Reading Okinawa

1. Introduction

“Kinoboributa” first appeared in 1983. Matayoshi said that “Kinoboributa” inspired him to write Buta no mukui. In “Kinoboributa,” readers can feel the conflict between tradition and the economy in an era of change. Characters often think about utaki, a place that Okinawan gods or ancestors often visit. Utaki are located in hidden places. Recently, many of them have been lost or destroyed because of development.


2. Character List

Masako Tsuha 津波正子

Masako is the protagonist of the story. She is a woman who lives on a small island and who helps her father run a restaurant that serves pork. She is conflicted between preserving Okinawan customs and the problem of how to live without money. Masako sympathizes with Kamado because Kamado’s son died a few years before. Masako has a strange dream about pigs that climb trees.

Masako’s father お父さん

Masako’s father raises pigs and runs his restaurant, which is called “Tsuha Shokudō.” Ten years before, he sold some land, including a gajumaru (banyan) tree and utaki without consulting anyone. After that, he bought a bar from a woman who said she was really poor and needed help, but that was a lie. As a result, he is conflicted about Kamado’s thinking regarding customs.

Kamado カマドおばあ

Kamado is an old lady who has lived in Bolivia for thirty-seven years. She sometimes acts strangely, but Masako thinks that is because her son died a year before. Kamado is extremely devout about Okinawan customs, especially utaki. She always complains to Masako and Masako’s father about his selling the land and the banyan tree. She claims she can hear the gods’ voices, and that they say they need to keep the utaki. However, readers might suspect that Kamado is only pretending in order to cheat Masako and her father.


3. Background Information

Utaki

Okinawan people believe utaki are places where their ancestors (or gods) will come back or stay. Usually utaki are places in nature, such as a big tree, as in this story. Early in the story, Masako recalls that people slaughtered a goat under the banyan tree when she was child. This memory proves that the banyan tree was treated as an utaki, and that the goat was an offering to their ancestors. Sometimes Okinawans make offerings of meat or food to their ancestors and gods at an utaki. In the story, Masako and Kamado go to the utaki to pray. Kamado follows rituals from the past: she brings lots of food and dresses in traditional formal wear when they go to the utaki. However, Masako feels annoyed that Kamado takes a long time for the ceremony. Through these two characters, readers can see two different ways of thinking about utaki. Nowadays in Okinawa, people’s thinking about utaki is changing. Young people don’t think that utaki and traditional things are so important, so some traditioins may be lost. Interestingly, Kamado, who is an outsider, is the only one to complain about selling the land and banyan tree. Readers can see that protecting the utaki is not a priority for most of the villagers.

Okinawan economy

Akihiro Matsutaka, a professor of economics at Okinawa University, points out that in the early 1990’s, Okinawa’s economy was in a tough situation. At that time, lots of people were fired because of restructuring. After that, tourism lead to an economic recovery even though other prefectures suffered from the depression. Now, Okinawa has become one of the biggest tourist destinations in Japan. Masako’s father sold the land for development to a company, and Kamado complains about it, but what Masako’s father did will help Okinawa to develop.

Yuta

A yuta is a person who can listen to ukami’s voice and talk to them. In the past, yuta gave advice to people, such as kings, farmers, pregnant women, and so on. However, the Ryukyu government started to persecute yuta because the government felt threatened by yuta’s power. According to Hiromi Fuku, a yuta is a person who has passed through difficult various stages of training. Some people get mentally illness during training to become a yuta. A person who wants to become a yuta notices that she has the power to become a yuta first. After that, the person gets information about the future from the gods, but that information always comes to the person directly, so they also need to be trained to endure.


4. Plot Summary

Section 1 (19 -24)
Masako is standing by a banyan tree and thinking about how her grandmother prayed at the utaki located at the tree. She also remembers watching people cut the throat of a goat. People living on this island think the banyan tree has mysterious power because it is the only tree that survived World WarⅡ.

Section 2 (24-31)
This section describes Kamado and her son. Many people think Kamado became odd because Masako’s father sold the land, including the banyan tree which people viewed as an utaki. However, Masako believes that Kamado’s son is the cause of her strange behavior. One day, Kamado’s son was drunk, broke into Masako’s restaurant, and slept in the kitchen. Masako brought him back to Kamado’s house with the help of a police officer. At that time, Kamado asked, “Why did you leave him?” and behaved coldly. However, Masako also saw Kamado’s tears. This is when Masako started to sympathize with Kamado.

