Archive for the art Category

Recent News

Shisa Day event at Tsuboya

<em>Shisa</em> Day event at Tsuboya

April 4, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo

On April 3, the opening ceremony of the 13th Shisa Day event was held at Tsuboya, Naha. The Tsuboya Pottery Museum has a display of 29 ceramic shisa works made by Okinawan craftsmen. This exhibition will be held until April 20. Shisa is a traditional Okinawan ceramic art. Shisa or lion-dogs are believed to ward off evil spirits. On April 3, people celebrate Shisa Day event each year around Tsuboya area, which is famous for...

 

Final encore for rock band The BOOM

Final encore for rock band The BOOM

April 1, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo

World-famous Japanese rock band The BOOM will end its career this December. The band is famous for globally popular song,”Shimauta.”

The band’s recording company announced the news on March 30.
The vocalist Kazufumi Miyazawa remarked,...

Students in Uruma perform the modern kumiodori play at the world heritage site Katsuren Castle

Students in Uruma perform the modern kumiodori play at the world heritage site Katsuren Castle

March 20, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo

For three days from March 14 to 16, junior high school and high school students in Uruma City performed the modern kumiodori play Kimutaka no Amawari at the world heritage site Katsuren Castle. This 2014 event commemorates the 15th anniversary of their...

National Theatre Okinawa celebrates 10th anniversary of its opening

National Theatre Okinawa celebrates 10th anniversary of its opening

January 19, 2014 Ryukyu Shimpo

Marking the 10th anniversary of its opening, the National Theater Okinawa held commemoration ceremony and celebration performance in Urasoe on January 18.

Many people involved celebrated this occasion for the theater that has been growing as the Hall of...

Okinawa Jazz Association lights up Naha with colorful vocals

Okinawa Jazz Association lights up Naha with colorful vocals

December 31, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

On December 23, the Okinawa Jazz Association held a Christmas concert at the Naha Civic Hall. This is the first part of a series focusing on jazz vocalists. The OJA Jazz Orchestra and COCKTAIL played various songs, including several jazz standards. Takako Afuso,...

Okinawan player comes second in World Harmonica Festival

Okinawan player comes second in World Harmonica Festival

December 17, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

Chromatic Harmonica player Sachito Higa, 28, won second place at the category of solo chromatic with a set piece in the World Harmonica Festival 2013 in Germany.
Held once every four years, the festival is the world’s top international contest for harmonica...

Okinawan pronunciation added in Kumiodori play script

Okinawan pronunciation added in <em>Kumiodori</em> play script

November 22, 2013 Ryukyu shimpo

Uchinaguchi (Okinawan language) has words that cannot be pronounced using the 50 Japanese syllabary. In this respect, the difficulty of using the Japanese writing system to read Uchinaguchi aloud has limited the spread of the language and passing...

Unai appraised for Okinawan theater performance in Hawaii

Unai appraised for Okinawan theater performance in Hawaii

November 13, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

On October 13 at the Hawaii Okinawa Center, the theatrical group Unai held their first performance in Hawaii. While Ryukyuan performing arts are popular in Hawaii, performances of Okinawan theater are rare. In the audience questionnaire, 152 out of 170 respondents...

Ryukyu-Okinawa traditional arts group performs in Germany to promote Okinawa tourism

Ryukyu-Okinawa traditional arts group performs in Germany to promote Okinawa tourism

November 15, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

A group of Okinawan traditional performing artists sent overseas as part of the prefecture’s...

Requios wins Worldwide Eisa Festival again

Requios wins Worldwide <em>Eisa</em> Festival again

October 8, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

Eisa groups from both inside and outside Okinawa competed in the Worldwide Eisa Festival held at the National Theater Okinawa in Urasoe on October 6. Thirty groups, including some from overseas entertained the audience with their unique dance...

Okinawa holds rally to promote Shimakutuba

Okinawa holds rally to promote <em>Shimakutuba</em>

September 19, 2013 Ryukyu Shimpo

The Okinawa Prefectural Government held the first Shimakutuba Citizens’ Rally at the Okinawa Convention Center Conference Building in Ginowan City on September 18. The aim of the rally was to encourage Okinawan people to be become interested in Shimakutuba...