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Ryukyuan culture are the cultural elements of the Ryukyu Islands, which today are a part of Okinawa Prefecture and Kagoshima Prefecture. The traditions and customs of Ryukyu are distinctive from that of mainland Japan, due to its former independence as the Ryukyu Kingdom and because of its geographic isolation.
The extent of Ryukyuan culture can be observed in the Okinawa, Amami, Miyako and Yaeyama Islands, where the indigenous Ryukyuan people live.[1] In the northernmost Tokara and Ōsumi Islands, the inhabitants there are Yamato Japanese.
Traditionally, the historical area of the Ryukyu Kingdom spoke the Ryukyuan languages, which are listed below.
- Northern Ryukyuan languages
- Amami
- Kikai
- Amami Ōshima
- Northern
- Southern
- Tokunoshima
- Kunigami
- Okinawan
- Amami
- Southern Ryukyuan languages
They all belong to the Japonic language family, making them sister languages of Japanese.[2][3]
The Ryukyuan languages are descendants of an ancestor language known as Proto-Ryukyuan, although many details about it remain unclear. There are two theories regarding its origins:[2]
- Proto-Ryukyuan was originally spoken in Kyushu, but was brought southward towards the Ryukyu Islands.
- Speakers of Proto-Japonic arrived in the Ryukyu Islands, and Proto-Ryukyuan emerged as a result of isolation from the Japanese mainland.
Both theories agree on the fact that a Japonic language was brought over to the Ryukyu Islands from Kyushu. The exact timeframe of this migration is a subject of scholarly debate, but estimates are generally within the first milennium AD.[2] Based on the lexical, phonological and grammatical features of the Ryukyuan languages, the Japanese-Ryukyuan split likely occurred before the 8th century.[4]
During the time of the Ryukyu Kingdom, the Ryukyuan languages were widely spoken throughout the local populace. However, when Japan annexed Ryukyu in 1879, policies were imposed that greatly restricted the use of them.[5] During World War 2, people who spoke Okinawan were executed by the Japanese military for "spying".[6] Because the languages faced decades of stigmatization, all of them are now endangered according to UNESCO.[3][7] Younger Ryukyuans are almost entirely monolingual in Japanese,[8] although regional variations of Japanese have arisen in the islands as a result of a language mixing between Standard Japanese and a substrate from the Ryukyuan languages. In Okinawa, they speak Okinawan Japanese and on the island of Amami Ōshima, they speak Amami Japanese, or Ton-futsūgo.[9]
Politically, the Ryukyuan languages are classified as dialects by the Japanese government, and it's common for Japanese people to refer to them as hōgen (方言).[10] Outside of Japan, most linguists insist they are languages in their own rights.[4]
The Ryukyuan religion are the indigenous beliefs of the Ryukyu Islanders. It centers around the veneration of both deities and ancestors.[11] While its practices are animistic, there are notable influences from other faiths, including Shintoism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.[11]
Origins
(adding Ryukyuan beliefs about the origin of the earth soon)
Religion played a huge role in the class structure of the former Ryukyu Kingdom, as priestesses held great power. Religious leaders were generally female, as women were believed to be spiritually stronger.[11][12] This belief upholds in local society as well, with the oldest female in the household performing all of the rituals.[11]
Ryukyuan folk music plays a heavy role in the modern culture of the Ryukyuan people. A common genre of classical Okinawan music, known as Eisa (Okinawan: エイサー, Eisaa), incorporates traditional folk songs and dances.[13][14] Taiko drums are a key part of eisa music,[14][15] and it's generally accompanied by the sanshin, a three-stringed instrument that originates from the Chinese sanxian.[16] In the 16th century, the sanshin was brought over to Osaka, where it became the Japanese shamisen.[16]
The musical culture of the Amami Islands diverge from that of Okinawa. While the Amami version of the sanshin has a similar build, there are differences in the material and sound.[17][18] Amami music also uses distinct vocal ranges.[17] In recent years, a genre from the Amami Islands known as shima-uta has gained popularity throughout all of Japan as a result of its usage by contemporary singers, including Chitose Hajime and Kousuke Atari.[19]
Many Ryukyuan songs have its origins in folktales. For example, the song Asadoya Yunta tells the story of a beautiful lady from Taketomi Island, who received a marriage proposal from a Ryukyuan government official.[20] Songs like Tinsagu nu Hana are based off of Confucian teachings.
Ryukyuan musical organizations can be found outside of Okinawa, typically in areas with a Ryukyuan diaspora, such as Hawaii,[21] Brazil and Peru.
Historically, the cuisine of the Ryukyu Islands were influenced by China, Southeast Asia and other places as a result of extensive trade in the region.
Common Okinawan dishes include goya champuru, Okinawa soba and rafute.[22] Contemporary dishes have also been created as a result of American military presence, with the most popular one being taco rice.[22] Okinawan cuisine is generally meat-based, with pork being the most popular ingredient.[23] For a long time, the staple dish of Okinawa was the sweet potato, which has been in use for over 400 years.[24][25]
The cuisine of Okinawa are well-known for its health benefits.[26][27] Compared to the mainland Japanese, Okinawans are 40% more likely to become centenarians.[27] This is in large due to the characteristics of traditional Ryukyuan food, which are high in carbohydrates but low in calories and fat.[26][27] Although Okinawa Prefecture once ranked the highest in average life expectancy across Japan, it lost that title due to the popularity of fast food.[28]
In the Amami Islands, the most popular local dish is keihan rice, which is a chicken-based soup.[29][30]
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