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Okinawa

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"In Okinawa... honor very serious."
―Mr. Miyagi to Daniel LaRusso[src]


Okinawa (Japanese: 沖縄県 Hepburn: Okinawa-ken, Okinawan: ウチナー Uchinaa) is the largest island in the archipelago known as the Ryûkyû Islands in the East China Sea, East Asia. It is also the southernmost prefecture of Japan. 

Several characters in The Karate Kid franchise are from Okinawa, including Mr. Miyagi, his family, Sato, Chozen, Yukie and Kumiko. Miyagi's Karate also originates from Okinawa. Okinawa is also the primary setting of The Karate Kid Part II, and was featured in Season 3 of Cobra Kai.

Description[]

"Okinawa very small place."
―Chozen Toguchi to Mr. Miyagi[src]

It encompasses two thirds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over 1,000 kilometers (620 mi) long. The Ryukyu Islands extend southwest from Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu (the southwesternmost of Japan's four main islands) to Taiwan. Naha, Okinawa's capital, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island.

Although Okinawa Prefecture comprises just 0.6 percent of Japan's total land mass, about 75 percent of all United States military personnel stationed in Japan are assigned to installations in the prefecture. Currently about 26,000 U.S. troops are based in the prefecture.

Locations[]

Okinawa is located in the southern part of Japan. According to Daniel's book on Okinawan history, the biggest U.S. air base in the Pacific ocean is on Okinawa, Kadena Air Base. There was no airport in Okinawa when Miyagi originally left for America by boat.

Mr. Miyagi's village, Tomi Village, is located on south of Naha along the sea. Tomi Village is a fishing village (including but not limited to mackerel), but after World War II, Sato's father brought in a big commercial fishing boat, and within two years, all the fish were gone. The cannery remains standing, however. As a result, most people went to Naha City for employment. The locals then went into the vegetable business. Sato owned the farms, which were rented by the village.[1]

In the village is a Miyagi's family dojo. Photos of 400 years worth of all of Miyagi's ancestors are on the wall, including Miyagi Shimpo Sensei, the first Miyagi to bring karate to Okinawa, who went to China in 1625. Shimpo Sensei was a fisherman who arrived at China by accident. Ten years later, he returned to Okinawa with a Chinese wife and two children and the secret of Miyagi-Do Karate: a pellet drum.

There is also a Shinto shrine in the village and a pillbox leftover from World War II.[1]

The O-bon dance is for the festival in honor of the dead, which, as of 1985, is held in the ruins of the castle of King Sho Hashi, the Peace King.[1]

In Naha City is an electronics store and Sato's Dojo, where Chozen Toguchi taught karate to American military police.[1]

Myiagi-verse[]

The Miyagi family hails from the small, picturesque village of Tomi in Okinawa. The earliest known ancestor of the Miyagi family, Shimpo Miyagi, who was a fisherman from Okinawa. One day in 1625, after consuming strong sake, Shimpo fell asleep on his boat and was carried by strong winds and currents to the coast of China. Upon awakening, he found himself in a foreign land, where he eventually met and married a local woman and had two children. During his time in China, Shimpo was exposed to Chinese martial arts, which would later become central to his family's legacy. After ten years, he returned to Okinawa, bringing with him the knowledge that was then blended with and adapted to compliment indigenous martial practices. These became foundational to the Myiagi family karate, including the Crane Kick and the Drum Technique. This duality of martial artistry and craftsmanship became a hallmark of the Miyagi family’s legacy, blending the physical and the creative in a harmonious balance.[1]

As generations passed, the Miyagi family continued to be known for their martial arts expertise, though many members also pursued other trades to support their livelihoods. The family’s financial situation varied over time, but they often held jobs in various crafts and local services, sustaining a humble, yet respected, position within Okinawan society. The family home in Shuri, a modest yet sturdy structure, stood as a place of both residence and practice, where karate and other trades were passed down from father to son.[1]

