Documentary of singer Tomoko Uehara, Teruya Rinken and his band, Rinken Band with the main focus on the musical background of Uehara. Directed by Shinji Aoyama, the well known young film director who made the acclaimed 'Yuriika'. Comes with English subtitles.

Excellent film written and produced by Rinken in 1994 finally gets a DVD release. The story follows a girl growing up in Okinawa. All music is performed by Rinken Band including live footage, totally 13 tracks plus a short film. Songs include Nankuru, Arigato, Eisa. Extremely well made, high quality DVD, with some great music and gives a taster of life for an Okinawan. Comes with English subtitles.


Price:   £26.99

One of Okinawa's great female singers, Tomoko Uehara, with husband, musician, producer Rinken and his band. Soundtrack to the film Ajimaa No Uta' which includes tracks of live performances by Rinken Band in Okinawa.Not the best place to discover Rinken Band, but a worthwhile listen if you are already hooked by these talented musicians.

Yet another best of Rinken Band, which considering they never had quite what could be called 'hits' is quite some going. This one though is probably the best of the bunch. 21 tracks from throughout their career, and all the songs they became loved for.


Price:   £18.99

Rinken Band re-record all their best known "Eisa" songs. So, there's plenty of drumming, and chants of "Haieeeya, Haieeeyah, Haieeeya Sah Sah". With just sanshin, drumming and vocals, and without the curse of the synthesizer on some of the originals, Rinken Band have never sounded better. Eisa is the summer festival in Okinawa, where dancers and drummers take to the streets, egged on by the incessant chant of the crowd. Uniquely Okinawan, vibrant, a living, evolving tradition, and this CD gives you a real taste.

Second of Rinken Band's eisa albums, this one more western influenced, with keyboards, bass and drums, and hence not as good as above.


Price:   £18.99

Rinken Band's excellent Eisa, (festival) material is given the remix treatment by Okinawan djs, including dj olive who has worked in New York. Good at what it is, with added new field recordings.

Album title comes from Rinken Teruya's NHK TV programme and influenced by his travels to China and Vietnam.Up to the usual, consistent high standards.


Price:   £18.99

18 track ompilation album of material from throughout Rinken Band's career, that gives an excellent overview of their music. Demonstrates what a consistent band Rinken Band have been.

Best of compilation.


Price:   £18.99

Consistent but not very exciting new album, the formula continues to wear thin,but still a top composer.

More of the sophisticated music we have come to expect, great songs, three featuring the wonderful female vocalist Tomoko Uehara, the others the male unison vocals of the band.


Price:   £18.99

From 1996, includes the Shanghai Orchestra and divine vocals from Tomoko Uehara.

Rinken takes his music in a new direction with the introduction of a new instrument, the chereng, an electric guitar version of the sanshin. After a couple of albums in similar vain, this is one of Rinken's most creative albums.


Price:   £18.99

All the usual elements. Strong songs, great vocals from Tomoko Uehara and fine sanshin playing. More pop than their previous albums.

1994 album saw a few changes to Rinken's 'band' but little changes to the sound.Tomoko Uehara's voice is again superb, and guesting again are Mamadou Doumbia and Jiang Jian Hua.


Price:   £18.99

Best of compilation, includes one new song and re-recorded versions of tracks from the first two albums, Arigato and Nankuru.

Recorded in Tokyo, Okinawa and Jakarta, this is possibly Rinken Band's best album. Includes Indonesian elements, Malian guitarist Mamadou Doumbia and Chinese erhu player Jiang Jian Hua. Tomoko Uehara's voice has never sounded better.


Price:   £18.99

First major release, the sound quality has improved and the songs remain consistently good.

Mini album recorded in London in 1991 with the 3 Mustaphas 3, includes a brilliant 'Okinawastaphabilly' mix, and overall great fun.


Price:   £17.99

From 1990, more of the shiny bright melodies, soaring vocals and crisp sanshin playing.

Rinken Band's first album was originally released on their own label in Okinawa in 1987. The title track became a local hit after being used in a TV beer commercial. While Shokichi Kina was all about energy and courting controvery, Rinken Teruya prefered to stay in the background, write some great songs and work in his studio to create the Rinken Band trademark sound. Okinawan flavoured tunes and sanshin are mixed with keyboards and drums in a pop roots style. Vocals are shared between male unision with a comedy edge on the faster paced numbers, and his wife, Tomoko Uehara on the slower, plaintive ballads. Perhaps sounds dated, but there is undoubted quality and beauty here.


Price:   £18.99

Tomoko Uehara is the wife of Teruya Rinken and one of the best singers in Okinawa. On her fourth solo album she sings shima uta (island songs) accompanied by Rinken on acoustic guitar. The title 'Umachi' relates to one of Okinawa's traditional festivals, that offers prayers for a bountiful harvest.

Female vocalist with Rinken Band accompanied by mainly simple acoustic guitar. Beautiful songs, beautifully sung. Recommended. Comes as CD Extra.


Price:   £18.99

Solo album from Rinken Band's superb female vocalist, doesn't disappoint.

Highlighting the voice of Tomoko and probably better than many of Rinken Band's recent albums.


Price:   £18.99

Rinken Teruya (of Rinken Band) teams up with Haruomi Hosono and Makoto Kubota to record new versions of one of Hosono's classic tunes. 3 versions of that plus one new song. CD Extra features film of Okinawa.

Tink Tink are Rinken Teruya's (of Rinken Band) long term project, as producer and composer of the songs on this CD. Two young female vocalists, sing in harmony on fairly lightweight Okinawa pop songs. Rinken is a superb songwriter, so the quality is high throughout. For the home and Japanese market, they are marketed as charming, ordinary, happy girls who sing and dress Okinawan style, proud of their own culture. For outsiders it can sound rather twee at times. Enjoyable to tap your foot along to, just don't expect anything too deep.


Price:   £18.99

Female duo produced by Rinken Teruya. Mix of Okinawa and pop, mostly Rinken's tunes and a few traditional ones. Sounds like a sweeter version of Rinken Band, rather charming without breaking new ground. Also available as Mandarin Chinese version.