The first governor dispatched to Okinawa, Naoyoshi Nabeshima, instituted policies to quickly bring the culture and language into line with standards in Japan. For this reason, Okinawa Teachers' School was established in 1880, the year following the establishment of the prefecture. It was the first such school in Okinawa. As reorganization progressed modern education was introduced through the Okinawa Prefectural elementary and junior high schools.
Initially school attendance was low due to resistance to Japanese rule. In 1887 attendance by girls was permitted. During the Sino-Japanese War attendance remained low at 30% but from the Russo-Japanese War until 1927 attendance steadily rose toward the 99% mark.
By 1900, junior high school education was effected for girls. Public and private schools for girls, vocational schools, and medical training schools were established. However higher education systems, senior high schools and universities were not established and so the leadership level of Okinawan natives did not progress.
The number of young people aiming for careers in academics by traveling to the mainland for higher education gradually increased. Of particular note is the scholar Fuyu Iha who put the highest priority on research concerning the original qualities of Okinawan culture in an age when the rush was to throw aside those practices to conform to Japanese standards.
He protested the discriminatory education against Okinawa in junior high school and continually searched for "a way to live and be Okinawan." After quitting school he went to Tokyo University and studied linguistics, conducting research on the Omoro-soushi, the ancient compilation of ballads and song from the Okinawa and Amami Islands. Not active only in the field of linguistics, he also studied history as well as ethnic studies and conducted comprehensive research on Okinawa throughout his life. Starting with his first book "Koryukyu" (The Ancient Ryukyus) published in 1911, he penned numerous writings on Okinawa related subjects and has since been called the "Father of Okinawan Studies".
Other great scholars from Okinawa included Kanjun Higashionna who wrote "Nanto Fudoki" (Topography of the Southern Islands) as well as Toso Miyara who conducted thorough linguistic studies of all the dialects in Japan. There were others as well that have left behind an impressive body of research that has stimulated studies on Okinawa.