Section 3 (32-42)
Masako sees a phantom of Kamado’s head on the fence when she feeds the pigs. Masako decides to replace the utaki’s censer because she has an uncanny feeling. However, Masako cannot decide where she should put it, so she decides to make a new utaki. When she thinks about her grandfather, she finds a pig running in an open space. The pig catches up with another pig, and then they go back to the farm.

Section 4 (42-51)
Masako recalls the time after her mother died. Fourteen years ago, Masako’s mother died of pneumonia. Two years later, her father sold the banyan tree and the land around it to resort agents. He bought a pub with the money from the agents. He paid the extra money to the woman who managed the pub. The reason why he paid extra money is because he sympathized with the woman. She talked about her family: her husband and son were in the hospital for a long time, so she had to give up the pub. After he got the pub, Masako’s father employed a hostess to manage the bar, but he could not talk well, so he lost customers gradually. When Masako was a junior high student, he sold the bar for only 30 percent of the buying price. Just before he decided to give up managing the bar, people found out that the woman who sold the pub lied, and that her family was actually in good health.

Section 5 (51-59)
Masako gets a phone call saying that a pig is walking in someone’s field. Masako considers whether to catch the pig with her father or without, but she decides to go alone. The pig was a big one and looks exhausted. Masako tries to get the pig back to the pigsty by using a long stick. Masako and the pig arrive at the beach, and the pig plays. After that, they find Masako’s father.

Section 6 (60-68)
Masako visits Kamado’s house, where she lived until she emigrated to Bolivia, forty years before. Masako decides to move the utaki from under the banyan tree to an island she can see from Kamado’s house. They chat and suddenly, Masako asks, “Why did you let the pigs out of the pigsty?” Kamado answers, “They said they wanted to. And in Bolivia, pigs stay outside.” Masako consults about where they should move the censer. Kamado says, “Ukami like a place where people do not visit.” After they chat, Masako gives Kamado 10,000 yen.

Section 7 (68-76)
Kamado migrated to Bolivia forty years ago because her relatives were living there. At the time, she was forty-five years old, and her son was eight. Masako and Kamado meet under the banyan tree and pray for the ukami (gods). Kamado says, “I apologize that your father sold ukami’s place.” Masako gets in a fret because Kamado always talks with sarcasm.

Section 8 (76-87)
Masako has a dream. She calls her father, but he does not reply, and she cannot find anyone. She walks a long time and finally finds people around the banyan tree. They are silent, but they become noisy when Masako comes close. Masako finds a pig that starts dancing, crying, and climbing the banyan tree. Gradually, the pigs start to stand on two legs. One pig’s face changes to the face of one of Masako’s acquaintances, and she also sees the lady who sold the pub to her father, and the face of the ward chief. They are smiling, but they tell Masako to go back. She screams, but her voice dies away. She finds a pig whose face changes to Kamado’s, and thinks it is natural thing that Kamado is there. Just before she awakes from her dream, Masako sees the lady put her forehead to the ground and apologize.

Masako awakes from her dream. She sweats a lot, even though it is already evening. After a while, Kamado visits Masako, and they chat about Kamado’s past, about why Kamado speaks standard Japanese, and about what she thought after her son died. After her son’s death, Kamado could hear voices from the ocean. Masako gives pork to Kamado before she leaves.

Section 9 (88-101)
Masako and her father talk about Kamado in the kitchen. He complains, asking why they have to make an offering just for an old woman, and why they have to be criticized for selling their own land. Masako can sympathize with Kamado, so she has mixed feelings.
Masako visits Kamado’s house to ask how and where she should move the censer. Masako gives fruit, pork, and 20,000 yen to Kamado. Masako asks when she should move the censer, and Kamado answers, “On the next fortuitous day.” She says the censer should be moved to a small island which has a bridge that makes it accessible by car. Masako doubts Kamado’s plan because Kamado is not a yuta (a person who can talk to the gods). However, Masako decides to do as Kamado suggests. Before Masako leaves, Kamado says they need to bring lots of pork because the ukami (gods) love it.

Section 10 (101-116)
On the morning of the fortuitous day, Masako and her father cook pork for the ukami, and then Masako visits Kamado’s house to pick her up. First, they visit the banyan tree and Kamado tells Masako what to do in a grouchy tone of voice. After finishing the preparations, Kamado prays at the banyan tree for a long time, but Masako is worried about the time because the road to the small island will sink into the sea after high tide, so they don’t have much time.
After Kamado finishes praying, they head to the island. Kamado chooses the place to put the censer. Suddenly, Kamado says, “Why don’t you move the banyan tree here, too?” However, Masako thinks it is impossible because there is no soil and no plants, and it will cost a lot to move such a big tree. Masako suggests planting a small tree instead, and Kamado reluctantly agrees.

