I feel like I'm writing something akin to an obituary for the group Nenes, though Sadao China, the group's mentor, composer, sanshin player and the man whose idea the group was in the first place, wouldn't agree.

Nevertheless, the last time the four current singers will be performing is next month in Tokyo and Okinawa. After that they will be replaced by four young singers mostly still in their early 20s, and barring one, with no experience or training in Okinawan minyo or sanshin.

According to Yasuko Yoshida, one of the original members, all four leaving simultaneously has nothing more to do than with it being "a good time for a change.

"We've tried hard for 10 years," she says. "Some of us want to get married, have children." China himself says he wasn't surprised by the departure, "but I did think the members would change gradually, not all at the same time."

Nenes were one of the pivotal forces of the wave in interest in Okinawan music at the start of the '90s. Although arguably removed, the Japanese could at last claim there was a home-grown roots music to rival anything produced in the world.

Their trademark sound of the four women's enchanting chorus vocals, and China's sanshin weaved around a rich variety of keyboard textures, stringed instruments and percussion, quickly earned them many fans. Their first album, the independently released "Ikawu" became the best-selling Okinawan album of 1991 and is now considered a seminal work.

A major record deal followed, and six more albums and one "Best of" release. All achieved respectable if not spectacular sales. Some stayed closer to the tradition than others, while the instrumentation and influences were adjusted in varying measures -- from Balinese gamelan and Brazilian samba to Mexican and Hawaiian music to rap and reggae.

China, however, doesn't judge the group's success by such things as record sales. "From the beginning, our aim was to encourage young people in Okinawa to know about Okinawan minyo," he says, "to pass our tradition onto the next generation, and in that we've succeeded."

While not exactly evasive, China is not especially forthcoming in his answers. Does he feel they didn't succeed? "No." Does he have a favorite Nenes CD? "No." Did he wish they had become more popular in Japan or overseas? "No, young people have always wanted to know about things outside of Okinawa, and have left, so we always wanted to stand against that."

If Nenes were more popular in Japan or internationally, does he think young people in Okinawa would have taken even more notice?

"That's not my job," he says.

Perhaps the current lineup never quite recovered from the loss two years ago of former chorus leader Misako Koja and co-producer and keyboardist Kazuya Sahara from Osaka, who was partly responsible for sculpturing their sound. These two now collaborate together and will be playing their own concerts next month.

Nenes were probably at its peak with the 1994 album "Koza Dabasa," partly recorded in Los Angeles with American guitarists Ry Cooder and David Lindley and drummer Jim Keltner. While becoming a much sought-after import item in Europe and America, tragically it never received an international release, due mainly to the intransigence of their record company in licensing overseas.

Nevertheless, Nenes did make inroads internationally, first touring Europe and playing at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1994. Celebrities spotted attending their eagerly awaited London show included Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson and Billy Bragg, but without strong local support, promotion of the group failed to gain momentum. Last year Nenes performed at the WOMAD festival in the U.K. and participated in the subsequent recording week at Peter Gabriel's Real World studios.

Another opportunity arose when Talvin Singh asked them to perform on the title track to his album "OK." Last month this album was awarded the prestigious Mercury Music Prize in the U.K. and Singh requested that the women perform with him at the ceremony. Unfortunately they had to decline; they were too busy preparing for their final concerts.

I can't think of too many Japanese artists who would decline such an offer, but China says that although he's happy to gain recognition from such well-known musicians, his real job lies in educating the young people back home.

China is now committed to the new lineup, the youngest of whom is only 19. He hasn't yet decided on what the new Nenes will sound like, but promises something different. A musician with an uncanny sense for updating Okinawan music, it will certainly be interesting to find out.

Sadao China and his first edition of Nenes have left a legacy of several classic songs and some of the most compelling Okinawan folk and pop ever recorded. Yoshida says she has mixed emotions about the upcoming "Nenes Sayonara" concerts. Expect all their best-known songs, joy and some tears as well.