A poem by Governor Denny Tamaki, composed under the pen name Uryo Tamashiro, was chosen for the Okinawa City Ryuka Grand Prize. (20fe24)

Splendor of Okinawa: Coleus, roadside Uruma, 13 fe24


The selection meeting for the Third Okinawa City Ryuka (Ryukyuan poetry style) Grand Prize (sponsored by the Okinawa City Cultural Association, backed by the Ryukyu Shimpo Co.) was held recently. A poem by Uryo Tamashiro (64) of Okinawa City was selected for the grand prize. For this prize, ryuka poems were publicly solicited on the theme of ‘hibiscus’, the Okinawa City Flower.


Mr. Tamashiro’s poem reads in English: “A single red hibiscus that my honored father planted in the garden still blooms, charged with his grace.” (Ryukyuan):

Tada hitochi sachoru

Na- nu akabana wo

Mi usa mutasanaya

Gu un kumiti


Mr. Tamashiro is actually the pen name of Denny Tamaki, employed as our Okinawa Prefecture Governor. Last year as well, he offered a poem for the Okinawa City Ryuka Grand Prize, but only received an honorable mention award.


Governor Tamaki explained his poem thus, “Last year my father-in-law died at 98 years of age. He was an honest cultivated man, loved by all. In his funeral procession, I composed the poem  in my thoughts of gratitude. I wrote of the memories brought forth by the single splendid  red hibiscus, which had blossomed alone in his garden and we had placed in his coffin. On receipt of the grand prize, the governor commented, “Ryuka is splendid for composing thoughts of people important to me. I want to announce my acceptance of this award to my father-in-law.”


Ryuka is a poem of set form passed from ancient times through tradition in Okinawa. Waka (a traditional Japanese poetry form) follows the syllable per line pattern of ‘5,7,5,7,7’. In contrast, ryuka are characteristically composed in the basic syllable per line pattern of ‘8,8,8,6’.


 

Original Japanese article: Yomiuri Shimbun, published Monday 19 February 2024 at 11:12.   https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/8e6f5fcaf83f28fe6fe3a0571c16ac355149e69b


Denny in the News: news about Governor Denny Tamaki.


Denny Tamaki is the governor of Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. Although Okinawa is important as an international tourist destination and a key element in strategic US Military Forces, its governor receives very little coverage in the Japanese press and almost none in the English language media. 


This blog hopes to  translate one news article a day on the governor.  It is unsponsored and unauthorized. The translator simply hopes to improve his skills and perhaps give the governor an English speaking audience. 


Any suggestion on improving my translation will be gratefully accepted. However, please leave political comments for another forum.


Where they occur, words and phrases in Ryukyuan (the Okinawan language) are rendered in italics and translated in parentheses. Names  whose readings are uncertain are rendered as Name (=Kanji?) as in Nagayuki (=長行?). Any corrections in such instances would be gratefully appreciated.

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