The World of Tubarama

Tubarama songs have always been a part of our daily lives.

In "The World of Tubarama," old recordings and regional tunes are unearthed, and the author, Shizuo Ota, adds commentary to each song in the text, inviting readers into the rich "World of Tubarama." The book comes with a CD containing 23 Tubarama songs with different lyrics and singers.

Shizuo Ota

Born in Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture in 1948. After working as a reporter for local newspapers and trade papers, he was in charge of local materials at the Ishigaki City Library Opening Preparation Office. After working at the Ishigaki City Yaeyama Museum, he retired as the head of the Culture Division of the Ishigaki City Board of Education in 2008. He researched the war history, postwar history, performing arts history, and leprosy history of the Yaeyama Islands, and won the Okinawa Times Publishing Culture Award for "Performing Arts of Yaeyama" (Hirugi-sha) and the same award and the Japanese Place Name Institute's Folklore Research Award for "Wars of Yaeyama" (Nanzan-sha). His books include "The Island of Evening Calm - A History and Culture of Yaeyama" (Misuzu Shobo), "Postwar History of Yaeyama" (Hirugi-sha), and "The World of Tubarama" (Nanzan-sha), which depicts Yaeyama lyric songs. In 2012, he received the Yaeyama Mainichi Culture Award from the Yaeyama Mainichi Newspaper Company.
He is a member of the Ishigaki City Cultural Assets Council, a judge for the lyrics section of the Tubarama Competition, and co-representative of the group opposing the closure of the Yaeyama Branch of the Okinawa Prefectural Library and calling for its continued existence. Since its launch in 1992, he has been serializing "Kochu Tenchi" in the monthly magazine "Yaiima" (Nanzansha).

Author: Shizuo Ota Producer: Nanzansha Book specifications: A5 size, 248 pages Appendix: CD (23 songs)