Destination: Sefa-Utaki

Where were omoro songs sung? Sefa-Utaki is said to be the holiest location in the Ryukyu Kingdom and is one location where the songs would be sung. It is also said to be the location where the Kikoe-Ogimi was appointed to her position. The Noro of the villages would progress in a line from Shurijo Castle to Sefa Utaki and the ceremony itself would be held in the middle of the night.

Omuro themselves are a kind of lyric poem. While the mainland Japanese Tanka poems follow a five-line 5/7/5/7/7 syllable format, the Ryu-ka poems follow a four-line 8/8/8/6 syllable format. These Ryu-ka poems would be accompanied by the Sanshin, a three-stringed instrument originating in China. Sanshin went on to become an art form passed down in warrior families. These Ryu-ka would further develop into the Kumi-odori, a dance which would be performed to welcome Chinese envoys who visited Shurijo Castle and the influence of these poems can be seen in Okinawan traditional folk songs as well.

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