Hybrid presentation: Manjirō’s short time in Okinawa before changing Japanese history

On December 9th (Saturday), 11 a.m. - 12 p.m., the Okinawa Association of America (OAA) in Gardena will welcome a special guest presenter from Okinawa, Yoshimasa Kamiya. This event will be hybrid, taking place in person at the OAA Center’s Yamauchi Building and online via Zoom. The presentation will be in English. RSVP is requested: tinyurl.com/oaa-manjiro-23 or (310) 532-1929 (please leave a message).

“John” Manjirō Nakahama is an important figure in Japanese history whose unintended voyage to the United States played a role in Feudal Japan opening up to the world. While much can be learned about Manjirō, his experiences in the U.S., and his contributions to the Japanese government, December 9th’s presentation will focus on his short time in the Satsuma Clan-occupied Ryūkyū Kingdom.

While Satsuma Clan samurai treated Manjirō and crew as criminals, the Ryūkyūan people showed immeasurable kindness and hospitality. A bilingual storybook inspired by this experience, “John Manjirō in the Ryūkyū Kingdom,” was published in 2001 by Kamiya and renowned Okinawan artist Hiroshi Gima.

Yoshimasa Kamiya is a retired Itoman City official who has done extensive research on John Manjirō. His next book, "John Manjirō: Landing in Ryūkyū Kingdom," was released in 2021. Published by the Ryūkyū Shimpō newspaper, it summarizes 30 years of research. He translated the book into English and published that version in time for the 7th Worldwide Uchinaanchu Taikai/Festival in 2022, with the goal of introducing Manjirō’s way of life to the world.

He first connected with the OAA in 2003 to introduce his and Gima’s storybook. Ten years have passed and the OAA is excited to welcome him back!

The OAA Center is located at 16500 S. Western Ave., Gardena 90247. The parking lot is accessible behind the Western Avenue buildings off 165th Place. The event will be hosted in the Yamauchi Building, located on the south side of the lot. For online participants, the Zoom link will be emailed on the day of.

Awarded as one of 2023’s California Nonprofits of the Year, the Okinawa Association of America, Inc. (OAA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to promote Okinawan culture and to contribute to local and international cultural exchanges. It was formed by Okinawan immigrants 114 years ago and has since grown into a multigenerational organization that provides cultural, educational, and social programs for its members and the larger community. Although the OAA has changed its name, structure and mission to reflect the changing times, the basic goals of yuimaaru/yiimaaru (mutual aid) and retention of Okinawan identity have remained the same.

For more information about the OAA and its activities, please visit oaamensore.org or follow @oaamensore on Facebook/Instagram. To make a tax-deductible donation, please contact the OAA office at (310) 532-1929 (leave a message) or oaamensore@gmail.com.