The monument in memory of the woman poet "Onna Nabi" in Onna Village

The Ryukyuan poem "Onnbushi" (Okinawa Prefectural Museum)

Ryukyuan poetry is the name used opposed to Japanese poetry, which pertains to the short poem in Okinawan dialect. The basic 30 sounds in the rhythm of 8/8/8/6, called "San Pachi Roku," are common, but there are also ones in 5/5/8/6, wherein Japanese and Ryukyuan poetry are arranged.
Since the spoken and written language wasn't consistent and since long sentence literature in dialects didn't develop in Okinawa, Ryukyuan poetry with a peculiar expression method was developed, and when combined with Sanshin music, an expressive style that relates to the hearts of Okinawan people was created. For the Okinawan people, Ryukyuan poetry was an important literary expression used for relating to the heart, and many excellent pieces remain. However, the poetry itself was not sufficient to fully express the depth of the "feelings" of people. This need was met by combining it with Sanshin music, "Uta Sanshin." This is why the Okinawan Sanshin is said to be capable of acquiring a deep spiritual nature and become a metaphor for the soul.

Unna-bushi/ Shinji Kise, Shigeo Katsuren, Yasuharu Higa 2'46"