Inspired by Ryukyu ancestral beliefs and funeral rituals, the installation work Unkeya Hebetu, which uses video, pottery, objects, and more, will be exhibited at the Yanbaru Art Festival 2023-2024.

In the Ryukyu region, there used to be a custom of exorcising the body of a deceased person by burying them in the open sky, and then several years later, washing the remains with sake and other liquids, placing them in an urn, and burying them in a grave. The urn that holds the remains at this time is called a “Zushi-jika” and has been decorated in various ways throughout the ages. In many parts of the world, jars and jars are also seen as symbols of the “womb” through which souls travel.

This time, Oshima and his team have recreated this “Zushi-jika” as a vessel for the rebirth of ancestral spirits, and with the cooperation of local people, they have created a boundary space in a classroom at Shioya Elementary School that connects the voices of ancestral spirits to the future.

*The title “Unkeya Hebetu” is a Ryukyuan word meaning “Early to be welcomed.”

Exhibition location: Ogimi Village Former Shioya Elementary School

Exhibition period: Saturday, January 20, 2024 to Sunday, February 25, 2024

Opening hours: 11:00-17:00
Admission fee: 500 yen for adults / 300 yen for residents of Okinawa Prefecture / Free for high school students and younger
Closed: Every Tuesday and Wednesday

Main venue Ogimi Village Former Shioya Elementary School is closed every Tuesday and Wednesday

Yanbaru Art Festival 2023-2024: https://yambaru-artfes.jp/