Ōta Chōfu
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was a prominent Ryukyuan journalist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, famous for his involvement in the Kōdō-kai Movement, advocating the maintenance of hereditary rule of
Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
under the heirs to the royal family of
Ryūkyū The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands ( Ōsumi, Tokara and Amami) and Okinawa Prefecture ( Daitō, Miyako, Y ...
.


Life and career

Ōta was born in
Shuri Shuri may refer to: People *, ring name of Syuri Kondo, a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer and kickboxer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese professional wrestler Characters * Shuri (character), a Marvel Comics superhero ** Shuri (Marv ...
, and in 1882 became one of the first Okinawan students in the
Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...
to be awarded a scholarship to study in
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."Ōta Chōfu." ''Okinawa rekishi jinmei jiten'' (沖縄歴史人名事典, "Encyclopedia of People in Okinawan History"). Naha: Okinawa Bunka-sha, 2002. p15. After studying at
Gakushūin The , or , historically known as the Peers' School, is a Japanese educational institution in Tokyo, originally established as Gakushūjo to educate the children of Japan's nobility. The original school expanded from its original mandate of educ ...
and
Keiō was a after '' Genji'' and before '' Meiji''. The period spanned the years from May 1865 to October 1868. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * May 1, 1865 (''Genji 2/Keiō 1, 7th day of the 4th month'') : The new era name of ''K ...
Universities, he returned to Okinawa in 1893, and helped found the Ryūkyū Shimpō, the first newspaper in Okinawa."Ōta Chōfu". ''Okinawa konpakuto jiten'' (沖縄コンパクト事典, "Okinawa Compact Encyclopedia")
Ryukyu Shimpo Publishing
1 March 2003. Accessed 11 September 2009.
Following the abolition of the Ryūkyū Kingdom and annexation of the islands by Japan as Okinawa Prefecture, politics and economics in Okinawa quickly came to be dominated by Japanese from the other prefectures. Many government bureaucrats, including Chōfu's father, engaged in peaceful protest, simply ceasing to work and refusing to aid the new officials in taking over responsibilities and activities. Ōta Chōfu also watched as native Okinawan merchants began to be pushed out by merchants from other cities who began to exert a monopolistic influence over the marketplace. He notes, in his writings, how a considerable amount of funding flowed into
Hokkaidō is the second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel. The ...
, also recently formally annexed by Imperial Japan, and that many public works projects, the building of infrastructure, etc. were undertaken there, while Okinawa received little funding or infrastructure construction from the central government at this time. While Hokkaidō had considerable natural resources and the Ainu living there posed little political opposition, Okinawa had little natural resources, and "a large population divided and uncertain in its political and cultural loyalties". During the Sino-Japanese War, Ōta was a member of the pro-Japanese '' Kaika-tō'' ("Enlightenment Party"), and was in his journalism, very critical of the pro-Chinese '' Ganko-tō'' ("Stubborn Party") within Okinawa. Ōta also helped found the ''Kōdō-kai'', a group devoted to protesting for continued native Okinawan, not Japanese, leadership of Okinawa; the group in particular sought to see the former king of Ryūkyū,
Shō Tai was the final King of Ryukyu, initially as Second Shō dynasty, hereditary king of the Tributary system of China#Ryukyu Kingdom, Qing tributary Ryukyu Kingdom from 8 June 1848 until 10 October 1872 and finally as the Empire of Japan, Japanese a ...
, instated as governor of the prefecture, and to see the position pass down through his lineage, as the throne would have. As editor-in-chief, Ōta also led the paper in opposing the
Freedom and People's Rights Movement The Freedom and People's Rights Movement (自由民権運動, ''Jiyū Minken Undō'') was a Japanese political and social movement for democracy during the Meiji era, Meiji period. It pursued the formation of an elected legislature, revision of the ...
led in Okinawa by, among others, his former fellow scholarship student, Jahana Noboru. In his journalism, Ōta reported and commented on a wide variety of subjects, including the state of education in Okinawa and economic problems. Beginning around 1903, he promoted the establishment of agencies in
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and elsewhere, including a Sugar Dealers' Association, aimed at helping Okinawans enter the otherwise Japanese-dominated markets.Kerr. p430. He would later go on to serve as Okinawan representative in the prefectural assembly, and as mayor of Shuri (beginning in 1931), but remained a journalist throughout his life. After leaving the Ryūkyū Shimpō for a time, he was invited back in 1930 to serve as company president. He also wrote three books, including .


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ota, Chofu 1865 births 1938 deaths People from Naha People from Okinawa Island Mayors of places in Okinawa Prefecture Japanese journalists Gakushuin University alumni Keio University alumni 19th-century Ryukyuan people 20th-century Ryukyuan people