Investigations into the history of karate

In the book 南島江戸時図誌 Nantō Edo toki-zu-shi [24] (1977) are several pieces of the 八重山風俗図 Yaeyama Fūzoku-zu, a collection of genre paintings from the end of the Ôfu period (15th century–1879). It is said that Nishi Tsuneo (西常央, 1848–1900), a native of Fukuoka who came to Okinawa in 1882 and held public offices in the prefecture, obtained this document between 1885 and 1890 during his tenure as head of Yaeyama Island Office. The Yaeyama Islands are an archipelago in the southwest of Okinawa Prefecture and include the islands of Ishigaki, Iriomote, Yonaguni and many others. This document is a valuable source of information on the customs of Yaeyama at the end of the 19th century. Okinawan kobudō is not my area of expertise, but at a first glance, this is what I consider an interesting glimpse into some Okinawan weapons arts performances of that period.