Hirae Kinjo Ryubu Dojo

   The Tamagusuku Ryu - Hirae Kinjo Ryubu Dojo (Hirae Kinjo School of Ryukyu Dance) is a fresh and exciting dance group that is quickly gaining popularity in Okinawa.  The dance school is known for preserving the beauty and elegance of the Tamagusuku style (ryu) of traditional dances, as well as the lively folk dances from the rural villages of Okinawa.

    Starting as a branch of the renowned Tamagusuku Ryu Shosetsu Michiko no Kai in 1998, the Hirae Kinjo Ryubu Dojo was formally established as an independent dance academy in 2007.

The roots for the school can be traced 300 years to Chokun Tamagusuku, the Minister of Entertainment for the Royal Court of the Ryukyu Kingdom   The classical and folk dances of the Tamagusuku Ryu have been preserved and taught through many generations of dance masters, including the current Grand Master Setsuko Tamagusuku.

Historical Background of

Tamagusuku Ryu

Chokun Tamagusuku (1684-1734) was the Minister of Entertainment for the Royal Court of the Ryukyu Kingdom.   He systematized the court dances (ukwanshin udui) that were used to entertain royal envoys from China during the investiture of a new king.  He created kumi-udui  – designated “Cultural Treasure of Japan” in 1972 – a form of theater drama that combined dance, music and literature. 

In the early 1900’s, dances based on the works of Chokun Tamagusuku were taught in a dance school established largely through the efforts of one of his descendants, Seijyu Tamagusuku  The school is known today as Tamagusuku Ryu.

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