Iha Fuyu
Encyclopedia
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
scholar who studied various aspects of Japanese and Okinawan culture, customs, linguistics, and lore. His signature was Ifa Fuyu in English, because of the Okinawan pronunciation). Ifa studied linguistics in the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
and was devoted to the study of Okinawan linguistics, folklore, and history. His most famous book on the subject, the Ko Ryūkyū (Old Ryūkyū) was published in 1911 and remains one of the best works on Okinawan studies. He devoted much time in the discovery the origins of Okinawan people to establish their history. He had considerable influence not only on the study of Okinawan forklore but also of the Japanese folkore.
Life
- In 1876, he was born in Naha as an eldest son of a lower-class samuraiSamuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
. - In 1891, he entered the Okinawa middle school, now corresponding to ShuriShuriShuri may refer to:* Shuri, Bhutan* Shuri, Okinawa - former capital of the Ryūkyū Kingdom.* Shuri Kondo...
High School. - In 1895, he was dismissed from school, because he was a leader of a student strike;they requested the resignation of the then principal who dropped the subject of English. (English is needed for higher schools).
- In 1896, he entered Meijigikai middle school in Tokyo, followed by the Third Higher School(Now Kyoto University).
- In 1903, he entered the Lingistic Course, Department of Literature, Tokyo University.
- In 1906, he graduated from Tokyo University.
- In 1910, he was appointed the director of Okinawa Prefectural Library.
- In 1917, he organized the study of EsperantoEsperantois the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
. - In 1918, he lectured on the BibleBibleThe Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
at a church. - In 1921, he was appointed the director of Okonawa Prefectural Liberary formally.
- In 1924, he resigned from the Library and went to TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
to study more. - In 1935, he lectured on Omorosoushi at Kokugakuin UniversityKokugakuin UniversityKokugakuin University is a private university, whose main office is located in Tokyo's Shibuya district...
. - In 1945, he assumed the post of the first president of the Association of Okinawan People.
- On August 13, 1947, he died at the house of Higa Shuncho.
Achievements
- Ko Ryukyu(Old Ryukyu) , 1911,1916,1942,1944,2000. In Japanese. His representative work.
- Revised Omoro SōshiOmoro SoshiThe Omoro Sōshi is a compilation of ancient poems and songs from Okinawa and the Amami Islands, collected into 22 volumes and written primarily in hiragana with some simple kanji...
1925. Minamishima,danwakai. In Japanese. - An island of onari kamiKamiis the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
, 1938, 1942. in Japanese. - Selected works of Iha Fuyu , 1962. Okinawa Times, in Japanese.
- Collected Works of Iha Fuyu (1-11), 1976 and 1993, Heibonsha, Tokyo, in Japanese.
Ko Ryukyu
- This is his representative work and has remained an introduction to Okinawaology. He had corrected previous articles many times, and the reader should read the most recent edition.
On the ancestors of Okinawan people
- Studying various words of Ryukyu and Japan used in days gone by, he came to the conclusion that Okinawa and Japan share the same mother tongue.
The studied words include akaru, akezu, akatonki, amori, etsuri, fuguri (scrotum), fuku, hae (glory), hau, hiji, hiraku, hoso (umbricus), kanashi, iga, ikasarete, ikibui, ikutokoro, ime, iriki, kabuchi, kotoi, kuwanari, magu, majimono, mamaki, maru, minjai, mitsumi, monowata, mumuji, naegu, nai (earthquake), nasu, nuuji, sakuri, sayumi, shichiyadan, shishi, taani, tane (penis), tsukakamachi, tsukura, tubi, ugonaari, uwanari, wa, watamashi, yagusami, yokoshi, yomu, and yuimaharu.
The recent trend of the History of the Ryukyus
- Three representative statesmen were described. They were given posthumous court ranks at the enthronement of Emperor TaishoEmperor TaishōThe was the 123rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 30 July 1912, until his death in 1926.The Emperor’s personal name was . According to Japanese customs, the emperor has no name during his reign and is only called the Emperor...
, and Iha gave a lecture about them at the Okinawa Normal SchoolNormal schoolA normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
. They were Sai OnSai On', also known as ' was a scholar-bureaucrat official of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, serving as regent, instructor, and advisor to King Shō Kei...
, Haneji Choshu(Shō Shōken (向象賢)) and Giwan ChohoGiwan Chōho', also known more simply as ', was a Rykyuan government official and emissary; at the time of the Meiji Restoration in Japan, he was a member of the Sanshikan, the Council of Three top government ministers in the Ryūkyū Kingdom....
. They managed to govern Okinawa between SatsumaSatsumaSatsuma may refer to:* Satsuma , a citrus fruit* Satsuma , a genus of land snails-In Japan:* Satsuma, Kagoshima, a Japanese town* Satsuma District, Kagoshima, a district in Kagoshima Prefecture...
and ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.It was apparent that Iha regarded them as the highest important persons in the history of the Ryukyus. - Sai On's advice to the King: Negotiations with China are not difficult. If difficulties will arise, Kume people can manage to handle them. But Japan is not so. On one day, with only a piece of paper, a King may lose his position and it is definitely from Japan.
