Okinawan, Poetry, Poems, Songs, Music, Sanshin, Performance arts 

"The impetus for this book was the need to express and share my Okinawan culture and music with the people I met while living in Washington D.C. during 1992 to 1993. While there, I studied Museum Studies at George Washington University through a scholarship from the Okinawa Prefectural Government. During my time in Washington, I had many opportunities to play Okinawan music at different museum functions, music festivals and other community gatherings, but each time I played, I struggled with trying to translate the meaning, words, and overall emotion of the songs. I also felt the audience was struggling to understand what I was trying to convey, and I left my performances feeling that true understanding had not been reached by either side. I desperately wanted to share with the audience the meaning, nuances and beautiful fullness of the songs and what they mean to Okinawan culture. There is much history behind Okinawan music and songs and one needs to understand the history of the music to fully appreciate the meaning and depth of the songs. This desire led me to try and find a way to publish a book explaining the history of Okinawan music and songs. I have been motivated by the struggle I faced in Washington, and by my continuing desire to share Okinawan culture with the people I meet"--From introduction.

Contents:
Introduction -- Foreword -- List of songs -- Poems from the Kun-Kun-Si -- Songs for dances -- Appendices -- Traditional lessons for "sanshin" students -- The posture of the musician -- Attitude of the student -- The way to hold the plectrum -- Costume of performers -- The name of finger position -- Notes and photos -- Title of the songs in Kun-Kun-Si -- Bibliography.