NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

I have returned from yet another trip to Okinawa. This was my sixth trip there in five years. I have been there for conferences, symposiums, research trips and consultations. Although I have mainly spent time on the main island of Okinawa, in its southern densely populated area, last year I was fortunate enough to attend a conference in Ishigaki Island to the south. I have amassed quite a few posts about each trip, talking about the things I have witnesses and the things I have been told about. I even used interviews from some of my trips to create episodes for the Guam-based public radio program Beyond the Fence.  I am considering, re-posting some of my favorite posts from my trips. We'll see if I actually sit down to do this, or if it just remains a thought in my head. 

Last week I visited the Yoko Gushiken museum in Ishigaki island. It was an interesting moment because of the way it connected to the many discussions of the week relating to decolonization, nationalism and activism. Gushiken is a celebrity in Japan and in the international world of boxing. He was the WBA Flyweight Champion for five years, with a record of 23-1, 15 wins by KO. Although he came from the small island of Ishigaki he fought in rings around the world. In a two-story house on the edge of the tourist area of Ishigaki City, you will find his museum. It has his trophies, images of him and a mock practice ring with highlights from his matches playing on a TV nearby. Throughout the museum was images of eagles, as the eagle is an important animal to Ishigaki Island and it was his symbol that he put on his uniform and on his promotional materials. You might wonder what a boxer like Gushiken might have to do with the conference I was attending, where Okinawan

The Toujin Grave or Toujin Tombs is a very interesting site. It features a large monument which is unmistakably and almost guadily Chinese. There are always things through Okinawa and Japan that you can point to as being Chinese in origin or being part of Chinese influence, but often times Japanese chafe at such connections seeking to hide the history of contact or the genealogy of cultural evolution. But this monument is meant to absolutely be Chinese. While for mainland Japan the signifier "China" is something to be wary of. For centuries it has evoked a gathering threat, just on the other side of the sea, a force to be reckoned with. Something that Japan draws much of its culture from but also resists admitting to because of the general feeling of antagonism. China was always a potential military threat, always looming and leering in a way that it could perhaps swallow up Japan. In World War II the Japanese got to act out a lot of their pent up national aggression or r