OkinawaArt & CraftsNaha
Ryukyu Dance Costume
Dance the court developed to entertain Chinese envoys; its bingata costumes are coloured to carry from a stage.
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OkinawaArt & Crafts
OkinawaArt & CraftsOkinawa
Koza and the American Era
A shopping district built under US administration; its English signage and American forms remain as a visible layer.
OkinawaArt & CraftsItoman
Sabani Boats
Planks sewn together with cord and bamboo pegs; because it can be re-sewn when it splits, it went far out to sea.
Nakijin
Villages of Nakijin
A screen wall stands just inside each gate to block sight and wind - a Chinese device that took its own form here.
OkinawaContemporary ArtMiyakojima
Farmland of Miyakojima
With no rivers, the island built walls underground to hold water - invisible engineering that made its farming possible.
OkinawaContemporary ArtTaketomi
Iriomote Island
Nine-tenths forest, its rivers lined with mangrove, and people confined to a thin strip along the shore.
OkinawaContemporary ArtYonaguni
Yonaguni Island
Stepped rock formations underwater whose artificial or natural origin is still argued - and the argument has become their character.
OkinawaMuseumsNaha
Trade and Craft of the Ryukyu Kingdom
A palace bell declares the kingdom a bridge between all nations by ship - and its crafts arrived along those same routes.
Naha
Postwar Art of Okinawa
Under occupation, painters formed their own village, living by selling pictures to American servicemen while making their own work.
OkinawaArchitectureNakagusuku
Masonry of the Gusuku
Stones cut into polygons and interlocked without gaps - a Ryukyuan method built on a different idea from mainland walling.
OkinawaArt & CraftsYomitan
Jiro Kinjo and Okinawan Mingei
Known for fish and shrimp cut in line; found by the mingei leaders, he became Okinawa's first Living National Treasure.
Naha
Buddhist Art of Ryukyu
The royal temple burned in 1945; Hojo Bridge remains, and the main gate has been restored. Most of Ryukyuan Buddhist art was lost with it.
OkinawaArchitectureŌgimi
Former Ogimi Village Office
The oldest reinforced concrete building left in Okinawa, and one that stood through the shelling of 1945. A nationally designated Important Cultural Property.
Naha
Gardens of Ryukyu
Porous Ryukyuan limestone stacked among subtropical planting - neither the material nor the plants of a mainland garden.
Mie
Ise Katagami
Ise katagami stencils from Shiroko, Suzuka. Washi paper bonded with persimmon tannin is carved and used for stencil-dyeing kimono. There are four carving techniques.
Mie
Tado Hajikizaru Monkey Toys
The hajikizaru of Tado, Kuwana. A folk toy with a monkey figure threaded onto bamboo.
Mie
Japanese Drums
Japanese drums from Mie. Zelkova wood is hollowed out for the body, and cowhide is stretched over it.
Mie
Hinaga Uchiwa Fans
Fans from Hinaga, Yokkaichi. Round bamboo is split just as it is to form the ribs.
Mie
Seki Wooden Buckets
Buckets from Seki, Kameyama. Cedar staves are bound with bamboo hoops.
Mie
Takada Buddhist Altars
Takada Buddhist altars from Tsu. They are finished with a wooden base, lacquer and gold leaf.
Hakodate Hachimangu · Shrine
Koryuji · Temple