Martial Arts Institute

Oh boy...Giddy with excitement!

Our yearly community service project brought us to Viles Arboretum in Augusta. Community serving community.

A good version of the origin story of the Shisa which are so prevalent on Okinawa.

TOMORROW IS SHISA DAY!

April 3 is the “Day of Shisa” in Okinawa as four (April) is “shi” and three is “san” in Japanese. The day was established in 2002 to promote Shisa made in the Tsuboya district of Naha, the home of Okinawa’s pottery industry.

Shisa are considered to be guardian lions of Okinawa. These stone lions are usually made in pairs, one male (mouth open) and one female (mouth closed), and are placed outside of home or buildings or up on the roof or other high points.

LEGEND OF THE SHISA (One Version)

There was a village in Okinawa that was constantly being terrorized by an angry Sea Dragon. The King of Okinawa lent the village a small stone statue of a Shisa (lion) and told the villagers to place the Shisa between the sea and the village.

When the Sea Dragon approached the village, the small statue transformed into a large Shisa Lion that fiercely charged at the Sea Dragon, scaring it off!

The villagers were ecstatic but worried about what to do the following year when the dragon would return. The small stone statue was needed to guard the castle of the King. The villagers created a costume in the image of the Shisa that had successfully protected their village.

When the Sea Dragon returned, two of the strongest martial artists put on the costume (called Shishi) and fiercely charged at the Sea Dragon. They danced and shook its mane and scared the monster away.

Every year, the Sea Dragon tried to terrorize the village but every year the village Shisa danced and drove the monster away. Other villages made their own protector lions and the Shisa came to be known as the guardian of Okinawa.

Thus, the Shishimai or Okinawan Lion Dance, is performed every year to drive away evil spirits and misfortune!

**This is a shortened version of the Legend of the Shisa performed by storyteller Alton Takiyama-Chung. Folktales often reflect culture and explain ceremonies and meanings. I love how this version explains how Shisa became the guardians of Okinawa. It is also a lovely tale of how of the Shisa costume (Shishi) and the Okinawan Lion Dance (Shishimai) came to be.

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