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.

Playlist

Okinawan folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes: the heart of our hometown passed down through song.
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	Tinsagu FlowersKojya Misako		Okinawan moral lesson songs are used as departure melodies
2	Hello UncleKina Shoukichi		Shoukichi Kina’s debut song from his high school days
3	Akata ShuridenNatsukawa Rimi		Departure melody at Shuri Station based on a traditional Okinawan hand-play song
4	Asadoya YuntaNēnēzu		A folk song depicting an exchange between a Taketomi Island beauty and a government official
5	Milk MunariHii de Katsu		A representative song of Okinawan traditional dance, Eisa
6	Tōfun Doirinken bando		A folk song from Okinawa that is danced during the old Bon Festival
7	Ittaa anmaa maa kaiga		Arrange an Okinawan traditional lullaby in a hardcore style
8	sensory clauseNakasone Hajime		The Sensuru-bushi is a traditional performing art in which Okinawan folk songs are sung with dialect mixed in.
9	AkamabushiŌshiro Shiban		A song celebrating the return of the king’s prized horse
10	Festival of Celebrationotome tsubaki		“Iwai-bushi” is a song imbued with wishes for those suffering in this world.
11	Naa-minaa-mi wanwacha-kuri		An Okinawan children's song where kids frolic with the waves by the seaside
12	Fūyubemā		A children’s song from Okinawa used for hand games that points to fingers in order
13	Kunigami JintōyōKadekaru Rinshō		Valuing one’s mindset in Yanbaru
14	HarikyamakUema Ayano		Harikuyamaku is an Okinawan folk song for dancing kachāshī.
15	Sea ChimbōrāNakasone Hajime		A folk song from Ie Island that changed in Naha
16	Ufumuraudun		An Okinawan lullaby. Soothe a crying child with scary lyrics.
17	tinglingInami Akito		An Okinawan folk song themed around fireflies
18	the beautiful moonDaiku Tetsuhiro		The moon on the thirteenth night is the most beautiful.
19	Bangamuri		Miyakojima’s lullaby “Bangamuri.”
20	Kana Yo-bushiTerukina Chōichi		Traditional lyrics in Okinawan Ryukyuan dance that call to a loved one
21	Uwaki-bushiKina Shouki & Kina Tetsuko		Comically expressing a wife's anger toward her cheating husband
22	Yuito of the WindHii de Katsu		Hidetaka Hiizuru is composing an Eisa song.
23	Yo, Kana yoOshiro Misako		A playground song sung at an outdoor poetry gathering in Okinawa
24	TubaramaKakihana Kenya		Tubarama is a representative song of Yaeyama folk music.
25	Tinsagu Flowers		An Okinawan folk song that engraves parents’ teachings in the heart
26	Ichubi measuresuizu asu		A poignant song of a woman who falls in love over strawberries
27	Song of the Gutlessyohen aiko		The shape of love that changes over time
28	NaakuniMasao Uehara & Masahiko Uehara		A challenging yet beloved classic that represents Okinawa
29	Yui-YuiYamakawa Mayumi		Depicting the spirit of mutual aid in Okinawa
30	Futami Love StoryKazumi Tamaki, Takeshi Yamauchi		A folk song created by Okinawa War evacuees in gratitude for the kindness of Futami
31	Tinsagu FlowersNatsukawa Rimi		Rimi Natsukawa covers the Okinawan lesson song
32	Noboru JahanaKina Shoukichi		Noboru Jahana, leader of the Freedom and People’s Rights Movement in Okinawa
33	Flower ThoughtsHoriuchi Kanako		A journey to spread Okinawan folk songs to the world
34	The Pattern of LifeDaiku Tetsuhiro		Fusion of Yaeyama folk music and world music
35	Poem of the HeartWagōku Yoriko		A heartwarming folk song with the theme of love
36	Annual Events KudokiTeruya Rinsuke		A pop song for learning about Okinawa’s traditional events in a fun way
37	Nineteen SpringsTabata Yoshio		A youthful love song of Okinawan folk music
38	Kaze no DonanNishidomari Shigemasa		The low-resonating songs of Yonaguni Island
39	Ichubi measures		An Okinawan folk song about going to pick strawberries while thinking of the man she loves.
40	Katami-bushi		A celebratory song from Okinawan traditional folk music, sung at weddings and the like.
41	Surti East-sai		An Okinawan folk song that portrays a yearning toward the east
42	Tenyo-bushi		The Okinawan folk song Tenyo-bushi is a staple song for Eisa during Obon.
43	Tōfun Doi		Introduction to the Okinawan folk song 'Kachāshī Tōsundoi'
44	Asadoya Yunta		Asadoya Yunta is a traditional folk song of Okinawa.
45	Umiya color		A romantic love song from Okinawan folk music
46	Flower windmill		An Okinawan folk song that expresses the rotation of a pinwheel
47	Bountiful Harvest Dance		The representative song of the Okinawan folk dance Kachāshī, Hōnen Ondo
48	play yardMaekawa Morikata		Introduction to signature songs by Okinawan folk singers
49	Chin-nuku jūshīFour Sisters		Singing about nostalgic family scenes of Okinawa
50	Mimura Danceari ari musume		A folk song praising the specialty products of Mimura
51	Tancha-mae Bushitinkutinku		A folk song depicting scenes of fishing in the Tancha region
52	Thank youMaekawa Morikata		Kanasandō sings of eternal love.
53	Ase-mizu FestivalOshiro Misako		Beloved as a rhythmic didactic song
54	Hiyamikachi-bushiNoborikawa Seijin		Hiyamikachi, an encouraging folk song of Okinawa
55	Seibumon-bushiChimei Sadao & Miyazato Yasuko		The entrance of the red-light district and the history of prostitutes
56	Nariyama AyaguMiwa Yonashiro		A Miyakojima folk song in which a wife gives a lesson to her husband
57	Flower windmillKuwae Tomoko		Kajimaya, a folk song beloved in Okinawa
58	Yaka BushiChimei Sadao		A war song from Okinawa originating in a prisoner-of-war facility
59	ShimochidoriMatsuda Kazutoshi		A sentimental song with a slow arrangement of Hamachidori
60	Suri East-bushi		Suri-higashi-bushi is an Okinawan folk song suited for Eisa
61	Kudaka Manju-shu		An Okinawan folk song that shifts from searching for a lover to begging for alcohol
62	Basho-fu (traditional Okinawan banana-fiber cloth)Ota Rumi & Inami Isamu		A Japanese folk song that captures the atmosphere of Okinawa
63	Women Workers’ DayWagōku Yoriko		A sad song of women who work, from Okinawa to the mainland
64	DanjukaruyushiTsunami Tsunenori		An Okinawan phrase praying for safe voyages
65	Nakazun Nagare		An energetic traditional song from Okinawan folk music