This distinctive genre was the invention of musician Tsuneo Fukuhara. Fukuhara interweaves Ryukyuan music scales in and out of his works to produce an epic music that is softly Okinawan and lyrical. He is the son of Choki Fukuhara, active in the years after the war as a composer of Okinawan ballads. He has said he wants to create music that is an intricate expression of Okinawan poetic sentiment. In 1961 he released "Tsuki Nagami" (Moon View) and in 1965 wrote "Bashofu" (Banana Cloth) one of the songs most evocative of Okinawa. In 1981 he composed "Shimaku Minzoku Ongaku -Hibiki" (Echo) and in 1995 "Shikyoku - Sho En" (Historical Songs - Sho En). He is one of the most magnificent composers in present day Okinawan music.
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