"Statue of Toyoma Kyuzo, The Father of Okinawan Emigration"

Statue of Toyoma Kyuzo

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Statue of Toyoma Kyuzo

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 27.368	E 127 55.588

Toyoma Kyuzo, The Father of Okinawan Emigration

Tomorrow, October 12 2011, marks the beginning of the 5th World Uchinanchu Festival.  Every 5 years Okinawan descendants from all over the world return to Okinawa to celebrate their Okinawan heritage and ancestry.  For my 50th blog post, I only thought it would be fitting to talk about the man who would start it all. The man you see above is Toyoma Kyuzo and is regarded as the "Father of Okinawan Emigration". Mr. Toyoma was born in Kin Town, Okinawa on November 9th 1868. He would pave the way for the first immigrants to emigrate...destination...Hawaii. On December 5th, 1899, 26 Okinawans set out to sail from Naha Port and would arrive about a month later on January 8th 1900. The statue of Toyoma Kyuzo is seen with a globe to his left side and pointing with his right towards the direction of Hawaii.

Today, it is estimated that over 400,000 Okinawan descendants live throughout the world. In celebration of the 5th World Uchinanchu Festival, we honor our 50th blog post to Mr. Toyoma Kyuzo, a man with a vision, instrumental for passing on the Okinawan Spirit throughout the world.  

Source: 100 Year Chronology of Okinawan Emigration, Worldwide Uchinanchu Network, 5th Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival Website. See also Oshiro Kozo (Emigration to the Philippines).

Getting there. The statue is not very far from Highway 329 and just a few hundred meters south of Gate 2, Camp Hansen. Use Google's 360 zoom to get an idea of the turn-off. The statue is right below the Kin Town Office. See the Landmarks on the map.

Other places of interest nearby: Kin Kannonji Temple, O-kawa, Statue of Oshiro Kozo, Kin Watch Tower, Kin's Castle Rock, Kinjo's Used Goods, Kin Town's Hidden Nature Trail, Richamocha Cafe, Birth Place of Toyoma Kyuzo, Kin Town's History Chronicles, Kin Town's Cherry Blossom Way.

"The Mysterious 'Esu Shirube' Stone"

Inscription to the missing 'Esu Shirube Stone'

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The Mysterious Esu Shirube Stone

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 20.913	E 127 50.123

The Mysterious 'Esu Shirube Stone'

Update: November 2, 2012. Last week the, Esu Shirube Stone was discovered. Overgrown vegetation in the immediate area was removed and the stone can now be seen. It is a small stone roughly 12 inches in height. Pictures were not taken due to inclement weather, but will be uploaded once available. A picture of another Shirube-like Stone surfaced in Nago City and its location is currently being researched. 

There are many sites I have found on Okinawa by accident. The 'Esu Shirube Stone' is no exception. Well... actually I didn't find the 'Esu Shirube Stone'...but maybe its former resting place. And the only reason I found it was because I was first attracted to an Utaki (sacred place of prayer) with a prominent tree in front of it (see photo album, last picture). To my chagrin, there was nothing describing or explaining the origin of this Utaki. Disappointed, I returned to my car. That's when I noticed some log steps leading up to a small elevated mound, and there it was...a two-foot tall stone inscription. But was this the stone itself? Or just an inscription of the actual 'Esu Shirube Stone'? I believe it to be the latter (there was another set of log steps leading behind the inscription and what seems to be remnants of a foundation). So where did this missing Stone go? I'm afraid I have more questions than answers about this historical relic. Hopefully someone out there reading this post may know the answer. 

But we do have some clues. For starters, Esu is a district in Uruma City. Second, the inscription left behind was half written in Japanese and the other half in English. The English heading clearly says 'Esu Shirube Stone'. However, due to years of erosion, portions of the translation were not legible. Below is the best I could make out and hopefully it will give us more clues. The pound sign '#' denotes characters that I could not decipher. 

Esu Shirube Stone 

The Shuri Government ####unded 2### - 300 Shirube Stones in each town of Okinawa during 1737 to 1750. Shirube Stones was a da #um## ### ##easure land in those days but nowadays ### of #hem has been disappeared. 

### Shirube Stones is one #### ### has been (rest was not legible). 

So couple of questions come into mind. 

Question 1. What exactly is the 'Esu Shirube Stone'? A Google Search (in English) gave me negligible results. I have asked various elders and locals about the word 'Shirube' and it was unknown to them. When I checked an online Japanese dictionary, It did list 'Shirube' as a 'family name'. However, the Kanji they used and the ones on the inscription did not seem to match. Furthermore, the word 'Shirube' was not written in Katakana which suggest it may not even be a Hogen word. 

Question 2. Where are the other stones? 

Question 3. Where exactly is the current Esu Shirube Stone? Obviously it must have been intentionally relocated. 

Question 3 should be relatively easy to find since I am sure all historical artifacts and locations that were given an inscription on location must also have been documented and filed at the City Office. However, as easy as that sounds, that too can be weeks or months of research. I am sure someone knows the answer. 

Your guess is good as mine on what the actual translation is supposed to say. It does spark some interest though. One word almost looks like it is supposed to be the word 'treasure'. The number of missing characters in the translation may not be accurate as well. It was difficult to tell if there was supposed to be a character or space in between. I posted this blog because I hope maybe someone out there knows something about this stone or has seen a similar stone in their area. Someone out there knows. Until then, this relic is another one for the Okinawa X-Files. 

Getting there. This location is close to the Highway 85 and 224 intersection and right across from the Make-Man hardware store (see land mark on the map). There is also a small tunnel along the 224. The 'Esu Shirube Stone' sits approximately over this tunnel.

What to bring. Your Curiosity.

Other places of interest nearby: An Intriguing Utaki in Maehara.

"Agami Shrine in Ginoza"

Agami Shrine in Ginoza

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Agami Shrine in Ginoza

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 28.598	E 127 58.433

Agami Shrine in Ginoza

This is the Agami Shrine in Ginoza (also known as the Machougama Shrine). It is not too far away from Highway 329 and the Okinawa Expressway (Exit 9). To be honest, difficulties in the translation for this site had delayed early submission of this post. There were nuances that made it quite difficult at first. But after much discussion with various locals, I think the below translation best describes the origin of this shrine.

The Agami Shrine in Ginoza (Sokei District) (Shrine, Machougama Utaki)

The tree area surrounding the Agami Shrine in Sokei is believed to be where the  ancestors (Sokei or Ginoza?) first came from. Near this shrine, there were old houses and lots. With Agami hilltop in the center, new houses started to build apart from the old ones toward the shore. Long ago during a festival, a Noro (shamen), a female playing a role of a god dressed in white, would pray here for rich soil during harvest season.

During World War II, part of the 'spirit' from the Naminoue Shrine in Naha was taken and placed in the Agami Shrine in Sokei so Okinawans from that area could pray for safe return from the war*. Later, Agami Hilltop was designated as a shrine.  Agami Hilltop has the characteristics of Yanbaru (Northern area of Okinawa) with oak and old trees which is covered with abundance of greenery (woods).

(Sokei Journals) March, 2006. Village, Board of Education

*It is important to note that some Okinawan men were directed to fight for Japanese Army during World War II.

Some of the difficulties with the translation were related to the different contextual meanings of a word. For example, in the Japanese version of the inscription, they used the Kanji 'Yama', which to many foreigners is mostly understood as a 'mountain'. But 'Yama' could also mean 'peak' or 'hill'.  The Agami shrine is built on a hilltop and from there the elevation does decline to the shoreline. At first this is not obvious due to the surrounding buildings. But once we made the connection from 'Yama' to 'hilltop' the more and more it began to make sense. The above translation does lead to another question of religious protocol; How does a spirit or portions thereof go from one shrine to another? I am sure there is a ceremony of some sort. It is yet another item of a long list of items of Okinawa mysteries that I hope to solve.

"Nakandakari Hijya - A Natural Spring in Nanjo-shi"

Nakandakari Hijya, natural spring

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Nakandakari Hijya (Natural Spring)

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 08.718	E 127 47.567

Nakandakari Hijya - A Natural Spring in Nanjo-shi

This is the Nakandakari Hijya, or the Nakandakari Natural Spring. It's located in the town of Nakandakari, a small district in the Nanjo-shi region, which lies in the southern part of Okinawa. It serves as a water source for the local community. It is an old style spring with a heating stove affixed to the side to heat up water. There is also an sacred place for prayer next to the spring. Here is a paraphrase of the English translation provided by the Tamagusuku Village Board of Education: The spring was once called 'Ufugaa' and was just an old wooden gutter. It was later rebuilt by a builder from the Tsuken Island between 1912-1913. It was used by the community for all sorts of chores; washing, cleaning, rinsing vegetables etc. Today, it is mainly for agriculture use for the nearby locals and farmers. Unfortunately, the original spring construction was destroyed and subsequently buried during the Battle of Okinawa, but was later rebuilt to its original form in 2004 (end paraphrase). Note: There is a sign with both Japanese and English explaining the origin of this spring.

