Okinawan folk music is distinct from other Japanese folk forms — when you know what it sounds like, then hear it, you’ll know.
Japanese folk music encompasses four main types of songs: work songs, religious songs, songs used for gatherings such as weddings, festivals and funerals, and children’s songs. The tradition is strong throughout Japan, especially on the once-independent island of Okinawa, whose folk music differs from that on the mainland in several ways. For example, while folk from much of Japan uses the shamisen, Okinawan folk music uses the shansin, as we see in this video, as well as the sanba, which produce a clacking sound similar to castanets, as well a sharp form of whistling known as the “finger flute.”
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