There are many kinds of Okinawan music and dance. There are four basic types of traditional dance: classical styles created during the time of the Ryukyu Kingdom to entertain envoys from China; popular dances that appeared after the Ryukyu Kingdom was renamed Okinawa in 1879; modern dances composed by dancers since World War II; and folk dances passed down from generation to generation in different regions of the prefecture.
These Ryukyuan dances are performed to the accompaniment of ryuka, a type of poem composed of two lines of 8-8-8-6 syllables each, and the sanshin. Okinawan children learn how to play the sanshin from their parents and grandparents while they are very small.
The sanshin was brought to Okinawa from China around the end of the fourteenth or the beginning of the fifteenth century. The unique Ryukyuan musical scale is very similar to the Indonesian scale, so many people think that it was probably brought to Okinawa from Southeast Asia. You could say that famous pop stars who were born in Okinawa, such as Namie Amuro, MAX, and Da Pump, are continuing the spirit and traditions of Ryukyuan culture.
