All posts tagged: okinawan

Chondara – Okinawan Clowns

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Chondara are clowns that encourage the performers, and entertain the crowds during Okinawa’s summer eisa dance performances. They can be young or old, but you see very few women chondara. Usually they wear a straw conical hat and a short striped basa kimono. The makeup is nearly always white with designs drawn on to the face. The designs on the face vary between the chondara, but more surprisingly, unlike western “whiteface” clowns, a chondara doesn’t always stick with the same face. Below we can see the same chondara at Ryukyu Mura with four different faces. Send in the clowns!

Shintoku Takara 10th dan Okinawa Uechi-ryu

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On Monday evening I photographed Shintoku Takara, 10th dan Okinawa Uechi-ryu Karatedo Kyokai. At 86 years old Takara sensei is one of the elder statesmen of Okinawa karate. We met at the family dojo in Kitanakagusku, but on finding out we live in Motobu he was excited to tell us how their family was from Bise Village just a couple of kilometers from our home. One interesting bit of trivia about Takara sensei is that he was one of the Uechi-ryu masters who taught F1 champion Nigel Mansell in Okinawa . Mansell received his shodan certificate in 1994 (1st dan black belt). We photographed Takara sensei along with his son Kazuya Shintoku, and his grandson Uechi Takenori. This is the first time for us to photograph three generations of karateka together.  

Oshiro-san, the loom maker

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  A new project I’m working on is documenting  Okinawa’s traditional textile industry. Oshiro-san makes looms, shuttles, spinning wheels and other equipment from his workshop in Haebaru. His customers are usually Okinawan weavers, but he has once sent a spinning wheel all the way to Texas. Oshiro-san, now 57, began to learn the craft from his father at age 22. He is now teaching his oldest son. Images shot with natural light, Pentax 645Z with 35mm lens.

Oba-san

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This is the lady who always makes my workshop students and me delicious satandagi donuts. As I was captioning images I realized I don’t know her real name as she is always referred to as Oba-san (auntie) or Oba-chan (granny) by everyone. Will have to remember to ask her real name next time I see her!

Nobuko Oshiro, Kyoshi 8th dan Okinawa Karate-do Shorinryu, Taishinkan Association

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At 8th-dan Nobuko Oshiro is the highest ranked woman in Okinawa. On Friday, I photographed her at her dojo in Urasoe. At 68 she is strong and healthly, kicking high and punching hard. In a country where women are sometimes seen as decorative “office flowers” Oshiro sensei is breaking down boundaries and shattering ceilings. The phrase “you hit like a girl” is not going to be uttered in her dojo as anything other than a compliment. Photographed with the Pentax 645Z and 90mm lens. Lit with a single Profoto pro-head in a white softlight reflector powered by a 7a generator.

The Nago Bypass and Beyond

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A couple of weeks ago I dropped in at the Yanbaru Sangyo Festival in Nago which showcases business in northern Okinawa. I made contact with a few local farmers and other small businesses that produce unique Okinawan products. Hopefully I will meet them again when writing or shooting magazine articles. Another aspect of the festival was showing current and future development plans in the region. Of biggest interest to me were plans for the expansion of the Nago bypass In the image above we see the Nago bypass. Currently, after leaving the expressway at Kyoda you drive north along the coast on the 58, then take a right at the Blue Seal / Mcdonalds junction as you enter Nago. At the next traffic light you turn left onto the new bypass. The image however also shows that the south end of the bypass will eventually join back to the 58. The yellow section of road is a further possible overwater extension connecting the bypass with the expressway. (This could also be done overland) In this …