Island .of Music
Hannah Moore (Okinawa)
When I was first told I was going to Okinawa, I was honestly very upset. After the tears from my broken dreams of kotatsu and sakura cleared, I began to research Okinawa and the first thing that jumped out was the quintessential Okinawan musical instrument, the sanshin. The pride of Okinawa, the sanshin holds an important place in Okinawan life and culture, past and present. Traditionally, the family sanshin is displayed in the tokonoma, where Japanese mainland nobility would display their family sword. As a long term music nerd, The island where music took the place of bushido suddenly seemed like the place I was meant to be. My own journey, learning this instrument, filled my three years on JET with rich experiences, brought me closer to the Okinawan community, and gave me insight into the culture and identity of the people around me.
Sanshin is a three-stringed, unfretted instrument. A relative of the mainland shamisen and the Chinese sanxian, it is thought to have been imported from China some time in the 16th Century. It has a long neck attached to a wooden drum, and is covered in a python skin membrane that gives it its distinctive sound, often likened to a guitar or a banjo. The pick is called a bachi or tsume, traditionally made of water buffalo horn, and fits over the finger.
When people think of Okinawa, they generally imagine beautiful beaches. As Japan’s most southern prefecture, the island chain certainly has its fair share of sparkling coastline and inviting tropical currents. It also boasts impressive castles and a unique culture from its many years as the separate Kingdom of Ryukyu. Less well known however, is that it is also home to a unique and thriving music scene and disproportionate number of Japan’s successful musicians.
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Traditionally, the sanshin player is the singer in any ensemble and still today qualifications are available only for uta sanshin, sanshin-playing and singing together. Traditional Okinawan music is usually divided into two main styles, koten (classical) and minyou (folk music). Originally, only the richest nobility owned sanshin, and they cultivated the type of music known as koten. The Kingdom of Ryukyu had no army and survived entirely by diplomacy, and koten is closely tied with the development of Kumiodori, a musical theatre
