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Author: Hatsuho Kinjo
This article is concerned with answering the question, "What does Okinawa look like from the perspective Uchinanchu, Okinawan people?"
For a long time, various non-Okinawan people such as Japanese, American, and those from other Western societies have described, discussed, and depicted Okinawa in different media in an attempt to capture “Okinawa.” They were attracted by the rich culture of Okinawans, of their history, and philosophy, or Okinawans' “cheerful,” “lazy,” and “chill” personalities and the breathtaking nature found on the islands. While Okinawans have themselves at times also internalized such a stereotypical Okinawan image, they have also attempted to share and state their perspectives toward “Okinawa”. This chapter aims to summarize the various Okinawan views toward Okinawan society, with four Japanese language texts and the work of an Okinawan photographer.
Futenma!
Futenma!
The first book I'd like to introduce Futenma! (普天間よ) by Ōshiro Tatsuhiro . The author is considered one of Okinawan’s famous novelists, and he received the Akutagawa Award with his novel “The Cocktail Party”, which is a prestigious prize given to exceptional up-and-coming novelists. He wrote various short novels about the Battle of Okinawa, the U.S. military base problem in Okinawa, and the relationship between the Japanese and Okinawans, and drew the complexity of Okinawans’ feelings in his novels. This novel specifically focuses on the Futenma U.S. military base. Within all U.S. military in Okinawa, Futenma has one of the most symbolic meanings behind it. Futenma is a place that has been recognized as one of the most dangerous military bases, as it is located middle of an urban area. This book attempted to showcase the everyday life of an “ordinary” girl in Futenma. How does the inevitable contact with a U.S. military base impact one girl? The topic that he discussed differs from the common discussion or books talking about Okinawan’s U.S. military base problem, and focuses on it as a social issue. His story symbolically captured the “battle” and “struggle” which focused on people’s everyday life. Futenmayo can be found in The Collected Works of Ōshiro Tatsuhiro (大城立裕全集) which is available in the Hamilton Library.
Ushi Goes Forth: Exploring Colonialism and Searching for Myself
Ushi Goes Forth: Exploring Colonialism and Searching for Myself
The second book is Ushi Goes Forth: Exploring Colonialism and Searching for Myself (ウシがゆく: 植民地主義を探検し, 私をさがす旅) by Chinen Ushi. Chinen has published several books about Okinawan decolonization and this book helps us to understand the structural background of Japan and Okinawa. Japanese colonization and structural inequality within Japan that is invisible. In her book book Chinen works to reveal Japanese colonialism and how the continued U.S. military base problem can act to explore these longstanding issues. Chinen shared her thoughts on the U.S. military and Japanese colonization using various Okinawan “common stories”, and frankly but logically summarizes its structural issues in Okinawa.
Fleeing Barefoot: The Girls of Okinawa's Night Life
Fleeing Barefoot: The Girls of Okinawa's Night Life
Adding to the U.S. military issues, “poverty” is another keyword to describe Okinawan society. Two collections of essays from Yōko Uema, The Ocean Rises (海をあげる) and Fleeing Barefoot: The Girls of Okinawa's Night Life (裸足で逃げる: 沖縄の夜の街の少女たち ) depict Okinawan girls and their lives in Okinawa. Throughout The Ocean Rises, the author calmly describes Okinawans’ “ordinary situation” or everyday life, as if though she were framing scenery. This beautiful, yet severe everyday life is the real life of Okinawan people, and it is an “extraordinary” life for non-Okinawan or Japanese. The other collection other book, Fleeing Barefoot focuses on woman in Okinawa, and the hierarchical poverty issues within Okinawa through interviews with Okinawan teenage girls who work in hostess bars or the sex industry. What is the difference between their view of Okinawa and that of outsiders? What these two books have in common is that they do not treat Okinawa as an exaggerated “problem,” but rather as a one piece of scenery from their everyday life.
Ishikawa Ryuichi's Okinawan Portraits
Ishikawa Ryuichi's Okinawan Portraits
Finally, I would like to introduce the work of the Okinawan photographer Ishikawa Ryuichi (石川竜一) , who has compiled everyday life in Okinawa into a series of photographs. He has cut out the scenery of Okinawa, in an attempt to find a gateway and a glimpse of Okinawa and everyday life in the prefecture. The UHM library has two of his collections available, Okinawan portraits 2010-2012 and Okinawan portraits, 2012-2016.
These four books do not attempt to draw Okinawa as an “everlasting summer”, or “paradise” nor Okinawa as a place to face various severe social problems, such as U.S. military-based problems or poverty with the emphasis on “Poor Okinawa”. They are in common that they depict Okinawa from the perspectives of Okinawans and show their daily, ordinary, everyday life. Also, the authors focus on Okinawans’ reaction to an inevitably huge deep, and difficult reality. Readers could find various Okinawan reactions in each book. Resignation, anger, or a calm eye that takes a step back. A small but strong resistance. These books allow us to read and see how Okinawans have seen the reality of turbulent history from their perspectives as Okinawans.
Works discussed:
Tatsuhiro Ōshiro, Futenmayo. (Tokyo: SHINCHOSHA Publishing Co., Ltd, 2011).
Center of Okinawan Studies
Ushi Chinen, Ushi ga Yuku(Okinawa: The Okinawa Times, 2011).
Yōko Uema, Umi o Ageru (Tokyo: Chikumashobo Ltd, 2021).
Yoko Uema, Hadashi de Nigeru (Tokyo: Otha Publishing Company, 2017).
Ryuichi Ishikawa, Okinawan Portraits 2012-2016 (Kyoto: Akaaka Art Publising, Inc, 2016).
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