Creative dance school from Okinawa to premiere traditional-style dance story, Jan 31, 2010
A scene from Gods beyond the Sea: King Shotoku, right, and his lover Kunikasa, diviner. (Courtesy of Tamagusuku-ryu-Senjukai)
A scene from Gods beyond the Sea. (courtesy of Tamagusuku-ryu-Senjukai)
Renowned Okinawan traditional dance school Tamagusuku-ryu-Senjukai of Okinawa will present its world premiere of “Umi no Tinzaai” (Gods beyond the Sea) in a “Ryukyu Performing Arts Today” program at the Marsee Auditorium of El Camino College in Torrance on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at 2 p.m.
Tamagusuku-ryu-Senjukai, one of the major dance schools in Okinawa, is led by co-grandmasters Mme. Yoshiko Tanita and Mme. Mieko Kinjo and has 300 members. Senjukai was organized in 1976 in Okinawa, then the school branched out to Nagoya, Hawaii and Brazil. Mme. Tanita and Mme. Kinjo are sisters.
Marsee’s performance will be their debut performance on the U.S. mainland and will feature the traditional Kumiodori style dance story Umi no tenzakai (Gods Beyond the Sea) with 30 dancers and 10 stage staff including musicians from Okinawa.
Umi no Tinzaai was originally written by Akutagawa-award-writer Tatsuhiro Oshiro. The dance version is directed by Ryoshu Kouki, artistic director of the National Theater of Okinawa, and choreographed by Mme. Yoshiko Tanita. The dance story depicts the life of King Shotoku in the 15th century who falls in love with a female diviner at a remote island and is eventually betrayed and killed by his courtier.
Senjukai is known as the creative repertoire of co-headmasters Mme. Tanita and Mme. Kinjo, who were certified in July of this year as holders of the National Important Intangible Culture Property for Ryukyu Dance by the Japanese government’s Agency of Cultural Affairs.
“Ryukyu Performing Arts Today” will run over two hours including Umi no tenzakai (50 minutes). Marsee Auditorium is located on the campus of El Camino College, 16007 Crenshaw Blvd., Torrance, CA 90506.
The program will be held on Sunday, January 31, at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door. For tickets, call Senjukai LA Office at (310) 595-5576, Okinawa Association of America at (310) 532-1929, Uyehara Travel at (213) 680-2499, Katsuko Teruya Sokyku Kenkyukai at (626) 487-2467, and Kiku Beauty Salon at (714) 995-4363, and go to www.AsianFoodGrocer.com and www.allamerican-tkt.com
The Senjukai program is planned as the Centennial Commemorative Event of the Okinawa Association of America in Gardena with a help of Newfield Television Broadcasting, and is sponsored by the Japanese government’s Agency of Cultural Affairs.
The Senjukai program is also supported by the Okinawa Prefecture government, the City of Naha, Okinawa Prefecture Educational Board, Ryukyu Shimpo newspaper, Okina wa Television, NHK Okinawa Station, and the Okinawa Prefecture Culture Promotion Association.
Synopsis
Dance story, “Umi no Tinzakai” (Gods Beyond the Sea)
Written by Tatsuhiro Oshiro, Directed by Ryoshu Kouki
Off the east coast of Okinawa Island in the Ryukyus lies Kudaka Island. It is believed to be the birthplace of Okinawans and has been a sacred place since the days of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Kunikasa, a female diviner, lived on Kudaka Island in the mid-15th century Ryukyu Kingdom.
King Shotoku, a handsome young king, set sail one year after receiving inspiration from the gods. He was shipwrecked and washed up on the beach of Kudaka Island. There he fell in love with Kunikasa.
At Shuiri Castle, Shotoku was known as a king of strong character. The king becomes a target to destroy in order to start a revolution in the court. Kanamaru, intending to usurp the throne and be a king, has Asato, the diviner, locate Shotoku.
Knowing that the king has settled on Kudaka, Kanamaru dispatches Asato to the island to report on the situation. Arriving on the island, Asato asks Kunikasa to return Shotoku to Shuiri Castle. Kunikasa rejects his request.
Asato declares the feminine shaman is out of date and promises to challenge Kunikasa’s feminine divining power later. Asato, the male diviner, leaves the island, promising to return to compete with Kunikasa.
On a ship in the bay of Kikai Island, King Shotoku prepares to conquer the island. Kikai Island lies north of the Ryukyus. Shotoku decides to conquer Kikai saying the islanders neglected to pay taxes. Kunikasa and Asato join the expedition as counselors.
The king asks the two diviners, Kunikasa and Asato, to propose attack strategies. King Shotoku and Asato have sharply divided strategies for attacking Kikai. Asato proposes they use arrows and bullets and then burn down the entire island. Kunikasa calls Asato’s strategy a brutal one that would incur strong hostility from the Kikai people and endanger the kingdom's future.
Kunikasa’s strategy is a female diviner’s one. Shotoku adopts Kunikasa’s strategy and rejects Asato's. Asato then develops a grudge against Kunikasa as a result of the defeat of his idea.
Back in Shuiri Castle, Kanamaru seizes power in a coup and kills King Shotoku. The Kudaka islanders are not aware of the political change.
To get revenge against Kunikasa for his embarrassment, Asato goes to Kudaka Island and inflames jealousy against Kunikasa among female shamans serving at the sacred site.
He then induces Kunikasa to cross the “Seven Sacred Bridges” to test her faithfulness to Shotoku. Out of sight, Asato yells loudly that Shotoku is dead, which causes Kunikasa to faint.
News that Kanamaru has murdered King Shotoku spreads quickly throughout Kudaka Island and saddens the islanders. Awakened to the truth, the sacred women drive Asato off the island.
Shotoku, now appearing as a ghost, leaves with Kunikasa for the paradise beyond the sea.
My thought about “Umi no Tinzaai” (Gods beyond the Sea)
By Tatsuhiro Oshiro, Playwright of “Umi no tenzakai”
The sacred site of Kudaka Island is empty, denuded of decoration and endlessly filled with "something." So said Taro Okamoto, the renowned Japanese painter. I imagine this invisible “something” that fills the empty space is love.
I think King Shotoku was driven from the throne in the 15th century Ryukyu Kingdom not because his integrity as king wasn't strong, but because the gods conspired to let him meet his true love. I suppose this is the reason we still hear the story of love between Shotoku and Kunikasa.
In “Umi no tenzakai," I wanted to write about how the history of Okinawa reflects the female culture process, where the supreme element of irrational and selfless love is gradually dismantled by the male culture, where rationality is the ultimate virtue.
I witnessed the Izaiho ritual of Kudaka Island many years ago. Soon after, the ritual was discontinued, but I believe the people’s religious spirit has not died. The chant, Eefai, Eefai, still lives in my ears, and as long as I keep hearing those voices, the praying heart of Kudaka will not die away. Those voices encouraged me to write this play.
I trust this recital will revive the religious spirit of Kudaka on stage. I would like to see my play ascend the “Slope of Love” with Yoshiko Tanita's dance, “Mutu hanafu," a dance that graphically depicts love just as Shotoku went up the “Slope of the Sea” enticed by Kunikasa’s love in the old days.