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Exploration of the Southern Islands was the result of a comprehensive survey conducted in Okinawa on the eve of the Sino-Japanese War. Commissioned by the Home Ministry to promote the sugar industry in the southern islands, Sasamori Gisuke recorded his daily observations on the social and economic life of Japan’s newest prefecture. His work must be understood as a part of the government’s efforts to control these territories and populations, but if it is still known today, this is due to the fact that modern ethnologists like Yanagita Kunio saw in Sasamori a pioneer of their discipline. This paper aims to reconsider Sasamori’s diary in order to shed light on his motivations and the context in which he wrote.