Ryukyu red tile craftsmen appeal to prefectural government to preserve burned red tiles
On the morning of November 5 at the prefectural government’s Press Club, members of the Prefectural Ryukyu Red Tile Plaster Craftsmanship Cooperative request that burned red tiles from Shuri Castle be preserved.
November 6, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
On November 5 the Prefectural Ryukyu Red Tile Plaster Craftsmanship Cooperative, which is made up of craftsmen of Okinawan traditional red roof tile, submitted a written appeal to Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki requesting that burned red tiles from Shuri Castle be preserved and used.
After making their appeal, a member of the cooperative stated in a press conference, “The tiles that have survived the fire have material value, and will be a symbol of revival”.
The written appeal made three requests: that (1) burned red tiles be recovered and used to the extent possible, (2) reusable tiles be used in reconstruction and restoration, and (3) the cooperative be involved in recovering tiles.
According to the cooperative, the red tiles of Shuri Castle were the work of Soten Okuhara, who died in 2014.
Red tiles made by Okuhara have the characteristics of remaining solid when burned at very high temperatures and having a glossy surface.
Director Tadashi Tabata of the cooperative said: “I heard that his soil blends and the like are special and cannot be reproduced by other ceramicists.
Hereafter, [these tiles] will be valuable as material for reconstructing Shuri Castle and the like”.
Tomijo Yamashiro, 87, and Koyu Oshiro, 85, who have been selected as modern artisans to take part in the red tiling work on Shuri Castle gates Hokuden and Hoshinmon.
Yamashiro and Oshiro spoke together, saying: “Mr. Okuhara’s red tile will be the base of all roof tile on the reconstructed Shuri Castle”, and “We need the tiles left behind by Mr. Okuhara as a reference; please save them”.
(English translation by T&CT and Erin Jones)
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