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.
- [For Children] Recommended Nursery Rhymes and Traditional Children’s Songs to Sing in April
- [Ryukyuan Music] Folk and Classical Music of the Ryukyu Islands
- [Traditional Performing Arts of Okinawa] A special feature on classic Eisa songs that make you want to dance
- Ranking of Popular Folk Songs
- Fukuoka’s folk songs and children’s rhymes: History and sentiments conveyed by the nostalgic melodies of home
- Children’s Songs You Can Sing in August: Summer-Friendly Kids’ Songs and Fingerplay Rhymes
- [Sea Nursery Rhymes] Fun children's songs themed around the sea
- [Parenting] Parent-child bonding! Hand-play songs and traditional nursery rhymes collection
- Recommended children's songs and hand play songs for October! Music time in childcare that feels like autumn.
- [Folk and Children's Songs of Hokkaido] Songs of Hokkaido that continue to be loved across generations
- Nostalgic Children’s Songs, Folk Songs, and Nursery Rhymes: The Heart of Japan Passed Down Through Song
- Nursery rhymes I want to sing in July: fun summer songs
- Beautiful Folk Songs Passed Down in Miyagi Prefecture: A Collection of Masterpieces that Play the Heart of the Hometown
Okinawan folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes: the heart of our hometown passed down in song (1–10)
Tinsagu FlowersMisako Koja
This is a didactic song, used as the departure melody at Kenchomae Station on the Okinawa Urban Monorail, that sings of lessons passed from Okinawan parents to their children.
Okinawan children grow up hearing this song from a young age; it is filled with a parent’s heart and the spirit of Okinawa.
By drawing on examples from Okinawa’s nature and everyday life, it conveys its message in a way that resonates deeply, and its heartfelt lyrics are especially appealing.
Akata ShuridenRimi Natsukawa
“Akata Shuri Dunchi,” also known as “Shiyapuu,” is sometimes sung as a hand-play song when soothing children.
This song is famous for the scene in the film “Hotel Hibiscus,” where Seijin Toguchi sings it while playing the sanshin up in a tree.
It is said to be one of the songs performed during Miroku faith festivals in the Akata area, the downtown district of Shuri.
It is also used as the departure melody at Shuri Station on the Okinawa Urban Monorail.
Asadoya YuntaNene’s
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.
Hello UncleShoukichi Kina
This was Shoukichi Kina’s debut song, composed when he was in high school.
The lyrics depict an exchange between a “boy (Kina)” and a “man from the neighborhood.” Based on Okinawan folk rhythms and scales, it’s a very bright, danceable piece and a pioneering work of so-called Uchinaa pop.
Milk MunariHiga Tatsumi
In Okinawa, this is a legendary song that absolutely everyone knows.
Among the pieces used for Eisa, the traditional Okinawan group dance, it’s one of the signature numbers.
The lyrics are in the local dialect, so the meaning might not come across, but it’s a very energetic and cool song.
Eisa uses drums, and together with the drums and Okinawan calls and shouts, it’s incredibly powerful.
Tōfun DoiRinken Band
This is a representative Kachāshī song.
It is performed almost without fail at events such as Eisa dances during the old Bon festival, banquets, and folk music taverns.
In the past, it was enjoyed as a fast-picked tune during ke-asobi, the leisure activities of young men and women.
It is also the departure melody at Tsubogawa Station on the Okinawa Urban Monorail.
Ittaa anmaa maa kaiga
A traditional Okinawan children’s song and lullaby that older siblings would sing to their younger brothers or sisters; in the past, it’s said that the older children would sing it while putting infants to sleep or soothing them.
Its gentle melody is perfect for a relaxed lullaby, but there’s also a version covered by MONGOL800 arranged as an intense hardcore number, so it might be fun to compare the two.