Amami Islands

The in 699 and . The speech is different from "Uchinā-Yamatuguchi" (Okinawan Japanese), an Okinawan-accented Mainland Japanese used in Okinawa. "Ton-futsūgo" is affected not only by standard Japanese, but also by Satsugū (Mainland Kagoshima) dialect and Kansai dialect.

Culture

As a part of Ryukyu cultural sphere, Amami culture is closer to that of Okinawa Prefecture, rather than to that of Mainland Kagoshima. However, the islands had different history from Okinawa as well. Okinawa, including Sakishima, had strong cultural impacts from China, whereas Amami had strong impacts from Mainland Japan. Because of this, Amami people themselves think their culture is not completely same as the one in Okinawa. Mainland Amami people treat the area between Kikai, Amami Ōshima, and Tokunoshima as the part of their own cultural sphere.

On the other hand, Yoron Islanders, just 22 km away from Mainland Okinawa, have much closer culture to Okinawa.

Music

Their local folk songs are called "shimauta". Although means "island" in Japanese, it means "community" in Amami. Thus "shimauta" literally means "communities' songs". Singers of "shimauta" are called "utasha" (lit. "singer"). Some "utasha" also sing pop songs as well, examples include Chitose Hajime, Kousuke Atari, and Anna Sato.

While Okinawan folk songs use the pentatonic scale of C, Db, Eb, G, Ab, Amami folk songs use the scale of C, D, E, G, A. Singers use falsetto voice when singing. Amami folk songs are hardly sold outside of the islands, except of mail order or Internet.

Some thinks the word "shimauta" originally referred to Amami folk songs only, but it is now mistakenly used for Okinawan folk songs, because Japanese rock band The Boom sung 1992 hit song called "Shima Uta", which incorporated some Okinawan styles. Others argue the word was used for Okinawan folk songs as well even before 1992.

Religion

Each community has multiple shrines, while there are not many Buddhist temples. Like in Okinawa, female priests called "noro" exist, and the people worship the local religion.

The current tomb style is same as those in Mainland Japan, unlike those in Okinawa. However, there are tombs called Shiroma Tofuru Tombs, which were built 400 years ago, showing the style of Okinawan tombs before the current "house" style there.

Region

*Its regional center is Amami City in Amami Ōshima.
*There are no universities or colleges in the islands. From 2004, The Graduate School of Humanistic-Sociological Sciences of Kagoshima University started satellite schooling in Amami City.
*There are repeaters of television and AM radio. Among FM stations, only NHK-FM has a repeater, but there is a local community FM station as well.
*There are two local newspapers, namely "Nankainichinichi Shimbun" and "Ōshima Shinbun".

ee also

*Amami Rabbit, a rabbit endemic to Amami Ōshima and Toku-no-Shima
*Amami Woodcock
*Ryukyuan people

External links

* [http://amaminchu.com/ Amaminchu.com]
* [http://www.nankainn.com/ Nankainichinichi Shimbun]
* [http://www.simauta.net/ Central Gakki] , Amami folk song distributor
* [http://www.npo-d.org/pc/ Amami FM]
* [http://language.psy.auckland.ac.nz/austronesian/language.php?id=454 Amami Wordlist at the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database]
* Japan Mint: [http://www.mint.go.jp/eng/coin/topics01.html Commemorative Silver Proof Coin of the 50th Anniversary of the Restoration of the Amami Islands to Japan]