Okinawan folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes: the heart of our hometown passed down through song.
Doesn’t Okinawan music have a unique vibe that many people love?
In Okinawa, a distinct culture has been nurtured over a long period of time.
As a result, the unique resonance of the Ryukyuan scale combined with lyrics in the Okinawan dialect gives the music a charm unlike any other.
In this article, we’ll introduce plenty of folk songs and children’s songs that have been passed down from adults to children for generations in Okinawan music.
Listen to the songs we’re about to share, and carry on the spirit of Okinawa in song yourself.
- Nursery rhymes perfect for April: A collection of classic spring songs that capture the season
- [Ryukyuan Music] Folk and Classical Music of the Ryukyu Islands
- [Traditional Performing Arts of Okinawa] A special feature on classic Eisa songs that make you want to dance
- A classic song in the Okinawan dialect, Uchinaaguchi
- Ranking of Popular Folk Songs
- Fukuoka’s folk songs and children’s rhymes: History and sentiments conveyed by the nostalgic melodies of home
- Recommended children's songs and hand play songs for October! Music time in childcare that feels like autumn.
- Children’s Songs You Can Sing in August: Summer-Friendly Kids’ Songs and Fingerplay Rhymes
- [Sea Nursery Rhymes] Fun children's songs themed around the sea
- [Parenting] Parent-child bonding! Hand-play songs and traditional nursery rhymes collection
- Nostalgic Children’s Songs, Folk Songs, and Nursery Rhymes: The Heart of Japan Passed Down Through Song
- [Folk and Children's Songs of Hokkaido] Songs of Hokkaido that continue to be loved across generations
- Nursery rhymes I want to sing in July: fun summer songs
Okinawan folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes: the heart of our homeland passed down through song (21–30)
NaakuniMasao Uehara & Masahiko Uehara
Nākuni is often called the “chanson of Okinawa” and is a renowned song representing the main island of Okinawa.
Alongside the Miyako folk song “Tūganī” and the Yaeyama folk song “Tubarāma,” it is also one of Okinawa’s signature songs.
It is said that you make it your own only after singing it a thousand times, and although mastering Nākuni is considered difficult, it is a song that is widely sung despite its difficulty.
Yui-YuiYamakawa Mayumi
It’s a song that was aired around 1992 on “Hirake! Ponkikki.” It’s memorable for an Okinawan girl singing while riding a sabani, a traditional Okinawan boat.
The word “yuimaaru,” which appears many times in the song, is an Okinawan dialect term that means cooperation and mutual help.
Scenes reflecting that idea also appear in the song, and although it was used in a children’s program, it’s a song that reminds us that people live by helping one another.
Okinawan folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes: The enduring heart of our homeland (31–40)
Futami Love StoryKazumi Tamaki, Takeshi Yamauchi
It is said to have been composed by Teruya Chōbin, who had taken refuge in northern Okinawa during the Battle of Okinawa, in praise of the nature and warmth of the people of Futami who cared for him.
The song features a Yamato-style melody, which is rare in Okinawan folk music.
A monument with the lyrics has been erected at the Futami Community Center in Futami, Nago City, and the piece is also well known as a staple enjoyed as a male-female call-and-response in folk music taverns.
Ase-mizu FestivalOshiro Misako
With its very rhythmic melody, it has been loved by many and continues to be sung today as a didactic song.
Reflecting a time of poverty, it conveys the greatness of work, the importance of providing children with an education, and the significance of working for the benefit of others.
Nariyama AyaguMiwa Yonashiro
This is a representative folk song of Miyako Island.
It is a didactic song in which a wife offers guidance to her husband as he sets off on a journey.
Because of its broad-minded content, it is said to reflect the generous nature of the people of Miyako, and it has many fans not only among locals but more widely as well.
Its place of origin is the Sunakawa and Tomori areas of Gusukube Town, where it has been passed down through the generations.
Noboru JahanaKina Shoukichi
Shōkichi Kina was strongly influenced by one of Okinawa’s great figures.
After reading the biography of Sho Jahana, Shōkichi was deeply moved by this predecessor who fought against authority for the sake of Okinawa.
Jahana safeguarded Okinawan identity, kept Okinawa in his thoughts until his death, and left achievements in the Freedom and People’s Rights Movement, agricultural policy, and overseas emigration.
This is a song about Sho Jahana.
Flower ThoughtsHoriuchi Kanako
Kanako Horiuchi, a Hokkaido native who sings Okinawan folk songs, sets off on a round-the-world journey with her sanshin on her back to introduce Okinawan folk music.
This song was born from a collaboration she encountered on that journey with the kora, a Senegalese instrument.
Her activities are driven not only by singing Okinawan folk songs, but also by a desire to bring them overseas.