Sketches of Myahk (2012)

Overview

A powerful documentary about the ancient songs that have been sung and passed down from generation to generation, and the people who pass them on! The fire of the rituals has been passed down from person to person for centuries, and the tsukasamma (divine maidens) offer up the 'divine song' with their wishes for life. 90+ year old women travel to Tokyo to sing the 'divine song' with all their might to a concert hall full of people. The director, Koichi Onishi, follows the hidden rituals of the island and stays close to the old people who knew the time when life, faith and song were one, vividly projecting the miraculous island of Myaak, where the original life still remains. Miyako Island, Okinawa - Myaak. We are struck by the shock that such a rich world existed, and by a strange nostalgia.