Скачать или смотреть 【根間ぬ主 Niimanushu】 沖縄宮古民謡 三線 Okinawa Miyako Minyo & Sanshin

Niimanushu (The Lord of Nema) is a traditional folk song from Miyako Island in Okinawa. It belongs to the ancient-style ‘ayagu’ (あやぐ) poetic ballad tradition, characterized by slow, emotional delivery with extended note stretching, repetitive chorus calls (such as "サーサー," "ヒーヤールーガーヒーサーサー," and "カリユシャホイ"), and accompaniment typically on the Sanshin (三線).

The song expresses the deep anxiety and longing of a woman named Kanagama as she bids farewell to her beloved, the "Lord of Nema" (a Ryukyu official from the Nema/根間 area), who must sail back to the capital Shuri (首里) for official duties during the Ryukyu Kingdom era. Sea voyages were extremely perilous due to storms and shipwrecks, so the lyrics convey heartfelt prayers for his safe return, blending personal emotion with the realities of island life and separation.

These verses trace the farewell: addressing the departing loved one and the vessel, noting its precariously modest size, marking the spring departure, describing the ship passing real local capes (such as Ikema and Panariyu) as it leaves sheltered waters, and finally performing a traditional fan-waving ritual to invoke protective winds. The original song has up to 16 verses in some traditional versions, but this 5-verse version is more commonly sung today.

Here are the lyrics, which are based on the explanatory Japanese summaries from the Miyako Island educational source, rendered naturally in English while preserving the original intent and scene progression:

The ship that the Lord of Nema is boarding
The ship that my beloved person is boarding

It's a small boat,
Though not a large ship

When spring arrives and it becomes the time to depart,
When boarding the swift ship to set off on the journey

When you've gone past the tip of Ikema Island
And rounded the cape of Panariyu

Take out the fan,
And let's pray for a safe voyage.
Holding the pivot of the fan,
Let's send out auspicious winds their way.

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