Okinawan Superman Kiyohide Shinjo is an 8th dan master of Uechi-ryu karate. Kiyohide Shinjo was born on Ie Island in 1951. His family moved to Naha when he was five, and Kiyohide began studying karate at the age of ten from his father, Seiyu Shinjo, one of Okinawa’s karate masters. He earned his shodan (first degree black belt) at age 16, and in 1960, Kiyohide and his father opened a new dojo at Kadena Rotary. Kiyohide Shinjo is the nine-time Okinawa Karate Champion in both kumite and kata － gaining him the nickname “the Okinawan Superman.” When his father died in 1979, Kiyohide retired from competition, undefeated, and took over the Kadena dojo. In 2004, the dojo moved to Toguchi in Yomitan. There Kiyohide continues to inspire others with his passion for karate. What’s your favorite technique? “I use the toe kick. It’s one of Uechi-ryu’s iconic techniques; it’s devastatingly effective. It doesn’t matter where the blow lands, it will incapacitate the opponent leaving you in control of the encounter.” (At this point Kiyohide took …

Lion King Mitsuo Miyagi creates plaster shîsâ. He operates his own store and gallery beside Kokusai-Street, and his designs have met with both critical acclaim and commercial success. Mitsuo studied art at Kaiho High School on Okinawa before attending college in Kyoto. Rather than specialize in just one discipline, Mitsuo trained under several teachers to learn pottery, sculpture, papermaking, ink, and painting. At age 21, he returned to Okinawa and started creating shîsâ in his apartment. His unique designs became popular almost immediately, and soon he was overrun with too many orders and too little space. In 2001, he moved to a new studio in Onna Village from which he could create larger sculptures and paintings. On April 3, 2005, he opened his own gallery and store in Naha City, where visitors can browse his work or even create their own shîsâ. What is a shîsâ? Is it a lion, a dog or some kind of dragon? “Shîsâ are sometimes called lion-dogs, but I think this is only half-right. Shîsâ are based on lions, which …

Bird Man of Okinawa Takashi Nagamine is a veterinarian trying to save the Okinawa Rail from extinction. Takashi Nagamine was born in Gushikawa City, Okinawa. He studied veterinary science at Nihon University, worked as a vet in Saitama prefecture for 11 years, and then returned to his hometown. In 2001, he set up Nagamine Animal Hospital where he treats the everyday ailments of local pets, and also injured wild animals from all over Okinawa. What types of wild animals does your hospital receive? “We get 150 to 200 cases a year, and these cover a wide range of species from the Crested Serpent-Eagle to the Okinawa Rail. Some animals have been injured by power lines or cars; others have been poisoned by pesticides.” What kind of bird is the Okinawa Rail? “The local name is the Yanbaru-kuina. It’s a small bird, about the size of a man’s hand, or a little larger than a pigeon. It was only discovered in 1981, because it is naturally a very shy bird. It is also the only flightless …

The Toy Maker Morito Toyonaga creates toys that are miniature works of art. His designs have been exhibited in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Sendai and Okinawa. He has a love of traditional techniques that would otherwise disappear. Morito Toyonaga studied sculpture at Okinawa Prefectural Art University and the School of the Museum of Fine Art, Boston, Massachusetts. His interest in sculpture blossomed into a passion for preserving the skills once used to create Okinawan children’s toys. In 2002, he set up his own toy store called Road Works beside Shuri Castle. What materials do you use to create the toys? “Some of the figurines are sculpted from wood, while the stuffed toys are fabric filled with cotton balls. The majority of my toys, however, are made from papier-mâché. To create these paper toys, I start by carving a wooden mold. I then layer a mixture of newspaper, brown paper and glue onto the outside of the mold. The wooden core can then be removed, leaving a thin paper skin. To strengthen the toy, I mix powdered …