![[Ryukyuan Music] Folk and Classical Music of the Ryukyu Islands](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/bVWZfXWwBmU/maxresdefault.webp)
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.
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[Ryukyuan Music] Folk and Classical Music of Ryukyu (1–10)
Daughter JintoyoWagōku Yoriko
Yoriko Gajumaru has been on stage since she was 10 and made her debut in 1977.
The song she released in 1978 became a huge hit.
It’s said that this song has relatively few Okinawan dialect lyrics and is easier to understand, but it’s still hard to grasp, isn’t it? By the way, “Jintoyō” is a chant meaning something like “That’s true,” “Yeah, that’s right,” or “Indeed.”
Nankuru Songrinken bando
Rinken Band is an Okinawan pop group formed in 1977 that debuted in 1987.
They have continually released music that fuses Okinawan instruments such as the sanshin and island drums with modern instruments.
“Nankuru” is an Okinawan word meaning “things will work out somehow.” In addition to their original songs, they also perform traditional Okinawan pieces arranged in the distinctive Rinken Band style.
Hello UncleKina Shōkichi & Chanpurūzu
One of Okinawa’s most prominent artists, Shoukichi Kina, released this as his debut song, which he is said to have written when he was in middle school.
The “uncle” who appears in the song supposedly became the way he is because of tragic experiences in the war, and behind the cheerful melody lies a deep wish for peace.
Ken Shimura’s “Weird Uncle,” sung in one of his comedy sketches, is a very famous parody of this song.
Akata Shuriden
This song is said to be a children’s tune that was sung during the Miroku-Umuke (Mīrukū Unkee) festival in Akata, Shuri, Naha City, Okinawa, a ceremony centered around the Ishikawa family since the Ryukyu Kingdom era.
Although it died out in the early Showa period, it began to be sung again in 1994.
It was also broadcast on NHK Educational TV as one of the children’s songs known nationwide, so some of you may have heard it.
Kagiya-de Fūbushi
Among Ryukyuan classical music, this is a well-known standard piece.
It is a celebratory song often performed at festive occasions such as weddings.
The lyrics are, of course, written in the Okinawan dialect and express the joy of a happy event.
Onna-bushi
It is based on a poem by Onna Nabe, a female poet from the Ryukyu Kingdom era.
After seeing a posted notice that said “Do not leave the village,” issued to secure tax revenue and labor, she criticizes the government of the time by essentially saying, “Surely they can’t mean to forbid me from going to see my lover outside the village, can they?”
Naka Fu-bushi
One of the classical pieces of Ryukyuan folk music, songs that use a 5-7-8-6 or 5-5-8-6 syllabic pattern, as opposed to the Ryuka form of 8-8-8-6, are called naka-uta (middle songs).
There is also a theory that they are called naka-uta because they represent a compromise between the Ryuka form and the Waka form.
This piece suggests that, since ancient times, there has been exchange with the Japanese mainland, and that various cultures blended together in the creation of Ryukyuan folk music.