Okinawan Folktale: Origins of Okinawa Shisa

Two Original Stone Shisa Statues

There are hundreds of thousands of them if, you counted every Shisa on the island.

The Shisa (Lion-dog) seen today are kiln fired clay or, plastic figures used as good luck charms.

Throughout Okinawa they, guard gates, homes, bridges and offices, to ward off evil spirits.

Often, they are sold to tourists on key chains and as jewelry. Often, they are brightly colored.

To discover the origins of the Ryukyu Shisa, you'd have to go back a few centuries in history.

On the main island of Okinawa a few dozen of the original Shisa may be seen.

Remnants of the Ryukyu Dynasty, from the days Okinawa was an independent kingdom.

A traveler would have to leave pavement in order to find them. Here are two, unique ones.

Tomori Lion

Sculptured at some point during the 17^th Century this statue sits on a hill in Yaese Town.

The district of Tomori, experienced fires burning homes and crops, frequently.

A master of the Chinese art, feng shui was consulted and a tour of the village was conducted.

What advice, to give the villagers, had to be determined by surveying the terrain.

Feng shui practitioners are sort of spiritual persons, with divine connections.

Normal humans, can't sense, which direction evil spirits may be coming from.

When the village elders and the guru reached this knoll, something happened.

They were all sweating from, climbing the hill under a blazing hot sun.

But, the master felt a chill, stopped perspiring and, got goosebumps on his body.

Facing Mt. Yaese, the feng shui expert declared, “That's where the fires are coming from.”

Showing them an amulet, resembling a lion, he gave them instructions.

A life-sized stone sculpture would have to be placed on this hill, facing the mountain.

The evil fires, coming towards the hamlet, would cease and, the villagers would be safe.

In the exact spot and facing in the correct direction, the Tomori stone Shisa was placed.

It was the first Shisa, ever made on Okinawa island and, many more would follow.

Kogusuku Nise Ishi

The fires in Tomori Village never happened again. Stone Shisa became legendary.

They were used to ward off fires, plague, misfortunes and all sorts of evil, throughout Yaese.

Before long Shisa statues were being placed in villages throughout the Ryukyu Islands.

There are at least a dozen of these antique stones, to be seen in Yaese Town, alone.

Most of them are off the beaten path, hidden from the average traveler's eyesight.

Some are in habu (poisonous snake) and mosquito territory and, located where there are no

 parking areas for vehicles.

Many local residents, don't know these treasures exist, in the neighborhoods where they live.

The Nise Stone of Kogusuku is on the travel map and, has some unusual folklore.

It has been designated a Tangible Cultural Property of Yaese Town. It is different.

Shisa or, Chinese guardian lion dogs, usually protect hamlets from fires or evil spirits.

This Shisa was placed in its location, to ensure good fortune for young men.

After being erected at this location, it brought prosperity to the young men of the village.

To this date, on certain occasions, village officials and youth, come to worship here.

It is also said if, a woman desires a boy child, she should touch this stone Shisa.

NOTE: To find other original Shisa a local guide may be required.


MORE OKINAWA FOLKLORE

Flower and Bee GIF - Plus Hydrangea Report #1 for 2017

At Yohena Garden Today

Up north, went to check the hydrangea (ajisai for Japanese) blossoms.

Things were looking sort of grim. The parking area was empty; our first clue.

When we walked to the booth, where you pay to enter, it was abandoned, too.

Going up the hill, there were a few scraggly-looking flowers, partially blooming.

There's no sense, driving all that way, with cameras and lenses, to come home empty handed.

So, a decision was made, to go all the way to the top of the hill, to visit Mrs. Yohena.

If, my calculations are correct, she'll be 100 years old, this year.

Up at the little cafe, I met her son. He remembers me from years gone by.

Doc Graff and I, chatted with him and found out the real deal. Flowers are late this year.

He says, full bloom for hydrangeas will be around the middle of next month.

The gardens will be crawling with flower fanatics from June 1st until the 15th or 20th.

Bee and Yellow Flower

They seemed like worthwhile subjects so, I flipped the Pentax on to rapid fire.

The name of the blossom, escapes me at the moment but, I'll get it later.

Climbing that hill, gets old dudes tired. I went all the way up, almost.

Some gals from Hong Kong were the only other visitors and, they were taking pictures, too.

Neither Doc nor, I speak Chinese but, some of those girls spoke English.

So, you can probably guess, what I did. Got permission and, shot them, too.

It's a good idea if, you're shy (like me) to just start talking to strangers.

Lots of people get scared, when they see me coming but, I know what to do.

Especially girls, just blow them kisses, wave or say, "Merry Christmas."

That's what I do. And usually if, they don't run away, it's easy to talk to them.

Bees and flowers well, occasionally I get caught, talking to them, too.

