Feel the Spirit of the Fishermen from Ages Past
A Memorable Experience on Traditional Fishing Boats

Surrounded by the ocean on all sides, boats have always been a necessity for the people on the islands of Okinawa. Okinawa prospered as a maritime state in its past as the Kingdom of the Ryukyus, with its people traveling the seas and engaging in trade with China and various Southeast Asian countries. When supplies were scarce before and after the Battle of Okinawa, fishermen used natural materials such as wood, stones, and bamboo to create necessary fishing tools and made innovative adjustments with things from their daily lives. One of them was the invention of the original Mikagan or underwater goggles, which greatly advanced the culture of the Uminchu, or the seafarers. With their fishing nets, too, fishermen reportedly coated the nets with pigs’ blood, as the fish would not go near white cotton nets, and which also prevented the nets from decomposing from the saltwater. The Sabani boat-building techniques, fishing methods, and other great wisdom of the seafaring forefathers paved the way to a maritime culture that is truly unique to Okinawa.

The Sabani was commonly used for fishing and transporting daily goods to various locations, and was a necessity for the fishermen on Okinawa. Not a single iron nail is used in the building of Sabani, but they are sturdy and solid, put together by wooden and bamboo nails. The highly functional features are also remarkable; the thicker bottoms and the thinner sides allow fishing nets to be pulled on to the boats with ease. Improvements have been made over its history, such as applying shark liver oil on the bottoms to prevent decay. On these Sabani boats, the Okinawan fishermen set out to the great seas and travelled between the islands.

Link with the Past.
One of the keys to understand Okinawan culture.

Charmed by the spirit of Okinawa, Daniel López works as a bridge to invite the world to learn and understand the culture and traditions of Okinawa through his art. In his first full-length documentary, Katabui – In the Heart of Okinawa – which was released in 2016, Daniel captures the spiritual strength in the ordinary, everyday life on Okinawa, as people live deeply connected to the distinctive traditions of these islands.

“I wanted to tell people around the world about the way of life of the Okinawans – so connected to nature.” As Daniel López worked in the tourism industry in Switzerland, he was able to travel wherever his heart took him, always with his camera at hand. He left his work and home and set out on a real journey at the age of 30. “As soon as I arrived on Okinawa, I thought, ‘I could live here.’ I went to so many places, across Europe, America, and Asia, and met so many people, but I’d never felt that way before.” Daniel López followed his inspiration and relocated to Okinawa a year later.

On a beautiful beach along the Nago Bay in northern Okinawa, Daniel López met with the Yanbaru Haruser Team and joined them on his first Sabani sailboat experience. Although the Sabani is a traditional fishing boat that supported the lives of the Okinawan people for generations, after the Second World War, boat engines became readily available and the number of Sabani quickly dwindled.

In seeing the Sabani boat-building and navigating skills becoming lost, people got together to find ways to bring back the Sabani. In the year 2000, the first Sabani Sail & Paddle Race took place, racing a distance of approximately 35 kilometers from Zamami Island to Naha. The launch of the annual race event, in part, brought about the succession of techniques from a handful of Sabani boat builders to the next generations, and the Sabani culture is now on track for revival. The Sabani sailboat experience is navigated by the men of the seas that are the driving force behind the revival of the Sabani, and each authentic tour offers different excitement depending on the day’s weather and sea conditions.