Girls Dancing with Kama (かま) -- Weapons or Tools ?

An Impressive Dance

 

 

Sunday night, I knew there would be plenty more Eisa dancing, to shoot.

At the start of this festival there was all sorts of modern dance.

Students of the art, were doing some sort of hip hop, pop kinds of things.

Not wild about rap and hip hop, I took photos anyway, just to be polite, I guess.

This Act was Different 

 

It's hard work, peeking through a camera viewfinder.

After shooting a few dozen frames, put the camera down and, enjoyed this.

An old classic Okinawan song and dance, were modernized here and, I liked it.

Their instructor was nearby, watching all the dances and, coaching the youngsters.

There wasn't time, for me to go over and talk to him. I have a few questions.

What's the name of the dance school and where is it located?

How can I get some of my grandchildren signed-up, to go there?

And, "Do you teach those kids, to use those implements as tools or, weapons?"

Travel Shot: Lunar New Year Ritual at Hakugindo Shrine

Ken Uehara and Friends

 

 

 

Things move along quickly at some of the cultural events, I attend and it was one of those days.

One camera crashed, due to human error and, luckily, I had a backup one handy.

One of the uminchu (fisherman) said, "Mikesan come over here."

This was the first, sailing of the sabani boats, since the beginning of the Chinese New Year.

Prayers and offerings were made at the shrine and, it was time to go out to sea.

Three martial arts experts had performed in the shrine, just minutes earlier.

They were posed, for photos, being taken by a young lady and, I was trying to get closer.

It's really, not a good idea, for a bearded foreigner, to shove people out of the way.

The lens, I was using was a 10-20MM and, I needed to get right up front, to take this shot.

For a split second, I thought maybe, these dudes, would start whacking me with their weapons. 

Finally, Ken Uehara (right) told them, who I was and, what I do.

"Mikesan, gets our story in newspapers and on the internet," he told them.

So, I got out of there without a scratch and, had to hurry, on down to the ocean.

Doing stuff like this can give you goose bumps and make hairs stand up on your neck.

Maybe, they should assign a note taker/translator to me, to keep me out of trouble ! 

More About Ken Uehara and Sabani People

Itoman Uminchu Koubou

Hakugindo Shrine

What the Heck Is a Sabani ? 

UPDATE:

 

From a martial arts establishment in Belgium, the friends above, were identified as:

"Yamashiro Kenichi Sensei with his son Takesi Yamasiro and his student Yuki."

Thanks to 

Federation Geido Tao Chi Kihon on Facebook for sharing this post !

Girls with Weapons in Their Hair: The Okinawan Jifa

Weapons were banned in Okinawa by the Japanese after what was known as the Satsuma Invasion in 1609. The Ryukyu Islanders developed unique ways of defending themselves against Samuri warriors armed with spears or swords. Farm implements, common tools and even jewelry became martial arts weapons. Have a closer look at the Kimomo clad women performing in the annual Coronation Ceremony for the King and Queen of the Ryukyu Islands. Their hairpins are called "Jifa". They are girls with weapons in their hair.

From a distance, waving their fans and dancing with graceful, fluid motions while taking tiny steps in their full length kimonos, they may appear quite dainty to an evil-doer lurking in the shadows.

Zoom-in and have a closer look at the topknot of the girl in the lower righthand side of this photo. The Jifa is much more than a hairpin or piece of jewelry. It is a deadly weapon. In their dance lessons, they learn much more than how to step and fix their hair. They also learn martial arts. Mr. Stalker best stay in the shadows.

An even closer look at the Queen's hairdo, as she's leaving the castle, shows she has a gold jifa as her hairpin.



Now that I'm safe at home and out of the shadows I'm wondering "What other places besides Okinawa, Japan can you find girls with weapons in their hair"?