Stolen Ryukyu Artwork, Found in US, Returned to Okinawa

Before Japan’s annexation and forced cultural assimilation, Okinawa thrived as the Ryukyu Kingdom, with its unique culture, language, and customs. Sadly, much of this heritage faded under colonial rule and the Pacific War. Yet, Okinawans tenaciously cling to their roots. That’s why the recent discovery and return of a lost Ryukyu artwork sparked immense joy among many locals.

80 years in the making

Okinawa Prefecture has been on a quest to reclaim its lost cultural treasures since the end of the war. Some items were feared lost forever, while others were stolen.

In 2001, the Prefecture turned to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for help investigating suspected cultural property thefts. The efforts paid off in March 2023 when the FBI unearthed Okinawan items in Massachusetts — a significant breakthrough in pursuing Okinawa’s heritage.

Amidst the discovery of 22 items, featuring ceramics and hand-drawn maps, were six portraits of profound importance to Okinawan culture. Known as “posthumous portraits” (御後絵), these artworks were crafted following the deaths of Ryukyu kings, serving as remnants of the lost Kingdom. The Prefecture had accepted their loss in the fires of war, yet there they were, hidden away in the attic of a retired military officer all this time.

Until now, only monochrome photographs of these enigmatic artworks existed, leaving their exact color tones a mystery. Among the six discovered portraits is one of the 13th king, Shōkei-ō (reigned 1713-1751), towering over 150 centimeters tall and wide, dressed in regal red against a backdrop of shimmering gold. At long last, all items found their way back to Okinawa Prefecture last March, ending an 80-year absence.

Alongside an unsigned letter, the belongings offered proof of their origin from Okinawa after the Pacific War. Strangely enough, the military personnel associated with the discovery, though a World War II veteran, never served in the Pacific region, let alone Okinawa. The FBI suspects looting, but the investigation is ongoing to determine how they ended up in this man’s attic.

War’s lingering scars

The backdrop against which original Ryukyu artwork was lost is the same where human lives, centuries of history, and beautiful scenery also vanished. It’s been 79 years now since Okinawa became the scapegoat for Japan, aimed at keeping the US military far from the mainland occupation. From the landing of US forces in Okinawa on April 1, 1945, to the end of the three-month-long battle known as the Battle of Okinawa, much was lost.

While other parts of Japan endured severe air raids, Okinawa bore the weight of direct ground occupation. US forces waged fierce ground combat, described by the military as “a battlefield where all hell broke loose,” as guns, cannons, and flamethrowers roared.

Tragically, this ground fight led to the destruction of culture – some of it local, some of it from Japan’s occupying forces. Among the casualties stood the majestic Shuri Castle, home to the Japanese military’s underground headquarters. Alongside it, other artistic masterpieces fell victim to the flames of war.

But the toll of these conflicts went far beyond the loss of art. With a striking disproportion compared to the adversary, the Japanese military coerced virtually anyone to join the fighting units, including tens of thousands of middle and high school students. Some of them never even held a weapon before being thrust into battle. Okinawa became a harrowing battleground where seasoned soldiers confronted innocent civilians, with lives claimed one by one in indiscriminate attacks.

At the end, Japanese and Ryukyuan casualties outnumbered those of the US by fifteen times. Of the 188,136 victims, 94,000 were civilians from Okinawa. These numbers are only estimates, as burned households made an exact count impossible. War made no distinctions; whether artworks or human lives, destruction spared nothing and no one.

A past still present

After Japan surrendered in 1945, Okinawa became the official base for US military operations until its return to the mainland in 1972. Yet, even after the cessation of hostilities, the American occupation persisted. Land was seized without consent and converted into bases using what became known as “guns and bulldozers” tactics. Incidents unfolded regularly, with the military consistently interfering in civilians’ lives.

Strategically dubbed the “keystone of the Pacific,” Okinawa functioned as a US nuclear base during the Cold War. Even after its return to Japan in 1972, existing military bases saw significant expansion. Consequently, Okinawa now hosts 70% of the US-exclusive bases in Japan, despite covering only 0.6% of the country’s total land area. Plus, around 2,000 tons of unexploded bombs from the war still lie buried underground, posing occasional risks of explosions and casualties.

Even though the war officially ended in 1945 for Japan, in Okinawa, it dragged on for years. For many Okinawan people, it’s a lingering reality. The constant threat of explosions, the extensive presence of US bases across its land, and the loss or destruction of cultural heritage — all add to Okinawa Prefecture’s ongoing fight, even decades after the war.

A discovery beyond measure

“In the aftermath of the war, hardly anything of Okinawa’s cultural properties survived,” noted Ryukyu expert Mr. Miyagi Atsumasa in a 2017 interview with Nikkei.

The ravages of war nearly erased all evidence of the vibrant cultural and artistic heritage of the native Ryukyu. Restoration undoubtedly poses significant challenges. Yet, the main worry is that with witnesses long gone, future generations might forget the Ryukyu Kingdom ever existed.

Sensing the urgency, the prefecture launched the “Ryukyu Kingdom Cultural Heritage Collection and Restoration Project” in 2015. The goal is to enhance techniques for reconstructing data of cultural properties and restoring artworks using visual evidence. At the heart of the project were the posthumous portraits, revered as witnesses of the kingdom’s former splendor.

Before the recent breakthrough, only monochrome photographs by Kamakura Yoshitaro reserved these invaluable artworks. Now, seven years later, six of these portraits are making their way back to Okinawa, promising significant aid in the study and preservation of Ryukyu’s rich heritage.

“The return of treasures from the Ryukyu Kingdom era, allowing us to experience it firsthand, brings us immense joy,” said Okinawa Prefecture’s Governor Tamaki Denny.

Sources

返還の琉球国王肖像画、謎多く　沖縄戦不参加の米軍人宅で発見―屋根裏から、ＦＢＩ「略奪品と確認」　Jiji.com

琉球国王の肖像画「御後絵」とみられる絵画、米国で見つかり沖縄返還…「国宝に匹敵」　Yomiuri Shimbun

琉球王国の国王の肖像画 アメリカで見つかる 沖縄県に引き渡し　NHK

【そもそも解説】沖縄戦で何が起きた　住民巻き込んだ「地獄」の戦場　Asahi Shimbun

【基礎からわかる】なぜ沖縄に基地がある？　Yomiuri Shimbun

沖縄返還ってなに？裏には数々の密約も　いちからわかる復帰50年　Asahi Shimbun

大戦で破壊　沖縄の文化財、復元進む　最新技術を駆使　Nikkei Shimbun

略奪された美術品をマサチューセッツ州の屋根裏で発見、米ＦＢＩが日本に返還　CNN