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.
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Okinawan folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes: The heart of our homeland passed down in song (41–50)
Mimura DanceVivid Girl
It is said to be a song that sings about the three villages of Oroku, Tomigusuku, and Kakinohana.
It lists the place names and weaves in stories about local specialties unique to those areas.
Later, it was also performed under new names for three villages—Kamidomari, Tomari, and Moto-no-Tomari.
It is used as the departure melody at Oroku Station on the Okinawa Urban Monorail.
Okinawan folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes: The enduring heart of our hometown (51–60)
Tancha-mae BushiTink Tink
This is a song sung in the Tancha area of Onna Village in Okinawa Prefecture.
It begins with a comical exchange: “Schools of sururu (silver-stripe round herring) are swarming onto the beach in front of Tancha!” “No, those are yamato mizu-n (sardines)!” It goes on to depict the scene of men catching the fish and women going around to sell them, even conveying how the scent of fish lingers on the girls after they’ve made their sales.
It is used as the departure melody at Naha Airport Station on the Okinawa Urban Monorail.
Thank youMorikata Maekawa
“Kanasandō” means “my beloved.” It’s also used to mean “I love you.” From the chorus lyrics, you can feel a warmth that leads to eternal love.
Mamoru Maekawa is always cheerful.
In Okinawa he’s affectionately known by the nickname “Gen-chan,” and this is a song that truly reflects Gen-chan, who was loved by the people of Okinawa.
Ase-mizu FestivalMisako 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.
Hiyamikachi-bushiSeijin Noborikawa
“Hiyamikachi” means something like “Alright, let’s fire ourselves up!” It’s a song filled with the desire to rally Okinawa and its people, who were devastated by the Battle of Okinawa.
Today it’s known as a leading example of fast-picked Okinawan folk songs, but it originally had a slow tempo.
During the folk music boom, it seems to have gotten faster and faster.
It’s fun to sing and fun to listen to, making it one of the songs that many beginners on the sanshin aspire to play.
Seibumon-bushiSadao Chinami & Yasuko Miyazato
Seibumon refers to the entrance to the Tsuji district, where a red-light quarter once existed.
In the Tsuji area, prostitution and social gatherings took place, and at that time human trafficking also occurred, with children from poor rural areas being sold there.
These girls were called “juri,” and they trained in the performing arts of song and sanshin, developing new songs and advancing their sanshin techniques.
The song Seibumun-bushi is about a Shuri official and a courtesan.
Nariyama AyaguMiwa Yonashiro
This is a representative folk song of Miyako Island.
It is a didactic song in which a wife offers guidance to her husband as he sets off on a journey.
Because of its broad-minded content, it is said to reflect the generous nature of the people of Miyako, and it has many fans not only among locals but more widely as well.
Its place of origin is the Sunakawa and Tomori areas of Gusukube Town, where it has been passed down through the generations.