Hawaii Okinawans participate in annual Tug-of-War Festival

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A huge battle between East and West recently took place in the streets of Okinawa to mark a couple of anniversaries there with ties to Hawaii.

Each year, two huge ropes, one from the east and one from the west, are joined as one.

As thousands gather in Okinawa’s capital city for the annual Naha Great Tug of War Festival, Okinawans from Hawaii were also present to participate or observe this spectacular event.

“I think everyone is amazed at the size of the event not just the size of the rope and the amount of people that participated and come out for and observe the event but also the coordination it takes to put this on,” said Colin Sewake, a Hawaii native who now lives in Okinawa.

After a few cultural demonstrations, the two ropes are finally joined together.

What follows are two actors dressed in traditional battle wear take on each other on the actual tug of war ropes.

“What you saw was east and west actors dressed in Ryukyu wear going up on the giant tug of war rope and they’re acting and depicting the rivalry between the east and the west side Ryukyu kings,” Sewake said.

Once that is done, the actors point to the sky where a huge ball opens up, confetti falls, and two banners unfurl, one marking the 125th anniversary of Okinawans immigrating to Hawaii.

“What you see on the other side of the banner, you saw the number 40, which represents the 40th anniversary of sister state relations between Hawaii and Okinawa,” he says.

And then, the epic Tug of War Battle begins. Thousands immediately choose sides, pulling, grunting, and cheering. At first, there is little movement, but after a few minutes, it is clear. The east wins over the west.

“We chose the east and we won. I was able to on top of the tug of war rope and dance and do kasashi, we were all doing kasashi, it was just amazing,” said Frances Nakachi Kuba, president of the Hawaii United Okinawa Association.

Once the tug of war was over, the rope was cut up, and everyone was able to get a piece to take as a souvenir of this epic battle.