Okinawa music does not belong to Japanese traditional music, because Okinawa music is the music of the Ryukyu tribe, the aboriginal people of the Japanese archipelago. It was classified as Japanese traditional music because Ryukyu was occupied by the He tribe.

Okinawa music (Okinawa Prefecture) and Amami music (Kagoshima Prefecture) both belong to Ryukyu music. The scale and temperament of Okinawa music is 8886, and the scale and temperament of Japanese traditional music are 5757. Today's Okinawan music is sung in Okinawan-style Japanese mixed with Ryukyuan vocabulary.

Okinawa music generally includes classical music, folk music, modern music, etc., and is deeply influenced by Edo, Southeast Asia and Fujian.