This is Okinawan entertainment!From traditional performing arts to rock music2013.01.

Okinawa has for a long time been blessed with unique local-flavored performing arts such as the approximately 600-year-old tradition of “Ryukyuan dances” and Okinawan folk songs called “shima-uta”. The region has also produce countless famous throughout Japan, including rock musicians influenced by American culture. Performances and live events are held somewhere in Okinawa every day, so there are plenty of opportunities to experience unique Okinawan entertainment.

Okinawan entertainment blending Ryukyu with the West

At the souvenir store across from the entrance to Makishi Public Market, which is referred to as “the kitchen of Naha”, a young man is playing the sanshin. An old lady tending to the next store along is singing a “shima-uta” (traditional Okinawan folk song) in tune with the tone of the sanshin. Traditional music is still rooted in the everyday scenery of Okinawa. In Okinawa City, formerly known as Koza City, there are many bars and clubs where live music performances are held. This town has a history of having many American inhabitants and it is the place in Japan where American culture has exerted the greatest influence. Out of this environment, Okinawa has produced countless musicians and artists who have gained popularity throughout Japan. Against this background can be found the history of traditional performing arts that began in the Ryukyu Period, as well as musical movements that have uniquely been developed in Okinawa.

Okinawa’s traditional performing arts

Okinawa’s traditional performing arts include folk entertainment handed down between the common people in villages and “imperial court entertainment” that was developed during the Ryukyu Kingdom Period. It is said that performance arts as folk customs originated as prayers to the gods for a bumper crop, and that songs and dances were adopted in ceremonies giving thanks for harvests. The sanshin was introduced as a stringed instrument from China in around the 14th to 15th centuries, and was established as a uniquely Okinawan form of folk entertainment.
Imperial court entertainment was born as a result of exchanges between the Ryukyu Kingdom and China, Japan, and countries in Southeast Asia. A dedicated position called “Udoibujo” was established within the Kingdom particularly in order to provide hospitality to the Chinese diplomatic unit known as the “Sappoushi”. At that time, the Ryukyu Kingdom treated public entertainment as having an important role in building friendly relations with foreign countries.

Beautiful dances and Okinawa-style musicals

Typical musical programs in Okinawa’s traditional performing arts are the “Ryukyuan dances” and the “Kumiodori”. Ryukyuan dances follow the flow of the Imperial Court dances, recalling the culture of the Ryukyu Kingdom with dancers wearing distinctively bright Okinawan costumes known as “bingata” as well as dazzling decorations. The “Kumiodori” is a drama that comprises spoken lines, singing and dancing. This has been influenced by traditional performing arts from the Japanese mainland, such as Noh, kyougen and kabuki. At the “National Theatre Okinawa”, you can see performances of traditional performing arts from Okinawa, such as Ryukyuan dances and the Kumiodori.

The “sanshin” - a musical instrument essential to Okinawa

The sanshin is a quintessentially Okinawan instrument essential for traditional performing arts as well as the folk songs that are rooted in the culture of the common people. In recent times it has also been used in rock and pop music. The spreading of folks songs sung during sanshin performances was due to a unique Okinawan custom known as “mouashibi”, which were like outdoor parties held in fields and on beaches where young people would gather to enjoy songs and dances. Although these events are not held today, Okinawa’s distinctively sociable culture has had a great influence on modern Okinawan music. The sanshin is widely available at musical instrument stores and souvenir shops within Naha City, and is popular as a souvenir.

Rock music born out of Okinawa

As Okinawa was formerly governed by the United States of America, a culture different from that of the Japanese mainland was born here. So-called “Okinwan rock” is a good example of this phenomenon. Young people in Okinawa were exposed to American music culture and started forming their own authentic rock bands in the 1960s, playing at local venues. The heartland of “Okinawan Rock” is Okinawa City. There are many music venues to be found in Okinawa City today, and these venues are bustling every night with a mixture of local residents, Americans living in Japan, and tourists. Live music performances in various genres, including dances and Eisa performances, are held at the “MUSIC TOWN OTO-ICHIBA” hall, which is run by Okinawa City.

Venues where you can hear Okinawan folk songs

Halls and music venues of various sizes, as well as venues where Okinawan folk songs can be heard, can be found around Naha City’s main Kokusai Dori street. “LIVE HOUSE Simauta” puts on regular performances by “Nēnēs”, an Okinawa music group that is popular nation-wide. The performance finale is an Okinawan dance known as the “Kachashi”, which sets the entire audience into a frenzy. Over at “Sakurazaka Theater”, a hall linked to a movie theater, various live music performances and events are held, sometimes featuring musicians who live in Okinawa.

“Kozalives” - free-of-charge live events

Various initiatives and events are held in the music-rich Okinawa City, including events held at the “Machinaka Explorer” and “Live House Circuit” venues. Performances by local artists and top-grade musicians can be enjoyed free of charge on weekdays and weekends alike. (Until end of March 2013)