 End of Report


Yohena Gardens May 17, 2015

A Search for the Minamoto Tametomo Monument

A Typhoon Sent Him Here

 

Tracking down legends and folktales is what led me to this hill overlooking Unten Port.

Tametomo was an exiled warrior from medieval Japan, stuck in the Ryukyu islands.

The port, in Nakijin is named Unten because, Untenko means fate of heaven.

This, I learned at Okinawan Folktales which is on a Chicago website.

The author, mentioned a monument to Tametomo, being in Unten so, I had to find it.

Driving around the port a few times, we couldn't find any monument.

 So, the next thing to do, was go inside the port and, ask around.

Hah. Most of the people hanging around the place, were Chinese tourists.  Would they help me ?

A Light Came On

 

 

A look in the gift shop, when it wasn't busy, might provide some useful information.

Before going in, I noticed a nifty poster, taped to the store window.

It had a couple of hundred fish pictures on it, labeled in English, Japanese and Uchinaguchi.

The shop was comfortably cold so, I poked around like, I was looking to buy something.

Then, when the shopkeeper wasn't busy, I tried some uchinaguchi (Okinawan) on him.

That got him smiling and, babbling back at me.  And, he knew of Minamoto Tametomo.

While the professor and I, were shooting the breeze with the guy, I noticed something.

The fish posters were rolled up in cellophane and they were selling them.

One had about 250 pictures on it and, another maybe, 295 of them.

The damn things cost 19-20 dollars; that's insane.

So, I joked with the salesman and told him the prices were outrageous.

Not being a filthy rich tourist, I told him, I don't have that kind of money, to waste.

He noticed the big camera I was carrying and said, "Take a picture of one."

He pointed us in the right direction.  We thanked him and headed for the hills.

 Far Above the Port

It was beginning to look like, we would never find this historical marker.

It was hot and muggy outside and, it was getting close to lunchtime.

We had parked at intersection and done some hiking and, were about to give up.

A farmer, driving up the hill, slowed down to take a turn and, I hailed him.

The good old guy, told us the monument was farther up the hill.

We thanked him and hopped back into the air-conditioned vehicle, to keep searching.

As we rounded a bend, the farmer was waiting in his truck, to guide us to this sign.

Rough Translation: Minamoto Tametomo Monument. Yay.

 Not Flip-flop Friendly

 

 

The spot we were searching for, isn't visible from the paved road.

It's about a two minute hike uphill, over some ankle-twisting terrain.

Well, I was wearing my trademark, yellow flip-flops so, five minute hike, for me.

At the top of the hill and, end of the trail, it was nice to see this canopy; it provided shade.

The hottest days in Okinawa are tolerable if, you get out of the sun and, have an ocean breeze.

 Standing on a bench, I shot photos of the harbor below, to create a GIF.

 At the end of the trail is the Minamoto Tametomo Monument.

It looks as if, it's a few centuries old and withstood many, heavy winds during typhoons.

 Historical Significance 

 

Tamemoto, would  eventually move to the south of Okinawa to live.

He married the daughter of the Aji (Lord) of Ozato and, fathered a son.

The boy, would become King Shunten, ruler of the Ryukyu Dynasty.

Having a Ryukyu ruler from the Minamoto bloodline gave Japan a significant claim.

It was reason enough, to annex the Ryukyu islands into Japanese territory.

China Wants to Claim the Okinawa Islands

 

 

It's the 21st Century and the Chinese want to claim some of the Ryukyu islands.

They better start checking their DNA and, figure out, they aren't Japanese.

Quit rattling their swords and, just be nice tourists, visiting Japan.

I'll go back and ask the guy in the gift store to lower the prices of his posters.

Like, let the tourists have them for, let's say, um something like, fifteen bucks !

The July 2014 Full Moon Is Being Called a Supermoon !

First a Motion Gif

 

 

The moon peeked out from behind the clouds briefly last night.

Just when, I was ready to leave the office, I spotted it.

So, I ran back inside and grabbed the Pentax K3, Sigma 50-500mm lens and a tripod.

Sitting on the front steps, here's what I saw.

The photos, used to create this GIF, are un-cropped.

That's the size of the moon, I see, looking through my camera's viewfinder.

Normally, I wouldn't save photos with clouds blowing by the moon.

What I was doing, is playing around with the exposure settings.

That way, if and when, the clouds blew away, I'd be ready.

Ready, to shoot that sucker, when in was in the clear !

Moon Stuff Is a Bit Confusing

 

 

The whole Full Moon schedule, fools me.

After shooting 25 photos of the moon last night, I posted on on my Facebook Page.

And, I told everyone, to standby, because I thought the full moon was coming tonight.

Then, I left my office for the second time and went to a watering hole.

This gal, I call, Eri My Love So Sweet, was there.

