The Committee for the Okinawa Karate UNESCO Listing is going to host an online symposium in order to pass on correctly Okinawa karate as a traditional asset and promote Okinawa both inside and outside of the country as the birthplace of karate. It is also planned to build momentum among people in Okinawa and those related to karate to strive for Okinawa karate’s inscription on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

In this symposium, a panel discussion of experts is going to be held on topics proposed by the Committee for the Okinawa Karate UNESCO Listing in the 2021 board meeting: definition of Okinawa karate, karate’s attraction and features as a traditional asset, preservation and passing on of karate, and future directions of karate.

This symposium will be broadcast via YouTube Live for free. We hope many people including karate practitioners will be able to watch this event.

Coordinator

Hayato Sawada
Vice chair of the Planning Committee
Director, Karate Promotion Division, Okinawa Prefectural Government

Panel members

Kunio Arakaki
Vice chair of the board
Chair of the Society for the Advancement of Traditional Okinawa Karate

Tokumasa Miyagi
Chair of the Planning Committee
Former president of Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts

Morio Higaonna
Member of the Planning Committee
Chair of the Okinawa Traditional Karate as National Intangible Cultural Properties Foundation, and the Committee for the Okinawa Karate UNESCO Listing

Masayuki Dana
Member of the Planning Committee
Director of Okinawa Prefectural Museum & Art Museum

Norio Naka
Associate Professor Department of Social Sciences
Toyo Eiwa University

Akira Nakamura
Joint researcher
Research Institute of Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts

Program

• Greeting from the Chair of the Committee for the Okinawa Karate UNESCO Listing: Governor Denny Tamaki
• Opening movie
• Introduction of the committee outline: Hayato Sawada, Director of the Karate Promotion Division, Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports, Okinawa Prefectural Government
• Panel discussion

Flyer (PDF)

Contact: Miyazato and Yasuzato
The Committee for the Okinawa Karate UNESCO Listing Office
(within Kobundo Communications Co., Ltd.)