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Discover how humans have related to nature through the Omoro Sōshi, the earliest collection of Okinawan folk songs!
Consisting of 22 scrolls of songs, Omoro Sōshi is the earliest collection of Okinawan folk songs that existed in the villages of Okinawa from the 12th to early 17th century.
In the Ryukyu dialect, Omoro (or the older expression Umui), means 'old songs of Okinawa and the Amami Islands'. Umui is a variation of the Japanese word omoi, meaning feelings. The sound was altered as a result of a series of prosodic expressions as the feelings of poets were translated into various rhetoric styles. The first scroll was compiled in 1532, followed by the second in 1613. The rest of the scrolls were put together in 1623. Omoro Sōshi is often dubbed the Man'yoshu (the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry) of Okinawa.
It should be noted, however, that there is a significant difference between Omoro Sōshi and Man'yoshu—the former is an anthology of songs while the latter is a collection of poetry.
Omoro Sōshi: Awa → See explanation
Arboretum name: Awa: Foxtail Millet
Japanese name: Awa
Species / Family: Oryza sativa L./Gramineae
Okinawan name: Awa
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Location
Omoro Sōshi Vol. 17, No. 1193, Awa
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Song Lyrics
Hedo children are refined and elegant, enjoying fine seaweed.
Our locals are well-bred, savoring fine seaweed.
Hedo is fertile, producing a good harvest of fox millet to brew sacred Sake.
By harvesting plentiful broom corn millet, let’s brew more sacred sake to offer to God along with wonderful seaweed, and pray for another good harvest.
Omoro Sōshi: Sakura → See explanation
Arboretum name: Sakura: Taiwan Cherry
Japanese name: Hikanzakura
Species / Family: Prunus campanulata Maxim./Rosace
Okinawan name: Sakura
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Location
Omoro Sōshi Vol. 14, No. 989, Sakura
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Song Lyrics
You dance as elegantly as the blooming of the cherry blossoms of Nishitake (in Chibana, Okinawa city)
The Priestess dances elegantly, the way cherry blossoms bloom in clusters over the sacred place
Take the fabulous parasol to the sacred place. Take the elegant umbrella to the shrine
Omoro Sōshi: Kimi → See explanation
Arboretum name: Kimi: Common Millet
Japanese name: Kibi
Species / Family: Panicum miliaceum L. var. contractum Alefeld/Gramineae
Okinawan name: Mājin, Chimi, Chimiawa
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Location
Omoro Sōshi Vol. 12, No. 672, Kimi
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Song Lyrics
Oh, rice, beautiful rice
May the year bring a good harvest
Oh, corn millet, beautiful corn millet
Pile it up under the gate to place the offerings
* Seikaho (a year of a good harvest)
* Shinkaho (a year of a good harvest)
Omoro Sōshi: Koganege → See explanation
Arboretum name: Koganege: Citrus
Japanese name: Hirami-remon
Species / Family: Citrus depressa Hayata/Rutaceae
Okinawan name: Kuganī, Shīkwāsā
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Location
Omoro Sōshi Vol. 2, No. 5, Koganege
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Song Lyrics
Planting a Golden Money tree (Kugani) in the magnificent garden in Goeku,
Under the Golden Money tree is the Priestess
Weathering a difficult time and dancing to pray for a good rice harvest