Ryuka

A stone inscribed with a ryûka about Tomari Takahashi (Tomari High Bridge)

• Japanese: 琉歌 (ryuuka)

Ryûka is the most standard form of traditional poetry in the Ryûkyû Islands. A standard ryûka consists of four lines, with an 8-8-8-6 mora structure (in contrast to the 5-7-5-7-7 structure of Japanese tanka).

Songs in the classical Okinawan repertoire of uta-sanshin (song accompanied on sanshin) are often based on ryûka.

A famous example, which appears in the Omoro sôshi, and which serves as the lyrics for the classical song Kajadifu-bushi:

きゆぬふくらしゃや	Kiyu nu fukurasha ya
なうにじゃなたてぃる	Nau ni jana tatiru
つぃぶてぃをるはなぬ	Tsibudioru hana nu
つぃゆちゃたぐとぅ	Tsiyu chata gutu

References

• Thompson, Robin. "The Music of Ryukyu." Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing, 2008. p311.