Popular Okinawan Songs: Artist Rankings [2026]

Ase-mizu FestivalOshiro Misako71rank/position

Okinawan folk song “Ashimizu-bushi (Asimizu-bushi)” by Misako Oshiro

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.

Irayoi Tsukiyo BeachOshima Yasukatsu72rank/position

Irayoi Tsukiyohama by Yasukatsu Oshima (guitar) Kantaro Uchida

This is an Okinawan song that evokes a sense of nostalgia.

It’s sung by Yasukatsu Oshima, a singer from Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture.

It was included on the 1993 album “Kitakaze Minamikaze” (“North Wind, South Wind”).

He was a high school classmate of BEGIN, one of Okinawa’s most renowned bands.

Through that connection, Higa Eisho handled the composition.

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Araki Jakkan

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the beautiful moonDaiku Tetsuhiro73rank/position

Tsuki no Bishya / Tetsuhiro Daiku (1995)

This is a nighttime lullaby sung in the Yaebama region.

It is a song praising the beauty of the moon, saying that the moon on the thirteenth night—before it becomes full—is the most beautiful.

The same is said of women: the lyrics “miyarabi kaisha to onanatsu (Onna warabi misha 17)” mean that a young woman around seventeen, not yet fully mature, is considered the most beautiful.

This song is used as the departure melody at Furujima Station on the Okinawa Urban Monorail.

No Woman, No CryDaitōjin74rank/position

No Woman, No Cry / Daito Jin

This is a cover of Bob Marley’s classic “No Woman, No Cry” in Uchināguchi (Okinawan).

The lyrics are completely different from the original and the song has been arranged as an Okinawan piece, which was extremely striking.

It is performed by three princesses from the Daitō Islands.

Basho-fu (traditional Okinawan banana-fiber cloth)Ota Rumi & Inami Isamu75rank/position

Okinawan Folk Song | Banana Fiber Cloth (Bashōfu) | Rumi Ota & Isamu Iha - Bashōfu (cover)

A song that is unusual for Okinawan folk music in that its lyrics are sung mainly in Japanese.

“Washita shima Uchinā” means “my island, Okinawa.” The title’s bashōfu (banana-fiber cloth) was commonly used for the clothing of ordinary people in Okinawa.

The piece is crafted to evoke an overall Okinawan atmosphere.

It is used as the departure melody at Gibo Station on the Okinawa Urban Monorail.

Women Workers’ DayWagōku Yoriko76rank/position

Yoriko Ganeko's 'Onna-kou-bushi' (The Female Factory Worker Song)

This is a song born in the midst of the Great Depression, just before the outbreak of the Pacific War.

At that time, especially in the Hanshin region, many young workers fled Okinawa’s food shortages and moved to the Japanese mainland.

In particular, women were used as cheap labor.

It is a sorrowful song about those women who left Okinawa and the harsh lives they endured on the mainland.

FamreutaShin Ara Yukito77rank/position

Yukito Aragusuku / Famureuta

This is the Okinawan lullaby “Famureuta.” It’s sung by Yukito Ara, a musician from Ishigaki Island, who is also well-known as the lead vocalist of the band Parsha Club.

His deep, resonant voice really touches the heart.

It’s a song you’ll want to listen to leisurely at night.

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Araki Jakkan

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Umui UtaKochi78rank/position

Takane Kochihira “Omoi Uta ~ Umui Uta” PV

A song by the musical duo Takane Kochihira and Yasuko Takahashi, who debuted in 2004.

“Umui” in the title refers to a traditional Okinawan song and is a word that means things like “romantic feelings” or “thoughts.” Their powerful vocals evoke the blue skies of Okinawa.

My heart is pounding with excitement.Kochinda Takane79rank/position

Sports Day Eisa: Choreography & Commentary ‘Chimudondon-don’

This work, whose title in the Okinawan dialect means “heart racing” or “feeling excited,” is one of Takane Kochihira’s signature songs in his musical career.

It’s a bright, rhythmic piece that brilliantly fuses elements of Okinawan folk music with pop, featuring an impressive, dynamic melody woven by the sound of the sanshin and a full band.

While honoring Okinawa’s traditional music, its contemporary arrangement brings out a fresh appeal, making it an ideal track for Eisa dances performed at school sports festivals.

ShimochidoriMatsuda Kazutoshi80rank/position

Okinawan folk song / Song from Okinawa Kazutoshi Matsuda — Shimochidori [Okinawa] [Okinawan music]

This is a song based on “Hamachidori,” known from Ryukyuan dance, arranged at an even slower tempo.

It’s a “nasake-uta,” with lyrics that express facets of life such as poignancy and helplessness.

This video features Okinawan folk singer Kazutoshi Matsuda.