I had assistance in helping find this place by Doc and Ryukyu Mike. They found it first and had posted earlier articles about it. If it were me, I would have driven past this place never knowing it existed. It is about a 100 meters near the main road (Highway 137). There is a small park with a cabana-like structure where you can view the coast line and the Philippine Sea to the east.

Getting there. The spring is on Highway 137. Highway 331 runs into the 137 from the east side. I placed some landmarks to guide you in. Click on the Landmark Icon to see what they look like. The 'blue route' highlights how to get there once you turn off the 137.

CAUTION. The ground next to the spring is either made up of limestone or coral. It is VERY SLIPPERY when wet. Use caution especially if you are walking up the incline to get an angular photo shot.

Other areas of interest nearby. There are two castles that are not frequented by tourist but are very interesting. They are close to the 137 if you were to drive towards the west. I will 'Map' these castles some time this month, but just wanted to give you a heads up to the curious traveler if you wish to find them yourselves. To get a preview visit Mike's Ryukyu Gallery. He took some outstanding photos.

"Kin Town's Hidden Nature Trail"

A glimpse of Kin Town's Hidden Nature Trail

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Kin Town's Hidden Trail

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 27.123	E 127 55.410

Kin Town's Hidden Nature Trail 

If you ever driven through Kin Town you will see that it has a lot of good size buildings and houses on both sides of Highway 329. And you would probably never think to find a nature trail right smack in the middle of all those buildings. Well, guess again. I have lived in Kin Town for several years off and on and drove and walked by a particular section of this town so many times that it never occurred to me to scan my peripheral vision. This is common, since I think most of us tend to get tunnel vision walking from point A to point B. But every now and then you get a little surprise. If you look at the album cover you will see a picture of a road, a building, and a Coke machine. Nothing strange about that...until you look closely to the right of the soda machine.

Walking past this soda machine, it finally hit me that something seemed a little odd. There was an alley way that seemed to go no where. Then the map sign gave it away. It turns out, that the alley way does go somewhere. It's an entrance way to a nature trail that's very well hidden and tucked in within the town. The trail is only about 200-250 meters in total length, but it is a nice change of scenery. See the photo album. The trail is actually named 'Tiidagaa Forest' Park, which was written in Katankana and Kanji. Tiidagaa, I was told, is Hogen (Okinawan native language) that gives reference to the Sun and River.

As you go through the trail you will see wooden floor platforms for viewing, either for educational purposes or praying. Then there are three areas along the trail that have pools of water (almost just like a large puddle). On the sign, they were referred to as a 'well'. On the map (in the photo album), these 'wells' were identified by a 'blue' dot. This may be a small insignificant trail, but if you are really into hole-in-the-wall kinds of stuff then you may find it a small joy walking though this trail.

CAUTION. There was a lot of overgrowth on this trail. I recommend wearing pants and long sleeves, especially during certain times of the year. There were a lot of bugs... bugs I have never seen before. If you like bugs then this is the place to go. There were also a lot of mosquitoes. Again, depending on the time of the year, you may see a lot of them. Recommend, using a bug repellant. Wear gloves if you have them. I highly recommend not wearing any sandals either. Additionally bring an umbrella or a walking stick to help brush away possible spider webs and vegetation on the trail. I didn't see any snakes but it something always to be wary of. Don't let any of this scare you. I just wanted you to be prepared. I'm a big believer in 'trail maintenance'. When trails are not maintained, over time, they can disappear and become inaccessible and more importantly, they become unsafe. The more and more people use trails it prevents overgrowth.  

How to get there. If you look at the map, you will it is not far from Highway 329. You will see two landmarks where you turn off. Once you make the turn, it's only about 400-500 meters away where you will see that Coke Machine.

What to bring. Umbrella and/or walking stick, appropriate clothing, water, and a camera.

Other places of interest nearby. Kin Kannonji, Kin Watch Tower, Kinjo's Used Goods, Kin Castle Rock, Statue of Oshiro Kozo, Okawa Natural Spring, Richamocha Cafe, The Gold Hall, Statue of Toyoma Kyuzo, Birth Place of Toyoma Kyuzo, Kin Town's History Chronicles, Kin Town's Cherry Blossom Way.