September | 2018 | WUBHawaii.com

Working the Net Together

In August 2018, a group of WUB Hawaii delegates traveled to Brazil to attend WUB Network’s 22 anniversary conference and to take part in the 118th anniversary of the arrival of immigrants from Okinawa to Brazil. Through these visits the worldwide network among Uchinanchus is strengthen through friendship and collaboration. Below are some pictures of this visit.

L to R: Jin-kichi Uezu, John Tasato, Issamu Teruya, Julie Higa, and John Toguchi

At the Brazil Okinawa Festival, held at Villa Carrao, August 4 and 5, 2018, the Hawaii delegation got to meet with Jin-Kichi Uezu, President of WUB Okinawa, and Issamu Teruya, President of Cofema, distributor of construction materials and supplies.

L to R: Kenji Oshiro, John Tasato, and Yuichiro Harry Masuda

Goodwill Ambassador meeting. At left is Kenji Oshiro, President of WUB Brazil and WUB Network’s next president (term begins 2019), John Tasato, and EWC grantee Harry Masuda. Harry is wearing the distinctive Okinawa-inspired Bokunen Naka block-print shirt.

WUB Network Cake. The golden ’22’ on the cake celebrates twenty-two years of WUB’s existence

The WUB Network meeting was held at Churrascaria Nova Pampa, a Brazilian BBQ restaurant. WUB Brasil’s website

Steve Kishaba Sombrero with Carla Taba, President and owner of Invel Goen3

Carla Taba is President and owner of Invel’s subsidiary in Orlando, Brazil — Invel Goen3. The company sells products made from materials that increases circulation, combines Japanese technology and research with Brazilian fashion. She is married to Mario Hirata. This is one of the companies WUB visited. Carla’s Linked in

Steve Kishaba Sombrero with Issamu Teruya and his wife.

Steve presenting Issamu Teruya and his wife with a plaque from WUB Network after our visit at Cofema.

As in the past, Okinawa’s distinctive and vibrant artistic tradition continues to thrive.

When I first saw Harry Masuda’s shirt I did not give it much attention thinking it was just another Hawaiian aloha shirt, but when I took a closer look I realized that it was quite different in style and design. His girl friend, Shiori Yamauchi, also studying at the East-West Center, had just bought the shirt at a museum in Okinawa. It was only after asking more questions that I learned about Bokunen Naka and about Okinawa’s thriving contemporary artistic tradition.

EWC student Yuichiro Harry Masuda modeling a Bokunen Naka designed shirt

Close up of Bokunen Naka designed shirt made from wood block prints

Artist Bokunen Naka

Bokunen Naka was born on the island of Izena (Iheya) in 1953 – also the birthplace of King Sho En (1415). As a child he always carried a sketchbook with him and made sketches of Okinawa’s creatures and landscape. At the time he thought he would grow up to be a carpenter or fisherman. One of his teachers recognized his talent and recommended he attend an art-based high school on the island of Okinawa. Bokunen Naka gained recognition from his wood block prints.

He describes his wood block print:

Once the woodblock is finished, I spread black ink on the surface of the wood, and then press it against the paper. The black and white print is a mirror image of the carving in the wood. I then turn the paper over and paint in the colors on the back of the paper. This reverse coloring technique gives the process its name: uratesaishoku.