Ginowan City
Nakama Azumi “Kuba Leaf Folk Tool Exhibition”
- Art / Exhibition
- Real-life event
Schedule
Charge
Admission fee free
Contents
Kuba (Okinawan dialect) is generally called a bellows, an evergreen tree of the palm family that grows naturally from southern mainland China to Taiwan, the Nansei Islands, and the southern coasts of Kyushu/Shikoku. The characteristic of the leaves is that they spread in the shape of a palm, and the tips of the leaves split into small pieces and hang down, so they have been used as garden trees, street trees, and building materials in Okinawa.
The kubakama, which is light, water-repellent, and made of kuba leaves that allow wind to pass through well, changes shape according to use, and has been useful to fishermen and farmers. Kuba, which was relatively easy to obtain, was also used in fans, fans, umbrellas, hats, ladles, etc., and was an important raw material that supports people's lives. It is said that in the days when there were no fans, the wind sent by old men and grandmothers sitting at children's bedsides and blowing with kuba fans was exceptionally comfortable. Also, since it often grew naturally around Mitake, kuba is considered sacred and has also been used in Shinto rituals. On the main island of Okinawa, the bellows colony at Ogimi Utaki has been designated as a natural monument by the prefecture.
Nakama Azumi is self-taught and has learned how to handle kuba from Yonaha Ariwa, the Yonaha folk tool on Yonaguni Island, and is carrying out activities to inherit traditional Okinawan culture through workshops and the like.
Nakama Azumi profile
Born in Ginowan. They are active in many fields, such as making tools using Okinawan materials, repairing broken folk tools, repairing clothes, singing, dance, and being a regional coordinator. From Shimabukuro Masatoshi (the first director of the Nago Museum, the first president of the Yambarajima Sakenokai, the first president of the Yamaharashima Sakenokai, presiding over “Silent 100 Year Juku Minsoan”), who looks up to his mentor, they also learn about barki (bamboo basket) making and the wisdom and techniques of living as a boy in the Yambaru area, and at the same time, they utilize research funds from Gakushuin University to record Okinawan traditions and culture on video and publish them on YouTube. Currently, the old private house in Kijoka, Ogimi Village, which is the mother's parents' house, is being restored with the help of friends and local people. They have qualifications such as nursery teachers, kindergarten teachers, cooks, color coordinators, hazardous materials handlers, paint mixing technicians, etc.
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