Majikina Ankô was among the first major historians of Okinawa in the modern period.
Born and raised in Shuri, he was friends with Iha Fuyu since middle school; Iha would go on to become the "godfather" of Okinawan Studies.
He was a reporter for the Ryûkyû Shimpô, and worked for a time in the Okinawa Prefectural Office. In 1925, he became the head of the prefectural library.
Majikina's research covered a wide range of topics, including history, performing arts, folk culture, and industry; his publications include Okinawa issennen shi ("Okinawa 1000 Years History") and Okinawa gendai shi ("Okinawa Modern History"). His works have been collected in a four-volume zenshû ("Complete Works").
Tomiyama Kazuyuki has identified Majikina's Okinawa issennen shi as the original source of the belief that Satsuma han mandated members of Ryukyuan embassies to Edo to dress in Chinese/foreign-style clothing.[1]
References
- "Majikina Ankô." Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia 沖縄コンパクト事典, Ryukyu Shimpo, 1 March 2003.
- "Majikina Ankô." Nihon jinmei daijiten 日本人名大辞典, Kodansha, 2009.
- ↑ Tomiyama Kazuyuki 豊見山和行, "Edo nobori kara Edo dachi he - Ryûkyû shisetsu zô no tenkai" 「江戸上り」から「江戸立」へー琉球使節像の転回, in Ryûkyû shisetsu, Edo he iku! 琉球使節、江戸へ行く！, Okinawa Prefectural Museum (2009), 58-62.