Changes

*''Born: [[1876]]/2/20''

*''Born: [[1876]]/2/20''

*''Died: 1947''

*''Died: 1947/8/13''

*''Japanese'': 伊波普猷 ''(Iha Fuyuu, or Ifa Fuyuu)''

*''Japanese'': 伊波普猷 ''(Iha Fuyuu, or Ifa Fuyuu)''

Iha Fuyû, or Ifa by the [[Okinawan language]] pronunciation of his surname, was a pioneer and leader in the field of Okinawan Studies. He was a fierce advocate for the idea that Okinawan and Japanese people, and cultures, came from the same origin, and that with [[Okinawa prefecture]] now being a part of Japan, assimilation was the best path.

Iha Fuyû, or Ifa by the [[Okinawan language]] pronunciation of his surname, was a pioneer and leader in the field of Okinawan Studies. He was a fierce advocate for the idea that Okinawan and Japanese people, and cultures, came from the same origin, and that with [[Okinawa prefecture]] now being a part of Japan, assimilation was the best path.

Ifa wrote in his essay ''Ryûkyû jinshu ron'' ("On the Race/Ethnicity of Ryukyu") in [[1910]] or [[1911]] that the Ryukyuans were of the same race or ethnicity (J: ''jinshu'') as the Japanese, and that for today's Ryukyuans, quick assimilation (J: ''dôka'') with the Japanese was the best path.

Ifa was born on February 20, [[1876]], in the Nishi neighborhood of [[Naha]]; his family was part of the Gyo (魚) lineage of Naha aristocracy and their home was well-known locally as belonging to a family of wealth or status.<ref>A plaque stands today at the site of this former home, at Nishi 1-13-3.[http://www.rekishi-archive.city.naha.okinawa.jp/archives/site/%E4%BC%8A%E6%B3%A2%E6%99%AE%E7%8C%B7%E7%94%9F%E5%AE%B6%E8%B7%A1]</ref> In [[1895]], Ifa was attending Okinawa First Prefectural Middle School (on the former site of the [[Nakagusuku udun|Crown Prince's mansion]]) when a strike took place against the abolition of English-language classes; Ifa was identified as one of the ringleaders and was expelled from the school. He then traveled to [[Kyoto]], where he attended Kyoto Third High School (today, [[Kyoto University]]). He entered [[University of Tokyo|Tokyo Imperial University]] in [[1903]], where he majored in linguistics.  

A number of prominent anthropologists and folklorists (''[[minzokugaku]]sha'') from the mainland visited Okinawa and met with Ifa and others beginning in the 1920s. This included [[Yanagita Kunio]] in 1921, and [[Orikuchi Shinobu]], who visited Okinawa in 1921 and again in 1923. Yanagita convinced Ifa to travel to Tokyo in 1925, where he stayed for some time and took part in symposiums and research meetings held by Yanagita. Ifa also attended meetings on [[Ainu]] Studies in Tokyo, and began his own colloquium to discuss the ''[[Omoro soshi|Omoro sôshi]]''. Over the course of 1925-26, he published four books.

 

 

 

A number of prominent anthropologists and folklorists (''[[minzokugaku]]sha'') from the mainland visited Okinawa and met with Ifa and others beginning in the 1920s. This included [[Yanagita Kunio]] in 1921, and [[Orikuchi Shinobu]], who visited Okinawa in 1921 and again in 1923. Yanagita convinced Ifa to travel to Tokyo in 1925, where he stayed for some time, devoting himself to the study of the ''[[Omoro soshi|Omoro sôshi]]'', and taking part in symposiums and research meetings held by Yanagita. Ifa also attended meetings on [[Ainu]] Studies in Tokyo, and began his own colloquium to discuss the ''Omoro sôshi''. Over the course of 1925-26, he published four books.

Ifa was an active and prominent participant in many of the significant scholarly debates of the early 20th century. In 1926, he argued that references to "Ryûkyû" in the ''[[Book of Sui]]'' (the earliest references to "Ryûkyû" in any written text) did in fact refer to [[Ryukyu Islands|Ryûkyû]], against a number of scholars who asserted it referred to [[Taiwan]].

Ifa was an active and prominent participant in many of the significant scholarly debates of the early 20th century. In 1926, he argued that references to "Ryûkyû" in the ''[[Book of Sui]]'' (the earliest references to "Ryûkyû" in any written text) did in fact refer to [[Ryukyu Islands|Ryûkyû]], against a number of scholars who asserted it referred to [[Taiwan]].

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==References==

==References==

*Yokoyama Manabu 横山学, ''Ryûkyû koku shisetsu torai no kenkyû'' 琉球国使節渡来の研究, Tokyo: Yoshikawa kôbunkan (1987), 8-11.

*Yokoyama Manabu 横山学, ''Ryûkyû koku shisetsu torai no kenkyû'' 琉球国使節渡来の研究, Tokyo: Yoshikawa kôbunkan (1987), 8-11.

[[Category:Ryukyu]]

[[Category:Ryukyu]]

[[Category:Historians]]

[[Category:Historians]]