Section 11 (116-131)
Three days after Masako and Kamado move the censer, Masako gets a call from her father, who says, “My pigs are on fire.” When Masako arrives at the pigsty, Kamado is dancing for joy. Kamado claims she didn’t do anything, and that the fire is divine punishment for selling god’s place. Masako’s father says not to inform the police, so Masako sends everyone home. Actually, Kamado had said, “I’m going to set fire to your pigsty,” so Masako’s father suspects her. After Kamado goes home, Masako and her father bring the burned pigs to the kitchen. Masako suggests giving the pork to Kamado to get her to stop harassing them. They cannot decide what to do and just smell the burnt pig flesh.


5. Setting

“Kinoboributa” is set in 1995. On the first page, the narrator says it is the “seventh year of the Heisei period,” which is 1995. The location of the story is a remote island in Okinawa, probably Ishigaki Island. The narrator refers to a police officer by saying “the police officer from the mainland,” so this makes clear they are living on one of the remote islands. Second, Masako and Kamado choose a small island to make a new utaki. There is Kohama Island nearby Ishigaki Island. From that island, we can go to a small island which consists of coral, and people can go there by car during low tide. Masako and Kamado get to the island by driving a car. From these two reasons, the location of the story is most likely Ishigaki and Kohama Islands.


6. Point of View

This story is narrated in third person but focuses on Masako’s thinking and emotions. In the story, there are often flashbacks to her memories and events that affected her and her father’s life. Furthermore, the narrator tells about other people’s pasts, which Masako knows from gossip.

The narration focuses on Masako’s thinking, so readers cannot know things Masako does not. However, this way of narration makes the story interesting. Kamado often makes trouble for Masako and her father, but nobody knows what Kamado is thinking until the end. Masako cannot understand Kamado’s behavior, so Masako gives gifts and money to Kamado to calm her down. Readers will be annoyed by Kamado, but might also wonder at why Masako and her father are so gullible. If omniscient narration were used, readers could guess what would happen next, so the limited point of view gives the story suspense.


7. Symbolism

Banyan tree (gajumaru) ガジュマル

Banyan trees are tall and have big trunks. Okinawan people believe that banyan trees have spiritual power and that ancestors (gods) live in them. Tall banyan trees are often viewed as utaki, which are sacred places to pray for ancestors. Old men and women who experienced World WarⅡoften pray to the trees for peace, health, and happiness. Thus, the banyan tree is a symbol of peace for Okinawan people. This is why Kamado gets angry and harasses Masako and her father. Masako’s father sold the land, including the banyan tree, even though he knows Okinawan people value banyan trees. The suggestion is that his life is so hard that he is willing to betray his culture. In this way, the banyan tree in the story also reveals the gap between old people and younger generations who are less committed to the traditional beliefs.

Pork (butaniku) 豚肉

When Okinawans pray to ancestors, they often offer pork or some other Okinawan foods. Pork is a special but familiar food in Okinawa. In this story, Masako gives pork to Kamado sometimes, which suggests that Masako values Kamado as a yuta, a person who can communicate with ancestors, gods, or spirits. Masako and her father manage a restaurant that serves Okinawan pork, but she does not give food to other customers. The pork she gives to Kamado is not cooked but just salted down. From this, readers can see that Masako treats Kamado in a special way. For Masako and her father, pork is the way of getting money and making a living. In a strange dream, Masako sees a pig change it face to Kamado’s face. Perhaps the dream reveals that Masako subconsciously suspects that Kamado is being greedy—like a pig.

Before 1879, Okinawa was the Ryukyu Kingdom and had a trade relationship with China for about 500 years. They traded food and culture, so now Okinawa has some features that are similar to China. When delegations from China came to the Ryukyus, the Ryukyuan people treated them as guests, so they provided pork for them. Initially, pork was a delicacy reserved for the higher classes, but the Ryukyuan government allowed ordinary people to raise pigs to increase the food supply. This is why Okinawan people love and treat pork in a special way.

Voices of the gods (Ukami no koe) ウカミの声

Okinawan people strongly believe the advice that yuta get from the gods. Kamado pays money to yuta to get some advice to cure her son’s illness. And sometimes Kamado says she can hear the voices of the gods even though she doesn’t want to, and she says that the ukami has difficult orders for Masako. Kamado always says “for ukami,” but that is too abstract to believe. The voice and advice from the gods can only be heard by a small number of people. In the story, Kamado’s orders are pushy and outrageous, but she always justifies the orders by saying that they are what “ukami says.” Furthermore, because of the voices, Masako and her father get harassed, so they give gifts and money to Kamado to avoid the wrath of the gods. Readers might suspect that Kamado abuses her skills and Masako’s kindness.

