Okinawan music

Okinawan music (沖縄音楽^?, Okinawa ongaku), also known as Ryukyuan music (琉球音楽^?, Ryūkyū ongaku), is the music of the Okinawa Islands of southwestern Japan. In modern times, it may also refer to the musical traditions of Okinawa Prefecture, which also covers the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands, and sometimes the Amami Islands.

A dichotomy widely accepted by Okinawan people is the separation of musical traditions into koten (classical) and min'yō (folk). Okinawa was once part of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The Yukatchu class in the capital of Shuri developed its high culture while they frequently suppressed folk culture in rural areas. Susumu Kumada added another category, "popular music", to describe songs that emerged after the kingdom was annexed by Japan in 1879.

Ryukyuan classical music (琉球古典音楽^?, Ryūkyū koten ongaku) was the court music of Ryukyu. Uzagaku (御座楽^?) was the traditional chamber music of the royal palace at Shuri Castle.

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