- Okinawa's stand: to Okinawa, who will rule in China does not matter. Okinawa is not allowed to stick to justice. Okinawan people endure everything in order to live, or eat. An Okinawan saying says that who will let us eat, whoever it is, is our master. This is the fate of Okinawan people until the day of the placement of Okinawa Prefecture. To Japan, namely to the Shimazu clan, it did not know how to treat Okinawa soon after the establishment of Okinawa Prefecture.
Seven kinds of Omoro Sōshi
- Omoro Sōshi is a collection of songs, 1553 poems and 1267 poems(when the same songs are excluded) in 22 volumes, starting in the middle of the 13th century and ending in the middle of the 17th century. It may be called the ManyoshuManyoshuis the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry, compiled some time after 759 AD during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in a series of compilers, is believed to be Ōtomo no Yakamochi...
of Okinawa. Omoro is the abbreviation of Omori uta, or songs sung in the sacred places of Ryukyu. The themes of the Omoro include the origin of Ryukyu, Kings, Heroes, Voyages, Poets, Sceneries, Heaven and Stars, very rarely Romance. Omoro is the only materials when one wants to study old Ryukyu languages and ideologies.
The problem of students studying in China (Kansho)
- China allowed Okinawan princes and others to study in China; at the start, Okinawan students did not get good achievements. The great king Sho ShinSho Shin' was a king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, the third of the line of the Second Shō Dynasty. Shō Shin's long reign has been described as "the Great Days of Chūzan", a period of great peace and relative prosperity. He was the son of Shō En, the founder of the dynasty, by Yosoidon, Shō En's second wife,...
started to allow Kume people, who had come from China only 128 years before, to study in China. They spoke Chinese, off course, and got high achievements. 4 students from Kume who studied in Nanking came back 7 years later. 4 others on the next turn, came back 7 years later. Then Kume people thought that students were from Kume only. 100 years later, Kume people became japanized. Toward the end of the 18th century, Shuri people realized that the teaching and politics went hand in hand and they thought students should be also from ShuriShuriShuri may refer to:* Shuri, Bhutan* Shuri, Okinawa - former capital of the Ryūkyū Kingdom.* Shuri Kondo...
. Kume people resisted with strikes. This is called Kansho Problem or Soudou.
The P sound in Okinawan dialects
- The changes of the sound of P - F - H in Ryukyuan dialects suggest the changes from P through F to H in the languages of historical Japan proper.
Take care that this is in Ko Ryukyu.
| item | Shuri | Kunigami | Yaeyama | Miyakojima | Amami oshima |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaf | fa | pa | pa | pa | ha |
| Tomb | faka/haka | paka | paka | paka | haka |
| Flower | hana | pana | pana | pana | hana |
| Fire | fi | pi | pi | (umatsu) | (umatsu) |
| Sun | fi | pi | pi | pi | hi, hyuru |
| sail, canvas | fu | pu | pu | pu | fu |
- In Late Middle Japanese it is written that although Proto-Japanese had a *[p], by Old Japanese it had already become [ɸ] and subsequently [h] during Early Modern Japanese where it remains today.
Other Interesting Titles
- The weakest point of Okinawan People, The establishment of Okinawa Prefecture from the viewpoint of evolution, Did Heike people really come to Sakishima? Important place Urasoe, What does Shimajiri mean in many islands of Okinawa? A mysterious man AmawariAmawari' was a Ryukyuan lord of Katsuren Castle , known for his ambitions for the throne of the Ryūkyū Kingdom and scheme and attack against Gosamaru, anji of Nakagusuku.-Life:...
, Documents of Wakou in Okinawa, A lovely YaeyamaYaeyamaYaeyama may refer to:* Yaeyama Islands, an archipelago in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan* Yaeyama District, Okinawa, an administrative division covering most of the Yaeyama Islands* Yaeyama language, a language spoken in the Yaeyama Islands...
girl, Nakasone ToyomiyaNakasone Toyomiya' was a Ryukyuan local chief of the Miyako Islands credited with repelling an invasion from Ishigaki Island, and expanding Miyako political control over some of the Yaeyama Islands...
in MiyakoMiyako-Places in Japan:*Miyako, Iwate, a city in Iwate Prefecture*The Miyako Islands, including Miyako Island itself**Miyakojima, Okinawa, a city of the Miyako Islands**Miyako language, the Ryukyuan dialect spoken on Miyako Island and other nearby islands...
, Grand kumi stages of old Ryukyu, Poems of Southern Islands, The Bible translated into the Ryukyu language by Bernard Jean BettelheimBernard Jean BettelheimBernard Jean Bettelheim was a Christian missionary to Okinawa, the first Protestant missionary to be active there.-Biography:...
, On Konko-knshuu(Old Ryukyu language dictionary),Akainko, the first Okinawan music musician. Mythologies in Okinawa.
