In an earlier article, entitled “A comparative study of Ryukyu and Chinese music, ” I have argued that the instruments, musical notation, and tuning of the sanshin in Ryukyu and Chinese music are closely related. In the following study I have investigated the reception and change of Chinese music transmitted to the Ryukyu Islands.
From analyzing the pieces “Da hua gu, ” “Song wang sheng, ” and “Zhai kong gong” all of which were imported from China, it has become clear that the modes and scales of Chinese and Ryukyu music, though on the surface appearing unrelated, can in fact be restored to a state in which they are quite similar.
By reducing such pieces from their modern form to a hypothetical form and then to their original from, one can see how melodies (modes) gradually changed together with changes in the tunings of the sanshin and suona.
My analyses show certain patterns of music change in Ryukyu music. The Ryukyu people, however, probably responded to Chinese music largely emotionally, and varied this music according to their own needs and sensibilities.

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The Satsuma Domain (Satsuma-han) invaded and controlled the Ryūkyū Kingdom in 1609, and after the fifteen rules (掟十五条) had been issued in 1611, by which the Satsuma dominated the Ryūkyū Kingdom, Buddhism was restricted. This made Buddhism stagnate and gradually decline. In 1910, Buddhism in the Ryūkyū Islands was unified with mainland Japanese Buddhism, and the five temples of the old royal domain of the Shō family, who ruled until 1879, were forced to become private temples. Accordingly, there was no danka (parishioner) system which needed to be abolished. Temple management met financial difficulties at that time. Here I give consideration to this process, consulting a wide variety of sources from the region itself, as well as diplomatic reports.

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Da-hua-gu is a distinctive dance which has been preserved by the people of Iju, Nakagusuku village of Okinawa Island, Japan. It is distinctive of its evident Chinese influence in Okinawa Islands. Eleven men in Chinese dress appear on to the stage in a line and march slowly around the stage, as the introduction of Da-hua-ku song is played. In the middle of the song three dancers playing a drum, cymbal and clapper leave out the line, and dace comically while playing each instrument. The rest of the dancers continue their march. When the song comes near to the end, the procession begins to exit. The last line of the song is repeated many times and the tempo gradually accelerates. The three dancers roll up their climax by jumping or stooping or passing each other busily. At the end, each dancer plays his instrument alternately at intervals, and gradually exits facing backward.
Da-hua-gu of Iju is merely a dance tradition. However, its origin seems to be traced as a dance drama. Da-hua-gu used to be performed by the people of Kuninda village who emigrated from Min-nan area of Fukien, China. Since the abolition of Ryukyu Kingdom in 1879, the people of Kuninda village stopped their performance of Da-hua-gu. We do not know in what root it was transmitted to Iju.
Historical documents also inform us that Da-hua-gu was preformed by the royal artists of Ryukyu Kingdom in Edo (present Tokyo) when kings customarily visited Edo to greet Tokugawa Shoguns in the occasion of succession of their Shogunate as well as in the occasion of succession of Ryukyu kingship.
When we compare the documents of Okinawa Da-hua-gu to those of the original play of Chinese Da-hua-gu performed in Ch'ing dyansty (17-20th centuries), some similarities in number and type of characters and in the content of the play are found. The story of the dancing drama in China is as follows. A noble man goes to the town to kill his time and meets a couple who are entertaining with “hua-gu” drum. He is attracted by the beautiful young wife of the hua-gu player and acts disgrace to her. The characters of this play are four including the couple. This Chinese dancing drama quite differs from Okinawa Da-hua-gu dance of Iju, which presents a mere dancing proccession.
The present paper also introduces the song text of Iju Da-hua-gu, that has been orally transmitted. The people of Iju does not understand the meaning of the text. The original poem of the “hua-gu” song sung in the Chinese play of Da-hua-gu is shown for the interpretation of the text of the Okinawa Da-hua-gu.

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本稿は、三絃が (1) 日本内地に渡来した年代、経路 (何処から何処へ) 、最初の取扱者 (演奏者) 、渡来当初の楽器の実体 (構造) などについて、過去に発表された諸説を集大成し、整理し、考証し、再検討しようとするものである。

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