Story
This story was elicited from Setsuko Shikina, teacher of Josei Elementary School (Naha, Okinawa). The story was prepared by her for Shuri Bunkasai Hoogen Taikai (Speech Contest of the Shuri Cultural Festival) in 2003.
The King Shooen is one of heros that the people of Okinawa know.
| Shooen-oo nu Uhanashi |
| Nkashi, Izena nu shima nu Sembaru nkai Sakata ndi iinu mijirasanu taa ga aibiitan. |
| Ami ga nageen furan saai ga attin unu taa bikeja ichimadin miji kwankwan tu sooibiitan. |
| Uribikee ya aibiran. |
| Unu taa ya fukanu taa yaka takasan nu tukuru nkai du aibiishi ga miji ya kwankwan sooibiitan. |
| "Hirumasanyaa. mijirasanyaa." shima nu chaa ya meenichi unu hanashi bikeen sooibiitan. |
| Unu taa nu mochinushi ya Kanamaru ndi ichi, hataramun nu chimu kukuru n ippee churasa nu wakamun yaibiitan. |
| Shima utee tui n utati fumiinu atai hyouban nu wakamun yaibiitan. |
| Hyaaisurukutun neran taa nu mijin nkai Kanamaru
n "Mijira sassaayaa. Hirumassassaayaa" ndi umutuyabiitaan." |
| Yashiga chaashi kangeetin unu wakee mattachi wakayabiran. |
| "Ama kuma nkai ufooku uru tui nu chaagaru hakudi chuugaayaa" ndichi kangeetai soobitan. |
Suba hira nkai taa mucchooru chu nu chaa ya yagati Kanamaru utagaibitan. |
| "Aree Kanamaru ga shiranfuunashi miji nusudiru hajiyaa" |
| "Yasayasa ansukuru Kanamaru nu bikeen miji kwankwan sooruhajiyaa." ndichi uwasasurugutu naibiitan. |
| Unu uwasaa shimaju nkai hirugattii chaabitan. |
| Unna kunna shi hanashi ya machibutii, Kanamaru ya umarijiman kai uiguruku-nai-biitan. |
| Aru utusui nu yushigu nu ati shima kara njiti ichunu kutu nkai naibitan. |
| Unu utusui nu imiseenu gutu ahatuchi ni shima kara njiiyabitan. |
| Unu tuchi funi ga njitaru tuku ga "Ashichibaru" ndichi namaya tin Izena nu shima nkai nu kutuyabiin. |
| Urikara Kanamaru ya Uchinaa nu muramura ama kuma ichabidashiga hatarachimun nu chimujurasa nu wakamun ya ichuru tukuru amautin umanchu kara agamirattandi nu kutu yaibiin. |
| Yashiga maautin hatarachimun nu dekiyaa ya uragoosasuru chu nu chaa ga uibii kutu niitasasatti, unu mura nkai uigunati ijiti ikaneba naran kutu n aibiitan. |
| Yambaru nu Kunigami uti kanjaa nu shigutushi mura nu chaa nkai ippee agamiratta ndi nu kutu yaibitan. |
| Urikara Nishibaru nu Uchima ndi nu tukuru nkai ichabitan. |
| Uma utee umiacchaa shi kurasabitan. |
| Mura nu chu nu chaa nkai iyu fooku wakiti kitan ndi nu kutu yaibiitan. |
| Unna kunna shi Kanamaru ya umanchu nu ippee agamiratta ndi nu kutu yaibiitan. |
| Kanamaru nu hyouban ya Sui nu ugushiku nkai tuduchi ichabitan. |
| Anshi, Sui nu Shuuganashiimee nkai uchikee suru kutu ni naibitan. |
| Yagati, Kanamaru ya jintoku kanatumiseeru chu yamisee nchi agamiratti tootoo Sui nu oosama n kai naibitan. |
| Unu oosama ga nama Tamaudun nkai hoomurattu miseeru Shooen-oo yaibiitan. |
| Urishi Shooen-oo nu uhanashi ya uwai yaibiin. |
| The Story of the King Shooen |
| Once upon a time, there was a rice field called 'Sakata' in Sembaru, the Island of Izena. |
| The rice field was always filled with plenty of water even when there were droughts. |
| That's not all. |
| Even thogh the rice field was situated higher than the other rice fields, the Sakata rice field always had alot of water. |
| "How amazing! It's unbelievable" The people of the island were always talking about the rice field, Sakata. |
| The rice field was owned by a young, hard-working, handsome man named Kanamru. |
| He was so reputable that even birds sang songs of praise. |
| Kanamaru also wondered why his rice feild always had
plenty of water. "How amazing! It's unbelievable!" thought Kanamaru. |
| He couldn't come up with the reason as he wondered more. |
| "Perhaps, birds around here and there bring the water" he thought. |
In the course of time, people who have their rice feilds close to Kanamaru's started suspecting. |
| "Kanamaru might be secretly stealing our water." |
| "Yeah, he must be. That's why Kanamaru's rice field is always filled with plenty of water." They were gossiping. |
| The rumor spread all over the island. |
| As the rumor grew and widespread, he was no longer able to live on the island where he grew up. |
| One day, an elder ordered him to leave the island. |
| He left the island before daybreak. |
| Ahichibaru is the place where his boat left. This place still remains on the island of Izena today. |
| After that, Kanamaru visited many villages in Okinawa. The young, hard-wotking, handsome ma received great respecs from the people anywhere he visited. |
| But, there were always envicious people. Soon, they started speaking evil things about him, and he needed to leave. |
| In Kunigami, Yambaru, he became a blacksmith. The people in Kunigami respected him deeply. |
| Then, he moved to Nishihara, Uchima. |
| He became a fisherman. |
| He gave a lot of the fish he got to the people. |
| People admired his generosity. |
| The reputation of Kanamaru reached the Shuri castle. |
| Then, he started serving the king. |
| People acknowledged him as an honorable person having grace.In the course of time, he became the king of Shuri with the support of the people. |
| He is the King Shooen, now resting in peace in the Tamauduntomb. |
| This is the end of the story of King Shooen. |