Sam Kimura seeks to prove his patriotism by fighting for his country in the war, but his sister, Kei, fiercely protests the government’s treatment of her people.

An uplifting testament to the power of the human spirit, Allegiance follows the Kimuras as they fight between duty and defiance, custom and change, family bonds and forbidden loves.  Continue reading →

Saturday, 23 March 2019, 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm
Forum Featuring Yasuhiro “Denny” Tamaki
Windward Community College
45-720 Keaahala Road, Kaneohe, Oahu
Hawaii Hale ‘Akoakoa, Conference Rooms 101, 103, 105
Free and open to the public.

Governor Yasuhiro “Denny” Tamaki

Ukwanshin Kabudan is honored to welcome Yasuhiro “Denny” Tamaki, newly elected Governor of Okinawa Prefecture, to the 5th LooChoo Identity Summit. ʻImi ni Miru Uchinā” – Kukuru uchiawachi chibaranaya! “Our dreams for Okinawa joins our hearts together to go forward!” Keeping this thought in mind, Governor Tamaki graciously accepted Ukwanshin’s invitation to participate in this Summit. This is his first trip to Hawaii, and he is looking forward to meeting with the Hawaiʻi community to share what is happening in Okinawa.  Continue reading →

Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki will be meeting with Hawaii residents on March 21 at the Pagoda Hotel’s International Ballroom from 6:30-8:30 PM and on March 23 at Windward Community College from 6:30-7:45 PM. The events are free and open to the public. Governor Tamaki will be aided by an English translator. For a better idea of who he is, here are twenty facts about him:

1. He is the current Governor of Okinawa Prefecture.

2. He has long been opposed to the U.S. military presence in Okinawa. He is against the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to another location in Okinawa, a position consistent with his late predecessor Onaga.

3. He was born in Uruma, Okinawa, on 13 October 1959, to an Okinawan waitress and a U.S. Marine father who left Okinawa before Tamaki was born.

4. He was born Dennis Tamaki (玉城 デニス Tamaki Denisu) but later changed his legal name to Yasuhiro Tamaki (玉城 康裕 Tamaki Yasuhiro) when he was 10 years old.

5. He never met his father. He attempted to search for him, but was unsuccessful.

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