Tomigusuku Hārī

Overview

The Tomigusuku Hari is a dragon-boat race handed down in Tomigusuku City, Okinawa Prefecture, using haryusen, boats shaped like dragons. The Okinawan tradition known as hari has been performed across the islands as a prayer for safe voyages and bountiful catches. Amid the sound of gongs and the spirited cries of the rowers, the sight of boats slicing across the water lends fiery color to Okinawa from early summer into the height of summer. Tomigusuku, together with Naha, is regarded as one of the birthplaces of Okinawan hari, and its name is inscribed even in the historical chronicles of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Far from a mere competition, the Tomigusuku Hari is a festival of the sea that distills the prayers and daily life of people who have lived alongside the ocean. Carrying the pride of a birthplace of hari, it survives today in two forms: the Tomigusuku Hari Origin Festival, which preserves the ancient sacred rite, and the Tomigusuku Hari Tournament, a modern racing event. Both are cherished and maintained by the hands of the local community.

History & Origins

Several traditions account for the origins of Okinawan hari. One holds that it was introduced by the Bin-jin sanjuroku-sei, thirty-six families from Fujian in Ming China; another that the tribute envoy Nagahama Taifu learned of dragon boats in Nanjing and brought the practice home; and a third that Wang Oso, king of the southern Ryukyu polity, transmitted it after studying in China. None can be asserted as definitive, but Tomigusuku is the land most deeply tied to the Wang Oso tradition.

Wang Oso was a king of the Sanzan (Sannan) kingdom of southern Okinawa, said to have reigned from 1402 to 1413. According to tradition he studied in the Ming capital of Nanjing and, upon his return, built Tomigusuku Castle. The Ryukyu chronicle Kyuyo, compiled in 1745, records that around the year 1400 Wang Oso floated hari boats modeled on the dragon boats he had seen in China upon Lake Manko and held a race, in which the three villages of Naha, Tomari, and Kume each built a boat and competed. This is regarded as the beginning of Okinawan hari. For a people whose lives depended on the sea and on maritime trade, the ocean was both a source of blessing and a source of danger, and the hari carried the deep meaning of a rite praying for safe voyages and abundant catches.

The chronicles Ryukyu-koku Yuraiki and Ryukyu-koku Nikki further record that during the race the hari boats were rowed to a small floating islet called Chiya, and that worshippers offered prayers for yugafu, an abundant harvest, at the Tomise-utaki, a sacred site within Tomigusuku. The utaki is a holy place where deities are believed to dwell, and its role here shows that the Tomigusuku Hari was, before it was ever a contest, an act of prayer. That the Tomise-utaki is held to be the stage of the festival's origin is the very basis for calling this land the birthplace of hari.

These rites lapsed for a time after the abolition of the domains and establishment of prefectures, but in 2003 (Heisei 15) they were revived as the Tomigusuku Hari Origin Festival, and since then the rite of worship has been performed each year at the Tomise-utaki. In addition, from 2008 (Heisei 20) a racing event, the Tomigusuku Hari Tournament, was launched under the sponsorship of the Tomigusuku Dragon Boat Association. Thus the present form took shape, in which the traditional rite and the modern, sporting race coexist, each with its own role.

Highlights

The powerful dragon-boat race The greatest highlight is the race of the dragon-shaped haryusen boats themselves. Crews of many rowers board the vibrantly decorated boats and, in unison with the sound of gongs and their own cries, drive their oars all at once, racing across the water at tremendous speed. The sight of several boats lined up abreast and competing fiercely sets spectators' hearts pounding.

The strength of a community in unison To propel a boat swiftly requires not only individual power but the perfect unity of every rower's breath. In the figures of the crews matching their strokes without the slightest deviation, one senses the solidarity and pride of a community that has lived with the sea. Within a contest of speed, the very bonds of the community are put to the test, and this is the deeper appeal of the event.

The venerable status of a birthplace The Tomigusuku Hari bears a weight unlike other regional hari, carrying origins such as the Wang Oso tradition and the sacred rite at the Tomise-utaki. Visitors can do more than watch a race; they can reflect on the history reaching back to the Ryukyu Kingdom that lies behind it, a savor unique to hari in this land.

The sacred rite of the Origin Festival At the Tomigusuku Hari Origin Festival, a rite of worship is held at the Tomise-utaki, either preceding or accompanying the race. In contrast to the vivid spectacle of the competition, this quiet and solemn scene of prayer is a precious highlight that conveys the religious character hari originally possessed.

The heat that fills the shore The strong sunlight and heat of early summer into full summer, the gongs ringing along the shore, and the cries of the rowers weave a scene that, once experienced, is hard to forget. The very atmosphere of the venue, where spectators and participants become one, is a great part of its charm.

A shared festival of the whole community Beyond the race, the event is strongly a place where local people gather to share both prayer and celebration. That residents continue to take part as bearers of a tradition handed down across generations reveals the living vitality of Okinawa's festivals.

Access & Information

• Location: Tomigusuku City, Okinawa Prefecture (southern part of the main island of Okinawa, adjoining Naha City to the south)
• Origin Festival (rite): The Tomigusuku Hari Origin Festival was revived in 2003 (Heisei 15). It is held around May each year, centered on the rite of worship at the Tomise-utaki.
• Hari Tournament (race): The Tomigusuku Hari Tournament began in 2008 (Heisei 20). Sponsored by the Tomigusuku Dragon Boat Association, in recent years it has been held from mid-July into early August in the waters around Toyosaki Chura-SUN Beach.
• Traditional timing: Okinawan hari is traditionally held around the fourth day of the fifth lunar month (Yukkanuhi), which falls in the early-summer-to-summer period of the modern calendar.
• Access: Because the city adjoins Naha, it is easily reached by car from the Naha area. As a seaside event, weather and tide conditions bear on the proceedings.
• Note: Exact dates, venues, and programs are announced each year by the organizers, so those wishing to attend are advised to confirm in advance.

Around the Area

Tomigusuku City lies in the south of the main island of Okinawa, with attractions dotted along its seaside setting. The city has large commercial facilities and spots for enjoying coastal scenery, allowing visitors to combine watching the hari with sightseeing in the south. The area around the tournament venue, with its beaches and leisure facilities, is comfortable even for families.

Neighboring Naha City is close, making it easy to extend a trip to historic sites associated with the Ryukyu Kingdom, such as Shurijo Castle, and to bustling areas like Kokusai Street. Given that the origin traditions of the hari are rooted in the history of the Ryukyu Kingdom, combining a tour of kingdom-era sites with watching the race makes for a deep experience unique to this region.

Heading farther south, one can also visit sites distinctive to southern Okinawa, such as the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman City, which conveys the history of the Battle of Okinawa. Centered on the sea event of hari, the area lets visitors touch the many layers of Okinawa's past, from the Ryukyu Kingdom to the memory of the war.

Related Information

• Timing: The Origin Festival is held around May (rite); the Hari Tournament around July to August (race).
• Location: Tomigusuku City, Okinawa Prefecture (southern Okinawa main island)
• Origin tradition: The tradition that King Wang Oso transmitted the practice around 1400 (recorded in the Kyuyo and other chronicles). Other accounts credit the thirty-six Fujian families or the envoy Nagahama Taifu.
• Sacred site of origin: The Tomise-utaki, together with the islet of Chiya, is held to be the stage of the sacred rite.
• Organizer: The Tomigusuku Hari Tournament is sponsored by the Tomigusuku Dragon Boat Association (since 2008).
• Related events: The Itoman Haree and Naha Hari, among other hari (dragon-boat races) across Okinawa, all share the character of a sea rite praying for safe voyages and good catches.

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