The Study of Omorososhi

Abstract

The "Omoro" is the general term for old songs in Okinawa. Omorososhi which consists of 22 volumes is a collection of 1, 553 of these songs dating from the middle of the 11th century to the end of the 16th century. Except for about fifty epitaphs, Omorososhi is the only document in Ryukyu which antedates the 17th century, and consequently, one of the most important material in the study of old Ryukyu and its culture. The Konkokenshu, a dictionary of the old Okinawa language, was published in 1710, about 80 years after the compilation of Omorososhi, and Seimei Shikina, one of the editors of this didtionary, wrote brief notes on the text of Omorososhi. However, until the middle of the Meiji era (1893), there were no attempts to decipher the original meanings of the songs, most of which were difficult to understand even for the Ryukyuans themselves. The late Fuyu Ifa (1876-1947), the author of Old Ryukyu, devoted his life to the study of Omorososhi. The author, being one of his students, criticizes Ifa's work and clarifies his own attitude toward the text of Omorososhi. 1. The late Ifa presumed that all of the "Omoro" were divine songs and concluded that the word "Omoro" might be derived from the word Omori (holy wood), where the people perform religious ceremonies. The author, on the contrary, considers that most of the "Omoro" were folk songs and only a small part of them were divine songs. He feels that the the word "Omoro" must be a derivative from the word Omoi (thinking). 2. Ifa regarded "Omoro" as poems, and the work of literary men. The author, on the contrary, is of the opinion that "Omoro" were folk songs and are "social products" of the people, and not literary work. Therefore, it is not correct to think the noted singers of the "Omoro" as poets. 3. There are so many errors in the text of Omorososhi that text-criticism is a necessity. The main reason why Ifa's work was non-productive may be said to be the lack of text-criticism. 4. The "Omoro" were produced over a period of six hundred years. During that period, Okinawan society underwent fundamental changes at least three times. And each change affected the form and content of the "Omoro". Ifa paid no attention to those facts.