Tsuboya Shisa Day Fest educates and enlightens

Shisa spotting walk takes participants through the neighborhood to look for various shisa.

Tsuboya Shisa Day is up next Monday, and it teaches everything about Okinawa’s protector.

Shisa is the traditional protector of Okinawan homes and buildings, and April 3rd is called the Day of Shisa because, in Japanese, number four is ‘shi’, and number three is ‘san’, so 4 (April) 3rd is pronounced close to Shi-sa.

Tours to Tsuboya Shisa museum are free during the fest.

Tsuboya in Naha was traditionally the center of pottery production on Okinawa and Shisa is an important figure placed to protect nearly every house and gate on the island. Although the kilns have moved elsewhere, mostly to Yomitan, Tsuboya continues to be the home of many pottery shops and showrooms.

To prepare for the Shisa Day, Tsuboya pottery merchants set up a planning committee that has organized plenty of free events concentrating around Tsuboya Yachimun Street in downtown Naha City, near Kokusai Street, with the aim of promoting and introducing Shisa Day across the country.

People can also purchase their own Shisa and other pottery at discount prices during the event at stores in the Tsuboya district.  Admission to the Tsuboya Pottery Museum will be free during the day.


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18:55 29 Mar , 2024