Haisai Ojisan

billtron — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 14:28:46 -0800

Shoukichi Kina, peace activist, club owner, environmentalist, sailor, critic of the US presence in Okinawa, proponent of Okinawan independence, and, since 2004, member of the Japanese House of Councillors has been playing his highly influential hybrid of traditional Okinawan min'yo, reggae, and other island music styles since he formed the band Champloose in 1968. His most famous song, "Haisai Ojisan", has been covered by such artists as John French, Fred Frith, Henry Kaiser, and Richard Thompson. Due to his collaboration with world-music superstar Ry Cooder, Kina is largely responsible for introducing Okinawan pop music to the global stage. Clearly identified by the sound of the sanshin, Okinawan folk tunes and pop songs by Kina and such later groups as Begin, The Boom, and Rimi Natsukawa and have been performed by people from Japan, Argentina, Argentina, Peru, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Brazil, Guatemala, Germany, Mexico, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Canada, and New York.

The Okinawa digital archive

jeffmshaw — Tue, 23 Nov 2004 12:53:03 -0800

The Okinawa digital archive is a collection of images, video and narrative about the rich culture, history and ecology of the Ryukyu Islands. There's so much more to karate's birthplace than the famous, landscape-dominating military bases -- from music and dance to castles to a language and identity distinct from mainland Japan. Be sure to check out the picture gallery, searchable and sorted by region. [MI]