Living Spirit

📖 The Scoop

Living Spirit presents extraordinary writing from Japan’s southernmost prefecture—ancient lyrics to contemporary fiction, drama, and poetry—most never before translated into English and collected in a single volume.

The Ryukyu Archipelago comprises hundreds of islands, the largest being Okinawa, and for centuries was ruled by the Ryukyu Kingdom. This independent, peaceful, and highly cosmopolitan society lost its sovereignty in the seventeenth century, when it was invaded by a Japanese clan, and again in the nineteenth, when it was annexed by Japan. In 1945, the fiercest battle of World War II was fought on Okinawan soil. After the war, the islands were governed by the U.S. military until their reversion to Japan in 1972.

Throughout this difficult history, the Okinawan spirit has remained strong, and today it is more vibrant and dynamic than ever. Celebrating the cultural resurgence that began in the 1960s, Living Spirit presents acclaimed contemporary fiction and poetry, as well as drama, song, and essay. Also included are Higa Yasuo’s remarkable photographs capturing the timeless world of the islands’ maternal deities.

30 illus.

Genre: Literary Criticism / Asian / Japanese (fancy, right?)