Yesterday Justin and I drove down into Naha to watch the Dragon Boat races. It is a huge festival that is part of Golden week. When I googled what the races were actually about, here is the story that I found (sorry to the newspaper that I'm plagiarizing this from!!!)
The Naha Dragon Boat Races date back to the 13th Century in China and are based on a tale of the imperial servant, Kutsugen. Although Kutsugen was a devoted servant of the Chinese Emperor, there was also a bond and mutual friendship between the two. Because of this strong relationship, many vassals grew jealous and began spreading the rumor that Kutsugen had betrayed the Emperor. Kutsugen was horrified by this false accusation and committed suicide by throwing himself into a river. The Emperor was saddened by this tragedy, so he decided to hold a dragon boat race in his friend¹s memory. As the Ryukuan Kingdom actively engaged in trade with China, their histories are intertwined. After hearing this story, the King of the Ryukyu Islands, was very moved and wanted to hold dragon boat races on the island that would become known as Okinawa. To this day the dragon boat races are an extension of the Chinese influence on Okinawas heritage.
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