In the early 20th century, a notable figure emerged from the Miyagi family: a young man named Keisuke Miyagi. Keisuke, later known to the world as Mr. Miyagi, was born during a turbulent period in Okinawa's history. During his youth, he trained under his father and his grandfather, continuing the family’s martial arts traditions while also learning the value of self-discipline and emotional restraint. The Miyagi family, while often humble, carried a deep sense of honor and duty, and Keisuke grew to embody these ideals in his own life.[1]

During his youth, Mr. Miyagi developed a close friendship with Sato, a member of a prominent Okinawan family. whom Kesuke successfully persauded his father to make an exception and teach karate. Both in the dojo and in life, they shared a deep bond, with Sato often seen as a brother to him. They were both taught by the same masters, and together, they learned the importance of karate not just as a form of physical combat but as a way of understanding the world and achieving harmony. For years, their friendship was strong, with each supporting the other throughout their youth.[1]

However, their friendship was severely tested during a fateful event that altered the course of their lives. The conflict arose over a woman named Yukie, with both Mr. Miyagi and Sato having feelings for her. This rivalry, combined with a deepening sense of pride and honor, led to a violent confrontation between the two. Sato, feeling dishonored, challenged Mr. Miyagi to a fight, but Mr. Miyagi, following the principles of his family and karate, refused to engage. This refusal was seen as a betrayal by Sato, who believed that Mr. Miyagi was abandoning their shared code of honor. Their fallout marked the end of their close friendship, with Sato vowing to defeat Mr. Miyagi in a duel to the death in order to restore his honor.[1]

The fallout with Sato was a pivotal moment in Mr. Miyagi’s life. Unable to reconcile with his former friend, and deeply troubled by the violence and dishonor that had marred their once-close bond, Mr. Miyagi made the difficult decision to leave Okinawa. He chose to distance himself from the violence and bitterness that had grown between him and Sato, as well as the deep personal pain he felt from their falling out. In the wake of this, Mr. Miyagi traveled to the United States, eventually settling in Reseda, California.[1] Sato, bitter and vengeful, went on to open his own dojo, becoming a respected martial arts master in his own right. His dojo became a center of pride in Okinawa, where he trained many U.S. soldiers during the post-war years. In the wake of World War II. Sato, with his own version of Myiagi-Do karate, was determined to restore honor to his name, and he passed on his fighting techniques to the soldiers, instilling in them his own fierce sense of pride and honor. In many ways, his dojo became a symbol of Okinawa's post-war reconstruction and of the continuing legacy of martial arts in the face of the island's tumultuous history.[1]

Meanwhile, in Reseda, Mr. Miyagi continued to live by the principles instilled in him by his family. He worked as a handyman, using his skills as a craftsman to support himself. Mr. Miyagi took on a student, Daniel LaRusso, whom he mentored in the ways of Miyagi-Do karate.[2] Through his teachings, Mr. Miyagi sought to pass on the wisdom of his ancestors, emphasizing the importance of balance, patience, and respect. His family’s legacy, founded by Shimpo Miyagi and nurtured through the generations, lived on through his guidance, ensuring that the values of the Miyagi family would endure well beyond their origins in Okinawa.[3]

Appearances[]

Film Series[]

Season 1[]

Season 2[]

Season 3[]

Season 4[]

Season 5[]

Season 6[]

Trivia[]

  • In The Karate Kid (1984), Mr. Miyagi refers to Okinawa as "[his] country". Technically, this is incorrect because Okinawa is now a part of Japan, and has been since 1879. However, Okinawa was independent for centuries prior to becoming a part of Japan.
  • In Season 3 of Cobra Kai, the shopping area of Okinawa was filmed in Georgia, while most of the fight scenes between Daniel and Chozen were filmed in Okinawa itself.

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 The Karate Kid Part II
  2. ↑ The Karate Kid
  3. ↑ Cobra Kai (Series)
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