Masako’s Dream

Masako has a dream at the middle of story (76-80). In the dream, Masako notices that pigs are gone from her pigsty. She walks for a long time, and discovers the villagers assembled around the banyan tree. They make noise, and gradually, Masako notices that pigs are dancing, crying, and climbing the banyan tree. In her vision, people’s faces change to pig faces and then return to human faces. The pigs start to say, “Go back, go back,” and Masako knows that Kamado is there.

From this dream, readers can know that Masako thinks that people around her are like pigs begging for food. Furthermore, her knowing that Kamado is there, means she suspects Kamado is ordering money and meat repeatedly—just like a greedy pig. Masako helps and gives gifts to Kamado. However, she subconsciously suspects that Kamado is like a greedy pig that wouldn’t be satisfied no matter how much she gets.


8. Themes

Conflict between Preserving Culture and Making Money

Okinawans suffered from extreme poverty after World WarⅡ. Masako’s father tries to survive at that time by selling his land. After doing so, he faces three kinds of pressures, which raise questions about the conflict between preserving culture and making money.

The first one is family pressure. Masako’s father runs his restaurant and raises pigs by himself. He has to work hard to make money for Masako because her mother died, and he is a single parent. Masako’s father feels pressure about having to bring Masako up by himself. This is one of the reasons he sells the land.

The second pressure is economic pressure. After World WarⅡ, most Okinawan people were poor, and that poverty lasted for a long time. People tried to make money by working on the Japanese mainland or selling land to resort companies. Masako’s father is in the same situation, but his land includes utaki by chance. He has tried to make a living by running a restaurant; however, it is hard to make a living in that way. Then he decides to make money by selling the land and managing a bar to make more money. Masako’s father maintains that he did the right thing: he puts his family and making a living before tradition because of economic pressure.

The last one is social pressure. Masako’s father sells the land to a development company because it had a plan to make a BBQ space around the banyan tree. At that time, Okinawans had a sense of inferiority toward people from mainland Japan. After he sells the land, Kamado harasses him about his decision. As a result, he feels invisible pressure from others, too. Thus, Masako’s father feels social pressure from the resort company, Kamado, and from people who remain onlookers. To summarize, Masako’s father is exhausted because of these three pressures.

Culture and Gender Roles

In Okinawa, the roles people play in following various customs tend to divide by gender. For this reason, boys tend to learn about traditional rituals from their fathers, and girls usually learn from their mothers. “Kinoboributa” considers how culture is passed down to younger generations.

First, work is often determined by gender. In “Kinoboributa,” we can see that Masako and her father do separate work. Masako’s father is mainly in charge of breeding pigs, while Masako mainly cooks dishes for customers. Masako says, “Dad, you cook food for pigs, and I cook food for humans.” (47) Masako’s father feeds his pigs from the leftovers from customer’s dishes, which he simmers in the kitchen of his restaurant. At the same time, Masako rewarms nakami-jiru (soup of pig’s guts) next to him. Readers can see how the gender roles are clear: the man does the dirty work that should be done outside, while the woman does housework.

Second, women usually learn about tradition from their mothers. However, Masako learns traditional ugan (praying) from Kamado. Masako’s mother died when she was small, so nobody taught her how to do traditional things like ugan. Because of this situation, Masako has many questions for Kamado when they try to move the utaki to a small island. Kamado is amazed that Masako asks about basic things she should already know. However, Kamado kindly tries to teach Masako how to follow traditional rituals. This might also explain why Masako allows Kamado to take advantage of her.

Third, Masako and Kamado’s relationship is like a counselor and a person with a problem. Masako starts to give pork and some money to Kamado. These gifts have two meanings: one is to stop Kamado’s harassment; the other is as an expression of gratitude. Masako learns a lot of traditions from Kamado, so she pays money to the old lady who has spiritual power. This relationship shows how people who do not know about traditional rituals have to believe the person who has spiritual power—even if he or she lies. In other words, Masako is vulnerable to being taken advantage of.

To summarize, Masako and her father show how Okinawan families divide work based on gender. Masako did not have a mother to teach her about traditions, so Kamado teaches her.


9. Criticism

In “Tochi no kagayaki, rei no chikara” [The Light of the Land, the Power of the Soul], Matayoshi Eiki and Ikezawa Natsuki talk about Matayoshi’s early works. Matayoshi argues that Okinawan people tend to express their emotions through action rather than talk. Takara Ben points out that “Kinoboributa” is not as well written as Buta no mukui but that it shows Matayoshi’s potential and energy.

