Popular Okinawan Songs Ranking [2026]

Tōfun Doi15rank/position

Chinese ship, hey!

Tōshin Doi weaves a distinctly Okinawan melody with the rhythmic sounds of the sanshin.

This song is a folk tune handed down since ancient times in Okinawa, and it is such a popular Ryukyuan folk piece that people say your body starts dancing the moment it plays.

The rapid-fire sanshin feels exhilarating, and the song is performed as a celebratory finale in Eisa.

Its lyrics rejoice in and celebrate the arrival of Chinese trade ships—Tōshin—from the Tang lands with which Okinawa once traded, depicting the excitement of the local people at the time.

Even today, it remains a traditional number performed at banquets and festive occasions.

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nikki

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Across timeHY16rank/position

Todaiji Temple Music Stage - Transcending Time - HY - 2010/11/03 - Eisa - World Heritage

This is a song that HY created with heartfelt care, inspired by the lessons on the preciousness of peace passed down from grandparents who experienced war.

By incorporating traditional instruments such as the sanshin and eisa drums, along with English chorus parts, the piece achieves a modern arrangement.

It was included on the album “Whistle,” released in January 2010, and later selected as the theme song for an NHK documentary in August of the same year.

By adopting it as an eisa performance piece, it becomes a work that conveys the importance of peace through traditional performing arts.

It is also ideal for children’s performances at sports days and is used as educational material to share Okinawan culture and prayers for peace.

Kudaka Manju-shu17rank/position

Lyric Commentary: Introduction to an Eisa Song - 'Kudaka Manjushu' [Tokyo Nakano Ward Shimpū Eisa]

Kudaka Manju-shu, also known as “Kūdākā,” is an Okinawan folk song often used in Eisa.

It depicts people teasingly spreading the word that the manju-shu of Kudaka is looking for a lover, and how those around them get drawn into the commotion.

From there, the story develops into going from house to house to receive offerings of sake, and the lively atmosphere comes through in the interjections as well.

This image of visiting homes to receive sake is said to overlap with the origins of Eisa, which involved traveling around regions as a form of dancing nembutsu, and the song has become a staple of Eisa.

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kappamaki

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Ryukyu Love SongMONGOL80018rank/position

Ryukyu Love Song

When it comes to rock bands from Okinawa that are indispensable to today’s rock scene, it has to be MONGOL800! This song, included on their classic 2001 release MESSAGE, carries a wish for anti-war and a hope that everyone can live in peace.

While it’s a strongly rock-flavored track—with heavily distorted guitars and drums pounding out an intense beat—it ultimately comes together as a song that conveys kindness and warmth throughout.

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Hane Keisuke

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Uguiutakariyushi 5819rank/position

Kariyushi58 “Uku i Uta”

This song, whose title means “a song to give” in the Okinawan language, was released by Kariyushi 58 in April 2009.

It carries an encouraging message to a friend striving toward their dreams, with warm, heartfelt lyrics that resonate deeply.

Also chosen as the ending theme for TV Kanagawa’s “MUSIC B.B.,” the track captivates with its unique sound that fuses Okinawan traditional music and rock.

The lyrics, which sing of those who leave their hometowns to chase their dreams and of those who watch over loved ones, convey a universal message that anyone can relate to.

It’s a recommended song for times when you want to feel the bonds of friendship and a longing for home.

Okinawan People User Guideponī tēru ribon20rank/position

Okinawan User Manual / Kana Nishino (Male Version) Theme song for the film “No Longer Heroine”

This is the Okinawan version of Kana Nishino’s famous song “Torisetsu.” It’s performed by the music duo Ponytail Ribbons.

Just a change in language can completely transform the impression, can’t it? If you’re from Okinawa, it might resonate with you even more than the original.

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Araki Jakkan

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Asadoya YuntaNēnēzu21rank/position

Asadoya Yunta by The NENES

It is a song from Taketomi Town on Ishigaki Island that is famous nationwide.

It is said that the Yui-uta (binding song) became a Yunta, and it is believed to have been linked with songs sung during rice planting done through mutual aid, resulting in Asadoya Yunta.

The lyrics humorously depict interactions between a beautiful woman from Taketomi Island and an official dispatched to Yaeyama by the royal government.

It is also the departure melody at Asato Station on the Okinawa Urban Monorail.