Okinawaology
- Okinawaology is not an independent field of science, but a general term of various aspects of Okinawa studies. Okinawaology originated from the Ko Ryukyuu (Old Ryukyuu) written by Iha FuyuIha FuyuIha Fuyū was the father of Okinawaology and a Japanese scholar who studied various aspects of Japanese and Okinawan culture, customs, linguistics, and lore. His signature was Ifa Fuyu in English, because of the Okinawan pronunciation)...
.
Generals
- Since Okinawa was annexed to Japan, the Okinawan people had tried to japanize themselves, while there was a tendency that they were treated
as an inferior people at that time. With this in the background, Iha studied the culture of both Japan and Okinawa, especially, the languages, history of Okinawa, and proposed the Okinawan people and Japanese people had the sama ancestors. His studies started from Omorosoushi, and covered the study of history, linguistics, anthropology, archaeology, study of religions, mythology, the study of civilization, ethonology and literature. Using the Okinawan dialect, he tried to raise the pride of Okinawans in their land. His proposals have been established as the trunk of Okinawaology. Those who study Okinawaology are not restricted to scholars. Okinawaology covers many other branches, such as politics, economics, laws, and natural circumstances.
Tomb
His tomb is at Urasoe CastleUrasoe Castle
was an Okinawan castle, or gusuku, which served as the capital of the medieval Okinawan principality of Chūzan prior to the unification of the island into the Ryūkyū Kingdom, and the moving of the capital to Shuri....
showing the following epitaph
Epitaph
An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
.
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- Higashionna Kanjun (1882-1963):Historian concerning Okinawa, Professor at Takushoku UniversityTakushoku UniversityTakushoku University is a private university in Japan. It was founded in 1900 by Prince Taro Katsura . The university is located in Tokyo and has two campuses: the main campus in the Bunkyō district, and a satellite campus in the Hachiōji district...
. - Tajima Risaburo (1869-1929):Teacher of Iha. He studied Omorosoushi and gave decuments of Omorosoushi to Iha.
- Higa Shuncho (1883-1977):Okinawa historian. Esperantist.
- Majikina Anko (1875-1933) :One of the co-leaders of the strike. Historian. In 1925, he became the director of the Okinawa Prefectural Library. His 1000 year history of Okinawa was said to be an encyclopedia of Okinawa.
- Hashimoto Shinkichi (1882-1945) :Japanese language scholar.
- Ogura Shinpei (1882-1944) :Japanese language scholar.
- Kinjo Choei (1902-1955) :Okinawan dialect scholar.
- Nakahara Zenchu (1890-1964) :Okinawan culture scholar. Author of Omorosoushi Encyclopedia (1978) and History of Ryuky (1978).
- Nakasone Seizen (1907-1995): After meeting Iha at Tokyo University, he studied the dialect of Okinawa. He led nursing students at the end of the war and spoke for peace.
- Shibuzawa Keizo (1896-1963) :Minister of Finance, Folklore scholar.
- Hokama Shuzen (1924- ) :Okinawan culture scholar.
- Sasaki Nobutsuna (1872-1963) :Tanka poet, Japanese language scholar.
- Shimbukuro Gen-ichiro (1885-1942) :Okinawa culture scholar.
- Kanna Kenwa(1877-1950): The main leader of the strike. Governor of Okinawa Narahara ShigeruNarahara ShigeruBaron , also known as Narahara Kogorō, was a Japanese politician of the Meiji period who served as the eighth governor of Okinawa Prefecture from 1892 to 1907, and in a number of other posts over the course of his career....
helped him graduating the school. He joined the Russo-Japanese warRusso-Japanese WarThe Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
and became a rear admiral of the Japanese Navy, and a representative of the lower house. - Iha Getsujo,(1880-1945) :A yonger brother of Iha Fuyu. Newspaperman of Okinawa Mainichi Newspaper.
- Kanagusuku Kiko(1875-1967)：One of the co-leaders of the strike. Became the first physician in Okinawa and the director of Okinawa Prefectural Hospital.
- Teruya Hiroshi(1875-1939):One of the co-leaders of the strike. After studying engineering at Kyoto UniversityKyoto University, or is a national university located in Kyoto, Japan. It is the second oldest Japanese university, and formerly one of Japan's Imperial Universities.- History :...
, he went to TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, and later he became Mayor of Naha. He contributed to the clarification of the victims of the Mudan Incident of 1871Mudan Incident of 1871Mudan Incident of 1871 was the massacre of fifty-four Ryukyuan sailors in Taiwan who wandered into the central part of Taiwan after their ship was shipwrecked. 12 men were rescued by Han Chinese and were transferred to Miyako...
. - Nishime Goro or Tokuda Goro(1873-1938):
- Kishaba Eijun(1885-1972): After meeting Iha, he studied the local aspects of YaeyamaYaeyamaYaeyama may refer to:* Yaeyama Islands, an archipelago in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan* Yaeyama District, Okinawa, an administrative division covering most of the Yaeyama Islands* Yaeyama language, a language spoken in the Yaeyama Islands...
. - Kodama Kihachi (1856-1912) :The vice principal (Nov 1889-Sept 1891) and principal (Sept 1891-Apr 1896) of Okinawa Normal School. In 1894, he wanted to discontinue English and a student strike began.