Ryukyuan Uzagaku Ensemble

Sunday, 02.03.2002
Uzagaku. Last night, Hawaii audiences had the rare opportunity to see a performance of Uzagaku, an ancient Ryukyuan (Okinawan) court music style that has recently been revived. Here is some interesting information from the program booklet that tells of the history of Uzagaku:

The Restoration of Uzagaku, Ancient Court Music

Historically known as court music to entertain the Satsuma clan and Chinese emissaries, the ceremonial music Uzagaku lost all opportunities for performance with the dissolution of the Ryukyuan Kingdom. However, in 1992 the reconstructed Shuri Castle was opened, a symbol of great pride for all Okinawans. Since almost all the material treasures of the castle had been destroyed by fire during World War II, the restoration of the court culture became an important symbol by which the Okinawan people re-established their identity. Considerable research on Shuri Castle is still being conducted and among those projects is the effort to reconstruct Uzagaku music.

The project began with no written scores and very few other related materials available. In 1993 the Uzagaku Research and Restoration Committee was inaugurated. Starting with discussions and research among scholars and researchers both within and outside the Prefecture, the committee identified research themes that would be carrier out in the future.

Through tedious review of both Okinawan and Japanese archives related to the records of envoys from the Ryukyuan Kingdom paying homage to the Shogun in Edo, the research committee learned that some Uzagaku instruments were given as gifts to Tokugawa families. In fact, twenty types of instruments were brought along on one particular visit to Edo. Two sets of Uzagaku instruments are still preserved in the private collections of Owari (present day Nagoya) and Mito (in Ibaragi Prefecture) Tokugawa Museums. Their existence served to provide inspiration to the committee.

These materials and historical research carried out by Taiwan's instrument maker Cheng Kung Jin served as a basis to begin making the instruments. Wang Yao Hua, an ethnomusicologist who specialized in traditional Chinese music and a professor at Fukien Normal University, worked together with the Uzagaku Restoration Research Committee to look for musical scores in China. In 1997, when the first nine instruments were reconstructed, both Okinawan classical and Western classical music performers inaugurated the Uzagaku Enso Kenkyusai. After uncovering music and lyrics with the same names mentioned in the research materials, they began to actually rehearse the music.

In 1998, a total of 18 types of Uzagaku instruments had been restored. By 2000, six costumes for young boys who were selected and trained to perform in front of Tokugawa Shogun, had been completed by Chikako Ueki and her sewing group.

It makes my heart swell with pride for my cultural heritage. In the days before the fall of the Ryukyuan Kingdom, they were a prospering nation with flourishing trade relationships with many Asian countries. The arts and culture of the Ryukyus was their pride and joy. I have read in historical writings that households in Japan would display a Samurai sword on their mantle, the centerpiece of their home. Conversely, Ryukyuan households would display a Sanshin (3-stringed lute like instrument) on the place of honor. Being the peace-loving society that they were, it came as no surprise that a larger military power (Japan) would come to overthrow the kingdom.

In more recent history, during World War II, when Okinawa was basically used as cannon fodder, not only did they suffer loss of life (1/3 of the Okinawan population perished), but they also suffered the loss of Shuri Castle which contained the material treasures of the former Ryukyuan Kingdom and many keys to the Okinawan culture and identity. Hearing about research such as the Uzagaku Restoration & Reconstruction Committee brings me great joy, knowing that the history, culture and identity of my people will not die in the ashes of the war.

Being an advocate of Okinawan culture, I pride myself with knowing more than the average Higa* about the performing arts of the Ryukyus, however, I was in for a big surprise when I heard Uzagaku music at the performance last night. It was unlike any Okinawan music I had heard.

For a 60 second sample, click here. The filesize is 1.3 MB. The name of this piece is "Dogensho." Information from the program booklet: "The title of the piece is recorded in Edo Nobori for 1806. A similar tune is still performed in China to celebrate the fifteenth day of January. The wind and percussive instruments are emphasized in the ensemble."

The music sounds much more like Chinese court music than it does like Ryukyuan classical music. According to the emcee, the tuning and scales lend more toward Chinese or Japanese court music. Perhaps this was done because the music was written and performed specifically to entertain the Japanese and Chinese emissaries of that time. In fact, the singing in another piece was done in Mandarin.

I was honored to have been able to enjoy and experience this ancient treasure. It is interesting that hundreds of years later, I would be able to enjoy this music -- while my ancestors, commoners and fishermen, living in Okinawa at that time probably never had privilege and opportunity.

 *NOTE: Higa is one of the most common Okinawan surnames.