Okinawan music

A dichotomy widely accepted by Okinawan people is the separation of musical traditions into koten (classical) and min'yō (folk).

Musicologist Susumu Kumada added another category, "popular music", to describe songs that emerged after the kingdom was abolished in 1879.

[2][3][4] Traditionally seen as "low culture" by the samurai class, folk music gained positive evaluation with the rise of folkloristics led by Yanagita Kunio.

Since the kingdom was abolished, some members of the former samurai class spread Shuri-based high culture to other areas of Okinawa.

[citation needed] Eisā and kachāshī are Okinawan dances with specific music styles that accompany them.

The application of the term to Okinawan music is disfavored by people who see shima-uta as a regional brand of the Amami Islands.

Okinawan folk music is often accompanied by various taiko drums such as shime-daiko (締太鼓), hira-daiko (平太鼓), and pārankū (パーランクー).

Other percussion instruments such as sanba (三板), yotsutake (四つ竹) and hyōshigi (拍子木) can often be heard in Okinawan music.

Sanba are three small, flat pieces of wood or plastic that are used to make rapid clicking sounds, similar to castanets.

Also finger whistling called yubi-bue (指笛) is common in kachāshī and eisā dance tunes.