is an Okinawan folk band that helped popularize their homeland's musical forms and traditional music starting in 1985, when their first hit, "Arigatou", was released.

Rinken Band was founded by Rinken Teruya, the son of well-known Okinawan folk music artist Rinsuke Teruya. The band fuses Okinawan folk music, pops

Pop music

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

, and celebratory eisa

Eisa (dance)

is a form of folk dance unique to the people of the Ryukyu Islands. Although it is performed many times throughout the year at various festivals, Eisa performances are concentrated around lunar mid-July...

 traditions to make ballad

Ballad

A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...

s and dance

Dance

Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....

 tunes. The members are all ethnic Okinawans.

Rinken Band's most recent appearance in the United States was a concert in Oahu, Hawaii. They were featured at the annual Okinawan Festival of 2007.

Members

Rinken Band members
Teruya Rinken	照屋林賢	sanshin Sanshin The sanshin is an Okinawan musical instrument and precursor of the Japanese shamisen. Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings....	band leader
Tomoko Uehara	上原知子	vocals, drums Drum kit A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... , sanba Sanba (musical instrument) is a percussion musical instrument from the Ryukyu Islands. The name itself means "three slabs" or "three boards/planks," and it consists of three shards ebony or other woods that are bound together by twine. It produces a variety of clicking sounds similar to that of castanets... , sanshin	joined in 1988
Katsunori Inafuku	稲福克典	vocals, drums	joined in 1993
Naoki Enobi	栄野比尚樹	vocals, drums	joined in 2002
Kaoru Yonamine	與那嶺薫	vocals, drums	joined in 2006
Akira Uehara	上原顕	bass guitar Bass guitar The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....	joined in 1993
Kiyohito Yamakawa	山川清仁	keyboards Keyboard instrument A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...	joined in 1993
Former members
Hayato Fujiki	藤木勇人	vocals
Yoshimitsu Gakiya	我喜屋良光	vocals,
Yoshimi Kuwae	桑江良美	vocals, drums
Toyoharu Ookawa		vocals, drums
Mitsuru Tamaki	玉城満	vocals
Kazunari Uechi	上地一成	drums, percussion, vocals
Masaaki Uechi	上地正昭	bass guitar, vocals
Tsugumi Yonemori	米盛つぐみ	keyboards, vocals

Audio CD

Year	Title	(Okinawan Okinawan language Central Okinawan, or simply Okinawan , is a Northern Ryukyuan language spoken primarily in the southern half of the island of Okinawa, as well as in the surrounding islands of Kerama, Kumejima, Tonaki, Aguni, and a number of smaller peripheral islands... ) Japanese	Label	Notes
1987	Arigatou	ありがとう	Sony Records
1990	Nankuru	なんくる	Wave
1991	Rikka	リッカ	Sony Records	mini album (4 songs)
	Karahāi	カラハーイ	Sony Records
1992	Ajimaa	アジマァ	Sony Records
1993	Rinken Band	りんけんバンド	Sony Records	best selection
	Banji	バンジ	Sony Records
1994	gon gon	ゴンゴン	Sony Records
1995	Cheren	チェレン	Sony Records
1996	A Star (Hitotsu bushi)	一つ星	Indies Maker
1997	Nachi nu fa	夏ぬ子	Sony Records / Indies Maker
1998	Mantin nu yorokobi	満天ぬ喜び	Indies Maker
	Party (Pārī)	パーリー	Sony Records / Tristar
1999	Nifee (Nifē)	謝	Indies Maker
2000	Qing-dahmi	Qing-dahmi （チンダミ）	Indies Maker / The Orchard	Rinken Band Best
2001	Orinasu hibi	織りなす日々	Indies Maker
2002	Shima-jū shichi-gwachi	島中七月	Indies Maker	Rinken Band Eisā Eisa (dance) is a form of folk dance unique to the people of the Ryukyu Islands. Although it is performed many times throughout the year at various festivals, Eisa performances are concentrated around lunar mid-July...  Special
2003	Eisā	EISA（エイサー）	Rent Rack Japan
	Ajimaa no uta	あじまぁのウタ	Rent Rack Japan
	Urizun – Rinken Band New Best	URIZUN～りんけんバンドニューベスト	Sony Records / Gt Music	best selection
2008	Golden Best – Rinken Band	GOLDEN☆BESTりんけんバンド	Sony Records / Phantom Sound & Vision	best selection

Video / DVD

Year	Title	(Okinawan Okinawan language Central Okinawan, or simply Okinawan , is a Northern Ryukyuan language spoken primarily in the southern half of the island of Okinawa, as well as in the surrounding islands of Kerama, Kumejima, Tonaki, Aguni, and a number of smaller peripheral islands... ) Japanese	Label	Notes
1992	Njifa	ンジファ	Video Maker	2006 release in DVD format
1995	Tink Tink Tink ... Primal Pulse	ティンクティンク	TC Entertainment	2003 release in DVD format
2004	Pineapple Tours	パイナップルツアーズ	PDD (ピーディディ)	music for the film
	Ajimaa no uta, Tomoko Uehara, Tenshi no koe	あじまぁのウタ 上原知子 天使の声	Rent Rack Japan
2008	Rinken Band Karahāi Live 2007 Kanzen-ban	りんけんバンド カラハーイライブ2007完全版	Video Maker	live concert footage from 2007

Sources

• Rinken Band website

External links

• YouTube: Rinken Band "Arigatou"