Japan: Classical and Courtly Songs of the Ryukyu

The Okinawa archipelago (formerly the independent kingdom of Ryukyu) is situated at a crossroads of cultural influences (Japan, China and South East Asia). Blending these elements, Okinawa developed an original musical style, demonstrated here with a collection of classical and courtly songs accompanied on the sanshin lute. Performers include National Living Treasure Choichi Terukina, as well as Shinjin Kise and Masaya Yamauchi.