Current Activities
The Institute for Okinawan Studies engages in comprehensive research on Ryukyu and Okinawa and conducts the following activities as a research institute open to society.
Publication of publications
Bulletin "Okinawa Bunka Kenkyu" (research papers on Okinawa and Amami region), "Ryukyu no Dialect" (papers on research on dialects of Okinawa and Amami region and linguistic data collected through surveys), "Okinawa Kenkyu Shiryo" (reprints of materials mainly from the Institute's collection and typesetting of basic materials such as commentaries), "OCI Shiryo" (journal of the Institute and its staff), "OBCA" (journal of the Institute and its staff), and "OCI Shiryo" (journal of the Institute). The Okinawa Institute of Culture Studies Bulletin (contains introductions to the research of the Institute's staff and researchers, book reviews, and a list of newspaper articles related to Okinawa studies)
Holding related lectures, symposiums, etc.
Comprehensive course "Thinking about Okinawa" (for current Hosei University students and general audiences)
Symposiums and public lectures on Okinawa.
International Symposium "What Okinawa Means to Japan: Reconsidering Three Turning Points in Okinawan History (400 years since Ryukyu entered Satsuma and paid tribute, 130 years since the disposition of Ryukyu, and the reversion of Okinawa)" (2009)
Futenma: Considering Japan's Choice Now from the Perspective of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty and the Environment" (2010)
Symposium Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Okinawa's Reversion to Mainland Japan: 40 Years of Okinawa's Reversion, 40 Years Ahead" (2012)
How to Build Peace in East Asia: Reconsidering 70 Years after the War from the Perspectives of Japan, China, the U.S., and Okinawa" (2015)
Tokyo-Yui Ryukyu Forum-Unknown, I want to know Okinawa" (2017)
The Association to Look Back and Inherit the Achievements of Mr. Morihki Niizaki" (2019)
The Age of Shimazu Shigeko and Ryukyu" (2020)
Shurijo Castle as a Gusuku: An East Asian Perspective" (2020)
The Formation of School Education in Occupied Okinawa (1945-1949)" (2021)
The Kamidai Toukoku Dialect and the Classical Languages of the Ryukyus" (2021)
The Political History of Okinawa in Modern Times: An Approach from the Issue of the Election of the Chief of Government" (2021)
Lecture related to the photo exhibition "Reviving the Rituals of Miyako Island: Deity Wishes from Ikema and Sarahama" (2022)
Symposium "Where are the Words to Talk about Okinawa Now: The Challenge of Journalists on the 50th Anniversary of the Return to Okinawa" (2022)
Photo exhibition "Embracing the Gods of Nanamui: Rituals of Ikema and Sarahama, Miyako" (2023)
Collecting and providing access to Okinawa-related literature and materials
A reading room is permanently set up and books and magazines related to Okinawa are available for public use. In addition to the valuable documents and materials already in the library's collection, the library is also making efforts to collect and organize important materials related to Okinawa and provide them to a wide range of users.
Past Research Activities
- Comprehensive Study of Language, Culture, and Society on Kumejima Island, Okinawa (1979-1982)
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Comprehensive Research A), PI: Moriyoshi Tonoma
・"Comprehensive Study of Language, Culture, and Society on Kumejima Island, Okinawa (Interim Report)" (1980)
・"Okinawa Kumejima: A Report on "Language, Culture and Society on Kumejima Island, Okinawa" edited by Okinawa Kumejima Research Committee A Comprehensive Study of the Language, Culture, and Society of Kume Island, Okinawa" (1982)
・"Okinawa Kumejima: Sources" (1983)
・"Okinawa Kumejima: A Comprehensive Study of Kumejima" (1984), edited by Hosei University Centennial Kumejima Research Committee - Comprehensive Study of Language and Culture on Okinawa's Watanaki Island (1986-1989)
FY 1986 Private University Special Grant (Distinctive Educational Research) Research Director: Hirofumi Yamamoto
・"Comprehensive Study of Language and Culture on Okinawa's Watanaki Island (Interim Report)" (1987)
1991) - Studies on the Negotiation History of Fujian Province and the Ryukyu Archipelago in China (1990-1993)
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (International Academic Research) PI: Akio Yasuoka
・"Studies on the Negotiation History of Fujian Province and the Ryukyu Archipelago in China (Interim Report)" (1991)
・"China, Fujian Province and the Ryukyu Islands: A Study of the Negotiation History" (1995) - Comprehensive Study of Yaeyama, Okinawa Prefecture (1994-1997)
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Comprehensive Research A), PI: Eiji Musha
・"Comprehensive Study of Yaeyama, Okinawa Prefecture (Interim Report)" (1995)
・"Comprehensive Study of Yaeyama, Okinawa Prefecture (Report of Research Results)" (1997)
・"Research Committee on Yaeyama, Okinawa, Hosei University Institute of Okinawan Studies, "Okinawa Research on Yaeyama, Okinawa" (2000) - Kowan, a Lost Village: Reconstruction through Interviews (1990-1994)
Funded Research (Kowan Jishi Editorial Board) Research Representative: Minoru Higa
・"Kowan Jishi: Reconstruction of a Village Lost during the Battle of Okinawa and U.S. Occupation" (1995)
Okinawa Times Award (1995, Okinawa Times), Endemic Land Research Award (1997, Japan Geographical Names Institute) (Japan Geographical Names Research Institute)
・"Dictionary of Urasoe and Kowan Dialects" (1995) - Comprehensive Study on the Formation and Transformation of Social and Cultural Networks in the Ryukyu Islands (2001-2003)
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Kiban Kenkyu B) PI: Takashi Yasue
・"Study on Social and Cultural Networks in the Ryukyu Islands (Interim Report)" (2003)
A Comprehensive Study on the Formation and Transformation of Social and Cultural Networks in the Ryukyu Islands (Research Report)" (2004) - A Comprehensive Study on the Formation and Transformation of Interregional Networks of Okinawa in East and Southeast Asia (2004-2007)
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Basic Research A), PI: Koji Yasue
・"A Comprehensive Study on the Formation and Transformation of Interregional Networks in East and Southeast Asia" (2008) - Comparative Study of Ryukyu/Okinawa Culture and Ainu Culture: Mediated by Yamato Culture (2004-2007)
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Kiban Kenkyu B) PI: Naoki Yoshinari
・"Comparative Study of Ryukyu/Okinawa Culture and Ainu Culture: Mediated by Yamato Culture A Comparative Study of Ryukyu/Okinawa Culture and Ainu Culture: Yamato Culture as a Mediator" (2008) - Cultural Experiences after the Battle of Okinawa: Identity Seeking and the Significance of Okinawan Classical Performing Arts (2009)
Competitive Research Grants Research Representative: Munehiko Yaka - The Formation and External Impact of Ryukyuan and Okinawan Culture: Focusing on the Ancient to Medieval Parallel Periods (2009-2012)
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Kiban Kenkyu B), PI: Naoki Yoshinari
(2013) - Chunan Family Documents Restoration and Reproduction Project (2009-2013)
Priority Projects - Pursuit of Intellectual Linkages and International Contexts in Postwar Okinawan Studies: Empirical Reconstruction with the Historical Documents of Yoshitada Nakahara as a Core (2020-2022)
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) Principal Investigator: OZATO Tomoko - Structural Study of Document Administration in the Ryukyu Kingdom: Focusing on the "Resignation Letters" (2020-2022)
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI (C)) PI: Misako YANO - Advanced Study of Ryukyuan Literature: "Omorosashi" and the Redefinition of Ryukyuan Poetry (2021-2023)
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)) Research Director: MAMIYA Atsushi