Memoirs of a Declining Ryukyuan Woman (400-408)
Kushi Fusako what is a native of the island of Okinawa Japan. I was very excited when I was reading her short biography, as I lived in Okinawa for three years. Some of the happiest times of my life and I am so happy that an author from the little island I love so dear is recognized in such a widespread anthology. I actually studied Okinawa history quite in depth ( I would like to be a historian at some point in my life) and spoke with elders on the island (they had one of the oldest population in the world of people living that are over 100 years old, google it.). So I am well educated on the subject. I dare say I know more about Okinawa history and culture than I do about California, and I’ve lived here for a total of 22 years compared to my 3 abroad.
It was quite heartbreaking to read that due to the criticism she received on her work that she was so proud of, she “... renounced writing. She avoided the public eye from then on, and a little is known of her later life. “ (400).
The anthology politely states that the kingdom of Okinawa “came under partial domination of Japan; in the 1870s The Japanese state formally annexed the islands as a prefecture.” However this history omits the near genocide of the Okinawan people and the harsh living conditions imposed on them by their new rulers which continued well into WWII (400). The assimilation programs mentioned included public execution for anyone caught speaking the Okinawa dialect. Children of Okinawan descent were made to wear wood planks indicating their blood impurity as to be easily identified by Japanese officials and teachers to ensure beatings should they speak their Home language. To further put Okinawa into perspective, imagine California taking over Hawaii and forcing them to abandon their language and rituals. That is essentially what happened (How America as a whole took Hawaii is actually a very good comparison itself but with more abuse of power on the Japanese end).
Kushi Fusako Used elements of nature to Petray very slow the motion. She used the sunshine, but not always in such a way that showed happiness as one would think, “… A loneliness that echoes in our hearts like the sound of the sunshine. “ (402)
“ The last fading rays of sun et that hovered over the layers of buildings seem to reflect the gloom in my heart. “ (403).
She compares the need of dialect of the narrator to American jazz “Such music was probably born of the smoldering emotions in a people oppressed for hundreds of years. Yet I loved this scenery at sunset in urine for something in myself to compare with its declining beauty.” (407)
Kushi Fusako , In her defense of her tale, writes about two men from “the Okinawa Student Association” demanded an apology for her embarrassing their culture. She uses wonderful insight and impeccable logical reasoning to defend her work as stood and not falter in her avid defense. She used a feminist stand against these two men by pointing out their hurt pride and their feeling of lacking superiority when their masculinity was challenged by a short story written by an uneducated woman. She writes
“I do apologize for their hurt feelings. I can well imagine how angry they are at me, an Okinawan woman with no higher education. It is the rule in Okinawa that only men with power are supposed to express their opinions, while people without power and formal education have no alternative but to follow behind without power and formal education have no alternative but to follow behind without them. As long as those with power control us, we who are powerless have no hope of salvation. “ (408).
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