Ikezawa focuses on the use of Okinawan dialect. According to Ikezawa, when Okinawan people use dialect, Japanese readers will feel different or impressed. Usually, Kamado talks to Masako in standard Japanese, but she talks to ukami with Okinawan dialect. At the end of the story, Kamado uses lots of dialect words. In addition, Kamado often uses sentences with unique Okinawan features.

Matayoshi and Ikezawa also talk about how Okinawan people tend to express themselves through actions. According to them, Kamado’s behavior is typically Okinawan. Kamado runs Masako’s father’s pigs away. She does not consent to Masako’s father’s selling the land, so she starts to harass Masako and her father. In other words, Kamado expresses her thinking and emotions through action. Kamado is a person of few words, and her temper is typical of Okinawan women. Japanese women tend to be quiet, but Okinawan women have a temper and the ability to take action.

On the other hand, Hitoshi Hamagawa criticizes Kamado for acting crazy. According to him, “In fact, Tree Climbing Pigs, in which Matayoshi doesn’t employ such technical devices, ends in the dark episode of arson by crazy Kamado, predicting a disastrous breakup of the entire community” (79). In the story, Kamado maintains that she can hear the voice of the ukami, and in the middle of story, Masako accepts Kamado’s unreasonable claims. At the end of the story, Kamado sets fire to Masako’s father’s pigsty, but she claims that was a curse. Most readers, however, will recognize that Kamado is completely out of control.


10. Discussion Questions

1. Why did Matayoshi name this story “Kinoboributa”? What role do pigs and pork play in the story?

2. Describe Kamado’s relationship with her son? What is the significance of the scene when her son gets drunk and appears at the restaurant?

3. What is the significance of Masako’s dream about tree-climbing pigs?

4. Why does Makako’s father eat nakami-jiru after his pigs died?

5. What is the meaning of the phantom of Kamado’s severed head that Masako sees?

6. Why didn’t Masako’s father sue Kamado? In other words, why does he passively accept Kamado’s aggressive actions?

7. Why did Masako choose the small island for a new utaki? How did Kamado feel about the choice?

8. Why did Kamado dance the kachāshī when Masako’s father’s pigs died?

9. Did Kamado deceive Masako and her father? Or could she really listen and talk to ukami? Is she sincere about being upset about the land being sold, or is she simply taking advantage of this opportunity? What evidence is there for each interpretation?

10. What does the story suggest about the conflict between modern development and traditional beliefs? How can the conflict be resolved?

11. Isn’t it ironic that Kamado, an outsider, presumes to insist on how the village’s traditions are preserved? Is Kamado a valid representative of the village or is she merely an impostor? Give evidence for your view.

12. Compare and contrast “Kinoboributa” and Buta no mukui. How can a reading of each story deepen our understanding of the other? Which story is better and why?


11. Works Cited

Fuku, Hiromi. Yutagami tanjō [The Birth of Yutagami]. Kagoshima: Nanpōshinsho. 2013. Print.

Hamagawa, Hitoshi. “Eiki Matayoshi’s Pig’s Revenge: The Dismemberment of a Community.” Okinawa Christian University Review. 31 Jan 2006. 69-81.

Ikezawa, Natasuki and Matayoshi, Eiki. Tochi no kagayaki rei no chikara.

Matayoshi, Eiki. Buta no mukui. Bungeishunjun, 1996.

---. “Kinoboributa.” Kinoboributa. Culture Shupan, 1996. 19-131.

---. “‘Kinoboributa’ o kataru.” Kinoboributa. Culture shupan, 1996. 136-67.

Matsukawa, Akihiro. 90 nendai no Okinawa kankou ni kansuru kōsatsu. Okinawa University, 1999.

Sminkey, Takuma. Reading Okinawa. 2018. Web. 15 Apr 2018.

Sumiko, Kinjō. “Ryukyu no syoukuseikatsu to Bunka [The diet and cultureof Ryukyu].” Ryuky Bunkaken toha Nanika [What is the Ryukyu cultural area.] Tokyo: Fujiwara shoten. 2006. Print.

Takara, Ben. “Kinobori buta.” Okinawa bungei nenkan. 30 Dec. 1996: 200-201. Print.

Tomoyose, Ryūsei. Naze yuta o shinjiru ka [Why do people believe in yuta?] Okinawa: Gekkan Okinawasha.1981. Print.

Original report by Tomonari Tengan. Edited and revised by Kasumi Sminkey.