Noguni Sokan is the father of the sweet potato in okinawa. Born in Noguni Village (now a part of Kadena Town), he introduced the plant to okinawa in 1605, when he returned from Fukien, China as part of the Ryukyuan mission to Peking. During his stay in southern China he learned the technique of planting the sweet potato, and brought back some of the tubers to plant at his home village.

Shinjo Gima, a resident of Mawashi Village concerned with agricultural development, heard of Noguni’s activities and encouraged other farmers to cultivate the plant. In fifteen years, the sweet potato had sprouted out all over the Ryukyu Islands.

Before the introduction of the sweet potato, many Okinawans died of starvation because of drought and loss of crops from typhoons. At other times, the harvest of rice or other grains was poor. The hardy sweet potato came to the rescue.

In 1698, King Sho Tei of the Ryukyuan Kingdom presented the sweet potato to the Lord of Satsuma in Kyushu, although before the royal gift was taken north, a man named Konyo Aoki had already brought the sweet potato to mainland Japan. At one time they were called Ryukyu potatoes, but today the common name is Satsuma potato.

The older people of okinawa used to bring potatoes to school for lunch, but the younger generation had lost touch with this tradition as the abundance and variety of articles to eat has increased after the war. Recently the sweet potato has gained rebirth because of its nutritional value. It is now popularly sold and is more expensive than rice or bread.

Kadena Town recognizes Noguni Sokan’s contribution every year with a festival held in October.