My home town Yomitan village is recognized as a center of Okinawan culture, which organizes and hosts for many international and domestic events including an International Karate Tournament. I am so proud to inform of the recent article that appeared in the Ryukyu Shimpo (as below).
This year, I will report on Okinawan culture in my blog as often as I can.
From March 2012 Yomitan Murasaki Mura will promote tourism with karate
On December 16 at the Prefectural Government Offices, Shingo Kuniyoshi, Planning Manager of the Yomitan Kukuru Resort announces a tourism promotion model project utilizing branding of Okinawan karate.
December 17, 2011 Ryukyu Shimpo
On December 16 at the Prefectural Government Offices, representatives of Yomitan Kururu Resort Okinawa, which manages the Taiken Okoku Murasaki Mura in Yomitan, met with executives from four other firms and announced that they will commence a model project to promote tourism by building a brand that utilizes Okinawa’s traditional karate. From March 2012, based in Murasaki Mura, they will commence three projects including a company orientation program with karate, karate trial lessons, and a karate show in conjunction with Ryukyuan dance.
This is a prefectural 2011 industry collaboration model project and the total cost is 35 million yen. Thirteen employees have been newly hired for the project.
At Murasaki Mura, about 1000 people each year, mostly students on school excursions, experience the existing karate trial course. Collaborating with tour companies, Murasaki Mura wants to attract company trips and to increase the use of company orientation programs that use karate. On December 21, there will be a trial company orientation.
The story-telling karate show, which is based on aspects of the history of Okinawa including the Satsuma invasion and the Battle of Okinawa, is produced by a Ryukyuan Performing Arts producer, Michihiko Kakazu. Jungo Matsuda karate
shihan master from the World Oshu-kai Kobayashi-ryu Kobudo Renmei, who instructs karate for the show said, “The show embraces the history and culture of Okinawa. There is a philosophy of accepting rather than defeating an opponent. I would like to promote this good philosophy of life more to Okinawans, Japanese and people overseas.
Toru Iketani, division director from Roots, which is in charge of the company orientation program using karate, stated, “The spirituality of traditional karate can be utilized in business. We would like companies from other prefectures to come to Okinawa for their orientation programs and hopefully help promote those industries locally. Companies in Okinawa may also use the program.”
Tamotsu Ganaha, director from Vision Project that handled the model project, said, “Although there is a difficult aspect to connecting tradition with business, using the karate show as the main source of revenue and appealing to tourists with the orientation programs, we would like to draw attention to tourism and eventually even attract people from overseas.”
(English translation by T&CT, Megumi Chibana and Mark Ealey)
軽やかに舞う船越節子の雑踊「取納奉行」＝７日、浦添市の国立劇場おきなわ
小道具を丁寧に扱い古典女踊「かせかけ」を舞う宮城能造＝８日、浦添市の国立劇場おきなわ
二才踊「麾」で２本の麾を使い、きびきびと舞う花岡勝子＝７日、浦添市の国立劇場おきなわ
息の合った動きで創作「真津がま」を舞う比嘉美好（左）、金城光子＝８日、浦添市の国立劇場おきなわ
一瞬で表情が変わるマスクが特徴の中国の伝統舞踊「変面」
変面と琉球舞踊との融合をきっかけとした観光振興に期待する日本沖縄華僑華人商工連合会の張險峰会長（前列右）ら＝５日、琉球新報社
