Kadena's Culture
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Rich Local Culture - Kadena's rich heritage and cultural assets are the
products of our forefathers' wisdom and industriousness and are highly
valued in the fields of history, science, and art. Extensive research has
to be done concerning the cultural assets of our town, a system to preserve
them and to pass them on to our future generations has to be established,
and awareness of the value of our heritage has to be promoted in order
that we the townspeople can play an active role in preserving the local
culture. In 1976, the Town of Kadena enacted the "Regulation for the
Protection of Cultural Properties" to assure the research, discovery
and protection of our cultural assets.
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Senbaru Eisa
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Senbaru, a section of Noguni Village of Chatan Magiri (a district consisting
of the present-day towns of Kadena and Chatan), resided by 7 or 8 households,
was founded circa 1800 by people who migrated from Shuri, Naha and the
village of Kume. Around that period, 12 to 13 boys got together to perform
their unique style of Eisa dance to honor their ancestors and to entertain
of the villagers.
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| Yara no Ayagu |
| The Yara no Ayagu dance is said have been performed at Yara during mura-ashibi
(social gatherings of young people from farming families) since the Meiji
era (1868-1911). There are different versions of the Ayagu dances in many
municipalities of the island of Okinawa, but it is usually performed by
a group of men and women. At Yara, 6 to 18 couples supposedly performed
the Ayagu. Also in Yara, there is a folk cultural asset called "Yara
no Chinku." |
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| Noguni Amakawa |
The history of the Noguni Amakawa dance is said to have begun in the Meiji era when a group of volunteers from Noguni went down to Naha to learn the Amakawa from actors and taught it to the youth of Noguni.
According to specialists in this field, this dance is the original form
of the well-known Kanayo Amakawa dance and created by noted dance performer
Tamagusuku Seiju during his years as an actor.
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| Nozato Bo |
The Bojutsu (stick fighting) of Nozato, also called Ichimeidobo, was
widely spread as a form of martial arts. A Bojutsu match between two martial
artists is as thrilling as a fight using real swords.
There are two types of Bojutsu: Hitoribo, performed by one person and Kumibo performed by two people. The stick comes in two lengths: the Rokushaku (approx. 6 feet) and Shakuhajiri or Sanshaku (approx. 3 feet). Before World War II, there were about 49 different types of Bojutsu but only 11 types remain now. There are three techniques of Hitoribo. |
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