Okinawan music is the music associated with the Okinawa Islands of southwestern Japan. In modern Japan, it may also refer to the musical traditions of Okinawa Prefecture, which covers the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands in addition to the Okinawa Islands. It has it ...
and
shima-uta
is a genre of songs originating from the Amami Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture of southwestern Japan. It became known nationwide in the 2000s with the success of young pop singers from Amami Ōshima such as Hajime Chitose and Atari Kōsuke.
N ...
scene, as a performer on the
sanshin
The is an Okinawan and Amami Islands musical instrument and precursor of the mainland Japanese (). Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings.
Origins
Its close resemblance in both appearance ...
,
min'yō
, ''Nihon min'yō'', Japanese ''min'yō'' or Japanese folk music is a genre of traditional Japanese music.
Characteristics
Styles
Many ''min'yō'' are connected to forms of work or to specific trades and were originally sung between work ...
folk singer, song-writer, and producer, having been responsible in 1990 for the formation of the
Nēnēs Nēnēs (ネーネーズ) is an Okinawan folk music group formed in 1990 by China Sadao (知名定男).
Biography
China Sadao was born in
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders Saga Prefecture to the southwest, Kumamo ...
in 1945, the family moving to
Amagasaki
270px, Amagasaki Castle
270px, Aerial view of Amagasaki city center
270px, Amagasaki Station
is an industrial city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 455,555 in 223812 households, and a population de ...
in
Hyōgo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, ...
in 1951. His father, , a musician from
Okinawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest cit ...
, had moved from Okinawa in search of work, making a living in a
spinning
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
mill and by gathering scrap metal from drainage ditches. As a young child, Sadao disliked the nostalgic
shima-uta
is a genre of songs originating from the Amami Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture of southwestern Japan. It became known nationwide in the 2000s with the success of young pop singers from Amami Ōshima such as Hajime Chitose and Atari Kōsuke.
N ...
performed by his father and tried to suppress his
uchināguchi
The Okinawan language (, , , ) or Central Okinawan, is a Northern Ryukyuan language spoken primarily in the southern half of the island of Okinawa, as well as in the surrounding islands of Kerama, Kumejima, Tonaki, Aguni and a number of smal ...
dialect; he would later recall his embarrassment when his father appeared at an athletics meet with a
sanshin
The is an Okinawan and Amami Islands musical instrument and precursor of the mainland Japanese (). Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings.
Origins
Its close resemblance in both appearance ...
and
taiko
are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming ...
. Nevertheless, he performed in folk songs and dances together with his parents, and in 1951 made his first recording, of the song , on the . In 1957, father and son returned to Okinawa, where Sadao began his studies, at his father's recommendation, as an ''
uchi-deshi
is a Japanese term for a live-in student/apprentice who trains under and assists a sensei on a full-time basis. The system exists in
''kabuki'', ''rakugo'', ''shogi'', '' igo'', '' aikido'', ''sumo'', ''karate'' and other modern Japanese mart ...
'' with
Okinawan music is the music associated with the Okinawa Islands of southwestern Japan. In modern Japan, it may also refer to the musical traditions of Okinawa Prefecture, which covers the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands in addition to the Okinawa Islands. It has it ...
ian Noborikawa Seijin. That same year he made his official debut recording, at the age of twelve, with a performance of the
min'yō
, ''Nihon min'yō'', Japanese ''min'yō'' or Japanese folk music is a genre of traditional Japanese music.
Characteristics
Styles
Many ''min'yō'' are connected to forms of work or to specific trades and were originally sung between work ...
. In 1963, after meeting composer
Tsuneo Fukuhara
Tsuneo Fukuhara (; 14 November 1932 – 1 November 2022) was a Japanese composer and record producer.
Life and career
Born in Osaka, Fukuhara was the adoptive son of composer and record producer . He spent his early life in Okinawa, and stud ...
, he began to study Western classical music and the classical guitar. His career lasting over sixty years, in December 2020 he performed at a fund-raising concert for the rebuilding of
Shuri Castle
was a Ryukyuan '' gusuku'' castle in Shuri, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Between 1429 and 1879, it was the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom, before becoming largely neglected. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroye ...