Otōri


Otōri is a drinking custom in Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The custom involves one person offering a toast to each of several other people in a round.

Custom

This group ritual involves people sitting in a circle. One person, the oya, makes a speech related to the particular celebration or ceremony being observed, filling his own glass with alcohol, usually an Okinawan distilled beverage called awamori, and drains it. The oya then moves the circle and pours awamori for everyone. After that he makes a short closing speech and choose another oya to start the next round.

History

Similar group rituals involving sake were once practiced across Japan. However, because the consumption of sake itself was limited to auspicious occasions, the popularization of otōri happened relatively recently. It is said that multi-turn ōtori started only after Okinawa Prefecture returned to Japan in 1972. Another popularized drinking ritual called Yoron kenpō can be found on Yoron Island, Kagoshima Prefecture.
The word otōri was used by Miyako's northern neighbor, Ryūkyū on Okinawa Island. As part of New Year's rituals, the king offered awamori to the royal family members, and the highest-ranking officials called sanshikan.
In the 1980s, otōri became popular in Miyako Island, Okinawa Prefecture.
Otōri is seen as a root cause of alcohol-related health problems in Miyako. In 2005, Miyako Health Authority started issuing ōtori cards, red cards and yellow cards, with which people were supposed to decline the offer more easily.

Footnotes