[Ryukyuan Music] Folk and Classical Music of the Ryukyu Islands
When it comes to Ryukyuan folk songs, the simple sanshin accompaniment, the drum rhythms, and the distinctive Ryukyuan vocal style really leave an impression! With just a little listening, you can tell it’s traditional Okinawan music—its presence is deeply tied to a culture that has developed in its own unique way.
I’d like to introduce Ryukyuan folk music, which you could say is filled with the roots of Okinawa! I’ll cover a wide range—from songs often called Okinawan pop that incorporate elements of traditional folk music, to the classical repertoire known as Ryukyuan classical music that was performed in the Ryukyu Kingdom.
These are timeless masterpieces that sing of the Ryukyuan spirit passed down for hundreds of years.
- Okinawan folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes: the heart of our hometown passed down through song.
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- A classic Japanese folk song passed down through generations of acoustic performances
[Ryukyuan Music] Folk and Classical Music of Ryukyu (1–10)
Tōfun Doi
This piece is a representative Ryukyuan folk song known as a kachāshī, featuring rapid sanshin playing.
It is one of the most popular songs in Ryukyuan folk music, sung by many artists, a standard finale for Eisa performances, and also a celebratory song.
“Tōshin Dōi” is said to mean “A trading ship from China has arrived.” It’s a song that evokes the old days of the Ryukyu Islands.
Sanzan-bushi
It is one of the pieces of Ryukyuan classical music and possesses the most sorrowful musical character.
The lyrics mean: “Whether this is truly real or not, my heart is stunned, as if I had been dreaming and then awoke in shock.” Along with Hisesu-ji, Komochi-bushi, Nakakaji-bushi, and Jukkai-bushi, it is a representative solo piece in the Ni-age mode.
In kumiodori (classical Ryukyuan dance-drama), it is often used in scenes depicting the sad parting of mother and child, or to express a person’s heart pushed to the depths of despair.
Akata Fu-bushi
Long ago, there was a married couple.
The wife found a job, but because it was limited to unmarried women, she lied that she was single and took the position.
There, she caught the king’s eye and became one of his ladies-in-waiting.
The husband learned of this, but could no longer bring himself to reveal that they were married.
Instead, he secretly slipped in from Akatamon to Uchihara to meet her in secret.
Before long, even those clandestine meetings became impossible, and it is said that the husband composed this poem expressing his feelings for his wife.
It could be called an ancient love song, one that sings of a helpless, heartrending love.
[Ryukyuan Music] Ryukyuan Folk and Classical Music (11–20)
Akamabushi
This is a folk song from Yaeyama in Okinawa.
In Yaeyama, it is performed as a celebratory song at New Year and on festive occasions.
The song tells the story of a renowned horse named Akama, owned by the Yaeyama official Oshiro Shiban.
The king of Ryukyu desires the horse and orders it to be presented to him, but the horse resists and the official is about to be punished.
Moved by the bond of trust between the official and the horse, the king returns the horse.
ShimochidoriYamazato Yuki
A piece based on the dance tune “Hamachidori,” affectionately known as “Chijuyaa.” It has a more relaxed tempo than “Hamachidori.” The lyrics describe a lament over life’s impermanence, contrasting the freely flying birds with the singer’s own situation: “I am bound by obligation, unable to speak my mind, and can do nothing but dwell on my thoughts.” At first listen, the gentle melody may seem calming, but in fact it conveys such a heartrending sentiment.
It seems there are many other pieces inspired by “Hamachidori” as well.
Tancha-mae Bushi
It is said to be a song composed about 250 years ago to welcome the Ryukyu king who stopped by Manzamo.
Many of you may have heard the lyrics “Tancha Mashimashi.” The master dancer Morishige Tamagusuku is said to have choreographed this piece in the late 1880s.
It depicts a man catching fish and a woman putting the fish into a basket, carrying it on her head, and peddling it.
Milk Munari
This song is a representative piece of Okinawan Eisa.
It was released in 1993 by Hidakatsu, a leading figure of the Okinawan progressive sound born on Taketomi Island in the Yaeyama Islands.
“Miruku” comes from Miroku (Maitreya), and “Munari” is said to derive from the Indonesian word for “dance.” Though it is an Okinawan song, it evokes a borderless Asian musical sensibility.
It’s a very powerful, energetic piece.