When I told her, this month's full moon is on the 12th of July, she said, "Uh-uh."

According to the Lunar Calendar, it's on the 15th day of the sixth month.

We got a Chinese Calendar and, checked.

Sonovagun, if the full moon wasn't July 11, 2014, which happened to be, last night !

So, I'm calling this, the July 2014 Full Moon.

One thing, you don't want to do, is start an argument with those Chinese guys.

They practically live next door to Okinawa.

And, there are gazillions of them who may be looking for a fight. 

For the Rest of the World's Moon Gazers 

Go ahead and call the 12th of July 2014 Your Full Moon Night.

The Thunder Moon, Hay Moon and Full Buck Moon are names you could also, use.

They say, it is one of three supermoons appearing during 2014.

That, is according to the Earthsky Org. 

If, you like dingbat sort of stuff, Mystic Mama will teach you about the July 2014 full moon. 

And, over at Moon Giant, you can see the full moon dates, all the way through 2016.

Grab yourself a camera or, a lover and, check it out tonight.

Staying in line with the Confucius way of thinking, I already gotterdun !

Other Breaking News

MikesRyukyuGallery is going through a name change.

Nothing is going away, just some minor changes.

It may take a while for everything to kick in but, hang in there with me.

In Japan It's Tanabata---Tonight Is a Special Night !

Call it the Star Festival

 

It almost slipped my mind, this year.  July 7th, is Tanabata.

On Okinawa it isn't one of those festivals where everyone goes to celebrate and party.

Only one house, that I know of, goes hog wild decorating for the event.

A sweetheart of a gal named, Nakamoto, in Nanjo City, hangs up all these decorations.

She has been decorating her yard with all these bright colors for over 20 years.

The star festival comes from a Chinese legend.

It seems, this young couple (We'll call them stars) fell in love.

 They got fooling around, too much and forgot to do their jobs.

 So, the big guy in the sky separated them.

He stuck them on opposite ends of the Milky Way, astronomically speaking.

That way, they could only get to see each other, once a year.

Some people decorate for the event, others, just look up at the stars.

Tanabata, meaning the night of the seventh, you should look up there.

Tonight is the only night of the year those two wayward stars get together.

See if you can catch them fooling around !

MORE ABOUT TANABATA


Related Posts:

Brilliant Colors at Tanabata Festival in Okinawa

Tanabata Decorations in Nanjo

Wondering About Your Anus Since the Star Festival

Ya Hu Hu Hu It's New Year's Eve All Over Again !

The Year of the Snake 2013

 

The Chinese New Year officially starts tomorrow.

That means I get to go out and celebrate New Year's Eve again tonight.

And, I have to practice saying, "Gung hay fat choy" just in case I run across any Chinese people.

There was this snake thing planted at the entrance to the Orchid Show.

It reminded me, I better start researching the Chinese Zodiac.

If you were born in the year of the snake you might be a really smart person.

But, if somebody messes with you they better watch out.  You'll attack them.

Snakes get along well with folks born in the year of the Dragon, Ox or Rooster.

But, they don't mix with Pigs or Tigers.

People who are afraid of snakes should come to Okinawa.

We have a place where you can hang around until you get comfortable with them.

Some people even bring along the whole family and take group portraits.

Snakes really aren't bad once you get to know them.

You can learn all about a snake's personality at Reader's Digest Asia.

That's where I found "Gung hay fat choy" and all the rest of the Chinese Zodiac.

It took me a while to figure out what "Gung hay fat choy" means.

Of all the places, I found the translation at USA Today.

It doesn't mean Happy New Year.

But, Happy Chinese New Year, to you and yours, anyway!

Inscribed in Stone US Navy on Ojima in Okinawa

Ojima, part of Nanjo City, is separated from the main island of Okinawa, Japan.

By bridge, it doesn't take a minute of driving and you can say, "I'm off Okinawa and on another island."

This inscription, on a stone at the end of the bridge indicates the US Navy was there.

Patrol Squadron Four must have been there from 1960-1964.

At least, that's what is written in stone, would have you believe.

So, I shot this photo to remind me it needed some research.

Ojima, Oojima, Oshima, or, Ou Island, whatever you want to call it, is really small.

A person could walk the whole island in less than one hour. 

It's impossible to get lost, for more than twenty minutes, I know.

That's because I tried it several times. 

Knowing the US Navy has some humongous boats, I figured, they must have kept small ones here.

Like maybe, PT boats.  I think that's navy talk for little patrol boats.

I saw them in a movie once and know they would fit in the small harbor at Ojima.

Big battleships and aircraft carriers wouldn't be able to squeeze in the port here.

Online Search US Navy Patrol Squadron Four

 

Holy Mackerels, they were some kind of airplane bomber squadron !

They were stationed at Naha, Okinawa from 1956 until 1964.

