Original copy of a 1929 Ryukyu Shimpo article describing appropriation of Ryukyuan remains soon to be available at Junkudo book fair
An original copy of a Jan 26, 1929 Ryukyu Shimpo article describing the appropriation of Ryukyuan remains by Kyoto University’s research team.
January 19, 2022 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Kazuki Furugen
The fifth annual Junkudo New Year Antiquarian Book Fair, an event where antiquarian booksellers gather to show off and market rare books and historical documents, will be held from January 29 through Mar 6 at the Junkudo Bookstore in Naha City. The event is sponsored by the All-Okinawa Antiquarian Booksellers Association. Visitors of this year’s book fair will be able to find an original copy of a January 26, 1929 Ryukyu Shimpo article describing how the Kyoto Imperial University research team appropriated human remains from the Mumujana Tomb, an exposure burial site in Unten, Nakijin Village.
The item is invaluable, as the current Ryukyu Shimpo does not hold a print copy of the article and the Prefectural Archive only holds the electronic scan. The headline of the news piece describing the expatriation of the Ryukyuan remains reads: “Contribution to Kyoto University’s Department of Anthropology; Ryukyuan remains discovered.” Currently, Kyoto University is mired in a lawsuit over the repatriation of those remains. However, the 1929 article uses phrases such as “service to the academic world,” suggesting the exhumation was not viewed as problematic at the time.
Visitors of this year’s book fair will also find the “Chuzan Denshin Roku,” a written record of the Chinese vice-envoy, Xu Buguang’s visit to the Ryukyus in 1719. While the historical document has been reprinted in China and Japan, the 1766 edition stored at Shuri Castle was destroyed in the 2019 fire. The Chuzan Denshin Roku that will be available at the Junkudo book fair is believed to have been published the same year.
For inquiries, contact the Junkudo Shoten Naha Branch at 098-860-7175.
(English translation by T&CT and Monica Shingaki)
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