Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
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WESLEY I W A O UEUNTEN
65
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KAJADEFU BUSHI
UNNA BUSHI
Along with "Kajadefu Bushi," "Unna (Onna) Bushi" is one of the fiv
portant court songs sung before the Ryükyüan king. It is now part of
repertoire of classical Ryükyüan songs performed and preserved throu
out the diaspora. Nabï, a woman of the commoner class in Unna, is sai
have composed the words to this song, which expresses defiance o
vertically structured patriarchal government that developed across Ok
during Satsuma rule.
NAKAFÜ BUSHI
The lyrics for this version of "Nakafu Bushi" were said to have been written
by court musicians for the last Ryükyüan king, Shö Tai. It was a period of
much strife. Factions differed over what the kingdom should do in response
to events such as the Opium Wars and the arrival of Commodore Matthew
C. Perry to the Ryükyüs and Japan. King Shö Tai was deposed by the Meiji
government in Tokyo in 1879.
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CHIJUYÄ BUSHI
[verse 3]
[chorus]
tured servants, and daughters were sold into prostitution. "Chijüyä Bushi"
is said to reflect the feelings of a son sold to fishermen.
KIJOKA LULLABY
[chorus]
Hoi, hoi, hoi
Stop your crying
Hoi, hoi, hoi
[repeat chorus]
To faraway Japan
Build a bridge of gold
For them to cross
[repeat chorus]
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This is part of "Kijoka Lullaby." Kijoka is in the northern part of Okinawa
and is well known for the weaving of bashö-fu , or banana-fiber cloth. As
Okinawa became integrated into Japan's economic structure, young women
who once did the tedious weaving of bashö-fu began migrating to mainland
Japan for better-paying work. They tried to save part of their wages and
send money home, hoping to build a "bridge of gold." Ironically, most of
these young women, who would traditionally have been learning to weave
by hand, ended up working in textile mills in Japan.
ASHIMIJI BUSHI
[chorus]
Surayöy sura
to work we go!
"Ashimiji Bushi" was written for a 1929 "Thrift and Savings Campaign" that
was conducted in Okinawa on the occasion of the Shöwa emperor's acces-
sion. While ostensibly written for the emperor, the song does not encourage
service to him, but to one's community and oneself. The emphasis on one's
labor being one's own property is perhaps a manifestation of the song hav-
ing been written during the era of union activities in Okinawa. "Ashimiji
Bushi" became popular among Okinawan immigrants in Hawai'i, who
struggled for labor unions on the plantations, and is still sung at bon dances
in the state.
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Higa Yasuo: Maternal Deities
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HIYAMIKACHI BUSHI
[verse 1]
[chorus]
[verse 2]
A bountiful harvest
[verse 3]
[verse 5]
[verse 6]
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