 Here's a quote from their history page:

"From this base, the squadron flew reconnaissance and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) missions

 to counter the Communist Chinese threat to the islands of Matsu and Quemoy."

They call themselves The Skinny Dragons.

Geographically Speaking 

Naha, is on the west coast of Okinawa.  That would be facing China.

Ojima, happens to be off the east coast of Okinawa.

Now, I'm wondering.  What were those Navy guys doing over there ?
  

Being it is the Chinese Year of the Dragon, I'll try and solve the mystery before year's end.

Maybe, some old Navy guy remembers.  We'll see...

Visit my website for today's Feature Photo

Dog Photo Essay: Ryukyu Inu and Husky Mutts Meet at the Beach

These guys are the Ryukyu Inu, a breed of dog native to Okinawa, Japan.

They get an early morning walk, on the beach, every day by Papasan.

The guy dogs figure it's their job to keep other male dogs off the beach.

When they saw a couple of Husky mutts tied to the coffee machine they decided it would be best to go over there and bite them.  That's how Papasan wound up getting tripped by leashes, landing on his rear end.

The good-natured guy that he is, Papasan gets a grip on things and decides to let the boys introduce themselves to each other.

The gal dog doesn't really need to meet more guys.

The brown Ryukyu Inu must have whispered fighting words in the brown Husky mutt's ear.

One thing, for sure, Russian dogs and Japanese dogs all understand each other's language.

The Husky with the red harness is half Chow Chow so, he may know a little Chinese, too.

When dogs get talking like this they can't hear anybody else talking around them.

It's just like when a couple of old women get talking in the supermarket and are blocking the aisle. 

That ever happen to you?

You could say, "Excuse me."  Or, even try to tell them the place is on fire, and they just don't hear you.

Sometimes, I just take their groceries and put them in my cart.  Then, hope they have a nice day.

Dogs are different.  Papasan and I figured it out.

We turned them loose and let them clean each other's clocks.

The Ryukyu Inu guys ran off to the beach.  And they're probably thinking,

 "We showed them."

The Husky Mutts came back to the coffee machine.

Papasan and I sat and drank iced coffee and the Ryukyu gal dog stayed with us in the shade.

The Husky Mutts were probably thinking, "We showed them."

Oops.  It's time to take my gal grocery shopping.  Groan.

Have a nice day!

Year of the Rabbit 2011 (Photo) Okinawa: An Insider's Tip

Here it is, New Years Eve, where I'm at anyway. I guarantee in the next few days I'll get tons of emails wishing me a Happy New Year. I know because I do the same thing as soon as Christmas is over. I start telling everybody to have a Happy and Prosperous New Year, right on through the first week of January. We all do it and it's a good thing. It sure beats talking about the weather.

The Year of the Rabbit is 2011 so, I dug up this photo that I shot back in 2007 to show you what a rabbit looks like in the wild, at night, with camera flash. That's if you don't want to use red-eye reduction on your camera or in editing afterwards. Some people I know will have eyes like this when the wake up New Years Day after a night of celebrating. In Okinawa, we have New Years twice!

The Western, Gregorian, Christian, whatever you want to call it, calendar that a lot of the rest of the world uses, is used in Japan, too. Even in Okinawa we have the Western calendar and celebrate the New Year like folks in the western world. The New Year will start January 1st and people will be popping champagne bottles, kissing strangers on the lips and singing Auld Lang Syne in Japanese in my bar tonight. And they'll be running around with hangovers for the next three days visiting temples to try and have good luck in the Year of the Rabbit, 2011.

It's good for business. People are already buying rabbit jewelry, bunny footed pajamas and slippers and probably wedding gowns with rabbits sewed on them. Some of them even buy pet rabbits for their kids. Then, when they get tired of abusing them, turn them loose, like the one in the photo above. That's no wild rabbit. He's a rabbit turned loose in the wild; a feral rabbit, I guess.

Here's a tip from an old Insider. According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2010 the Year of the Tiger, doesn't end December 31st 2010. The Year of the Rabbit starts on February 3, 2011.  That'd make New Years Eve the 2d of February according to my calculations.

Not one to put a damper on everyone's holiday celabrations I'm going to dig up that Auld Lang Syne music, buy some bottles of champagne and wash the wine glasses for tonight.

What the heck, I may as well trim the beard, get all spruced up and wear my Sunday best for the New Years Party. Even if some good lookin' stranger-gal doesn't run up and kiss me on the lips, it could be my dressed rehersal for the 2011 Year of the Rabbit New Years Eve Party in February!

WHEREVER IN THE WORLD YOU ARE PLEASE DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE.  AND, I WISH YOU AND YOURS A SAFE, HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR !



RELATED LINK: 2011 THE YEAR OF THE PARTY RABBITS