News from Okinawa January 1,2021
New Year’s Greeting from the President
Dear WMKA members around the world,
Hysai gusu-yo Ａratama nu simi tu ku-bu kajyati kukuru kara shigata wakaku naimi sochi iisho-guwachide-biru!
A Happy New Year！ I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations to all of you for the glorious and hopeful New Year.
I think last year was a really turbulent year for Okinawa and throughout the world. The current Covid-19 corona virus was a disaster, and the news media focused mostly on it. The Tokyo Olympics and National Sports Events & Festivals including many other events had been postponed or reduced in order to prevent the new coronavirus infection.
The Memorial Monument Unveiling and Celebration for Founder Shoshin Nagamine was postponed to this year.
We don’t have any sure prospect for the eradication of the coronavirus pandemic. However, we were able to hold the “ WMKA 2020 Worldwide Virtual Event and Tribute to Grandmaster Shoshin Nagamine” on November 1st which confirmed the bond and solidarity of WMKA . Unfortunately, many people are still forced to live in tension and fear every day without any reasonable information to feel safe in their mind.
We expect that 2021 will be a year of glorious vibrancy, overcoming the influence of the new Coronavirus.
“There is no night that doesn’t dawn”, and we believe that today’s step by step approach will lead to the bright future.
I strongly look forward to reuniting with many of you in November in Okinawa at The Memorial Monument Unveiling and Cerebration for Founder Shoshin Nagamine.
Sincerely yours
Yoshitaka Taira, president of WMKA
The top bold italicized sentence written in Okinawan dialect depicts the New Year’s rice straw festoon, Shimenawa, which is believed to bring good luck to us and is part of traditional Japanese culture. We hang the New Year Sacred Rope, Shimenawa, at the front door of our house or store which makes us young in our heart and appearances. As we do have many types of New Year Shimenawa, I listed some of them so you can get the image of decorated New Year’s Sacred Rope Shimenawa in Japan.
・Upper photos; Most residents hang their favorite type Shimenawa at their front door or store during the New Year days.
・Lower photos: Religious or public organization hang Big and Permanent Shimenawa based on their religious doctrine or rules.
※ If you are interesting in about the Sacred Rope, Shimenawa, please visit Japanese Website and search for “Shimenawa”!
I think you can find many kinds of Shimenawa if you visit Japan from December 30 to January 15 every year.
WMKA会員の皆さまへ
世界松林流空手道連盟
会長 平良 慶孝
新 年 の ご 挨 拶
ハイサイ グスーヨー
新玉ぬ年に炭と昆布飾てい 心から姿若くないみそーちい いいーしょうぐわちでーびる！
皆さまには清々しい希望に満ちた新年を迎え謹んでお慶び申し上げます。
昨年は沖縄と世界全体にとって正に激動の１年であったと思います。現在の新型コロナ禍、マスコミのニュースもそれを重点に報じています。収束の見通しもない新型コロナ感染防止のため、東京オリンピック、国民体育大会、当連盟の長年の夢だった「開祖長嶺将真先生の顕彰碑の建立・除幕式・祝賀会」を含め多くの行事が延期や中止縮小となりました。全世界で自粛生活が余儀なくされている昨年１１月１日（日）に、「ＷＭＫＡ２０２０年 世界同時中継イベント 開祖長嶺将真先生 顕彰碑建立 除幕式 ご命日記念行事」を開催し、当連盟の絆と結束を確認することが出来ました。残念ながら現時点でも、多くの人達が心安まるすべもなく、日々緊張と不安の生活を余儀なくされています。
２０２１年が新型コロナウイルスの影響を克服し、輝かしく活気にあふれた年になるよう祈念致します。「明けない夜はない」、今日の一歩が未来に繋がることを信じて、今年度１１月には「開祖長嶺将真先生の顕彰碑建立・除幕式」には多くの同志の皆さんと沖縄での再会を楽しみにしています。
令和３年 元旦
＜追記：冒頭の沖縄方言による新年挨拶文は正月に飾る「しめなわ」を記述していますので、海外への紹介用として掲載します＞
・上段の写真：一般住民が自宅玄関又はお店などに正月に飾る期間限定のしめ縄
・下段の写真：神社・神社の鳥居・神木・伊勢湾の夫婦岩などを崇める恒久的なしめ縄