HONOLULU (HI Now) - “Pigs from the Sea” is a story of seven men from Hawai’i who transported 550 pigs that were purchased in mainland U.S. and taken by sea to Okinawa after the World War II’s Battle of Okinawa. According to Okinawan government records, the pig population dropped from more than 100,000 pigs before the war to a little under 800 afterward.
Jon Itomura learned through photos that his grandfather, Shinyei Shimabukuro, helped take 300-pound-plus pigs aboard a U.S. military vessel. His grandfather was a key player in a post-World War II recovery effort known as Pigs from the Sea.
It’s important to continue telling these stories to future generations. These stories are the roots of the strong bond between Hawaii and Okinawa. In Hawaii, we have these kinds of bonds with a multitude of ethnicities and that’s what makes our island state so beautiful. That’s what the Okinawan Festival is about. And that’s why, every year, the theme is “Sharing Uchinanchu Aloha.”
For more information on how to buy tickets to the 2024 Okinawan Festival, visit www.okinawanfestival.com
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