Ryukyuan culture

building in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan

thumb|upright=0.6|A sanshin The is a Ryukyuan musical instrument and precursor of Japanese (). Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings.

Indigenous Ryukuan Religion

type of dance

thumb|Two bulls beginning a match in Ishikawa, Okinawa thumb|Arena on Okinawa Island , also known as ushi-zumo or bull sumo, is bull wrestling as it is called in Japan. It used to be a traditional annual or seasonal sport by the proud owners of the farming bulls, but it is now held as a spectator sport in various places, such as the prefectures of Iwate, Kagoshima (Amami Islands), Niigata, Okinawa and Shimane (Oki Islands).

priestess of the Ryukyuan religion

thumb|alt=Fabric decorated with a busy design of diamonds constructed from light green bamboo stems and blue, pink and purple flowers on a white background.| fabric thumb|alt=The back view of a white kimono dyed with .|19th century ramie Ryukyuan dress showing -dyed design of bamboo, cranes and plum blossoms

thumb|Female dancer in a (outer wear), red (top). (), also known as (, also written as ') and referred as ' in Okinawan, is the folk costume of Ryukyuan. is a form of formal attire; it is customary to wear it on occasions such as wedding ceremony and the coming-of-age ceremony. The became popular during the Ryukyu Kingdom period. It was originally worn by the members of the royal family and by the nobles of Ryukyu Kingdom. The Ryukyu Kingdom was originally an independent nation which established trade relationship with many countries in Southeast Asia (Java, Malacca, and Palembang) and East A