Greeting

2012-03-05T11:14:00+09:00

Seinen Furusato Eisa Festival Executive Committee
（Chair, Okinawa Prefecture Seinendan Council）
Chairman nobuhito Tamaki

On behalf of the Executive Committee, I would like to give my greetings upon the opening of the 46th Seinen Furusato Eisa Festival.
As we welcome our many visitors to this great summer event from within Okinawa, rest of Japan and from abroad, I would first like to express gratitude to those who have supported the Seinendan, not just for the two days of this event, but on a regular basis. It is because of your understanding and cooperation that we are able to hold this 46th Seinen Furusato Eisa Festival, and for that, we are sincerely grateful.

As you know, Eisa has developed over the years and is now representative of the folk performing arts of Okinawa, becoming an important part of our schools and society, when in the past, it was a function exclusively held during the Obon period in the lunar calendar to comfort the spirits of our ancestors. Today, Eisa is performed at various interactive events.
To all of you in the regional Seinenkai, the Original Eisa Groups, Preservation Societies and the leaders of relevant activities, I hold you in the highest respect for your contribution in preserving and passing on this performance art of our homeland that we ourselves inherited from our forefathers. At the same time, I recognize the great significance in the holding of this event, where we have come together to celebrate our traditional performance art of Eisa with all of our visitors today.

One of the greatest attractions to this Festival is that we are able to enjoy Eisa and traditional performing arts from not just the main island of Okinawa, but from Iheya Village in the north to Ishigaki, Yaeyama to the south. In addition, with projects involving the Jikata of the Sanshin, which is the foundation of the Eisa and other traditional performance arts, as well as the holding of the Festival and a Band Festival by high school students, we are able to nurture the next generation who will one day carry on our cherished traditions.
Many members of the Seinenkai board from throughout the island, in their yellow T-shirts, are enthusiastically contributing to make this year’s event a memorable one. The leaders of the Seinenkai organizations are wearing armbands and representing each of the operational sections of the Festival. Your support and encouragement to these members would be very much appreciated. We all strongly hope that through the holding of this event, the young men and women from various regions and districts will deepen their friendships and further contribute to their communities.
This year marks the 46th year of this Festival. I strongly believe that this Festival has seen such great success over such a length of time because of all the hard work by those who led the way for us and because of the younger generations who have carried on these traditional performance arts as well as the sense of pride and the passion of each of their districts. At this event that was planned and created by these young men and women who actively participate in various functions in their communities, I hope that our visitors here today will see and feel the passion and enthusiasm of our Seinen.

In closing, allow me to express our thanks for the support and cooperation provided by the Okinawa Prefectural Government, the City of Naha, as well as our sponsors and other supporters, and of course, our visitors who are here with us today.

Greetings from the Executive Committee Chairperson

Greeting