![[Folk Songs and Children's Songs of Akita] A curated selection of local masterpieces that evoke love for one’s hometown](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/5qEbN4Kix70/maxresdefault.webp)
A wealth of folk songs and children’s songs that have long been close to the lives of the people of Akita.
Nurtured amid abundant nature and a harsh climate, Akita’s folk songs are imbued with people’s joys and sorrows, and with hearts of prayer.
Still sung at local festivals and traditional events and passed down to children, these songs are, quite literally, the very heart of Akita.
In this article, we introduce the musical world that Akita proudly offers—a region renowned nationwide for its vibrant folk song culture—from well-known folk and children’s songs everyone has heard at least once, to hidden gems known only to the initiated.
- [Akita Songs] A Collection of Gem-Like Local Tunes Filled with Love for Hometowns
- Akita Ondo: The Heart of Japan Passed Down in Song
- [Children’s Songs of Autumn] Autumn songs, school songs, and traditional children’s rhymes. A collection of classic pieces to sing in autumn.
- Nostalgic Children’s Songs, Folk Songs, and Nursery Rhymes: The Heart of Japan Passed Down Through Song
- Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes of Aomori: Japanese Songs from Tsugaru and Hachinohe that Resonate with the Heart
- Niigata’s folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes: the heart of our hometown passed down in song
- Folksongs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Fukushima: the heart of our hometown passed down in song
- Children’s songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes about insects
- [Folk Songs of Yamagata] The Heart of Our Hometown Passed Down in Song: Feelings Woven into Nostalgic Melodies
- Folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Iwate: the heart of the hometown passed down through song
- Beautiful Folk Songs Passed Down in Miyagi Prefecture: A Collection of Masterpieces that Play the Heart of the Hometown
- [Songs of Aomori] A collection of local songs depicting the grandeur of nature and the warmth of its people.
- [Folk and Children's Songs of Hokkaido] Songs of Hokkaido that continue to be loved across generations
[Akita Folk and Children's Songs] Carefully Selected Local Masterpieces That Evoke Hometown Love (1–10)
Little loaches and little crucian carp
With the arrival of spring, the ice on the pond melts and creatures awaken—this renowned song depicts that scene in warm Akita dialect.
Sung from the perspective of loaches and crucian carp, its portrayal of the changing seasons gently conveys the workings of nature and the brilliance of life.
Originally a children’s folk song handed down in Akita City, it spread nationwide after being broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” starting in April 1961.
Passed down across generations, this piece invites us to feel Japan’s beautiful nature more closely by singing it together with children.
Kubota-bushi
This piece, with its shamisen melody that’s both sprightly and somehow lyrical, invites listeners into the beautiful, unspoiled landscapes of Akita.
But what it portrays is more than just scenic beauty.
Through richly expressive phrasing, it seems to convey the quiet moments of wonder and the spirit of prayer found in everyday life.
Composed around 1950 by Teiji Nagasawa and popularized in households through Akita Television’s program “Kubota Folk Song Country Tour,” “Kubota-bushi” found an enduring place in people’s hearts.
Hibari Misora’s deep, resonant voice further cemented its appeal.
It’s a classic that’s perfect for times when you’re thinking of your hometown or wanting to immerse yourself in the beauty of Japan’s landscapes.
Akita Oiwake
The Oiwake melody that came from Shinshu underwent its own unique development within Akita’s harsh natural environment.
Its structure—starting with a conversational opening and flowing into a main song tinged with melancholy—is especially striking.
The lyrics weave in Honjo’s specialties and its beautiful mountains and rivers, conjuring images of the warm gaze of people who love their hometown and their everyday lives.
Though the work’s author remains unknown, it is said to have been shaped into its present form in 1929 by Umewaka Asano and others.
It’s a masterpiece to listen to when you want to connect with the hearts of the people rooted in the land of Akita.
Senboku Nikata-bushi
Set to the dazzling melodic picking of the shamisen, this is a celebratory song from the Senboku region of Akita Prefecture, sung with a rich, lustrous tone.
Its origins are said to lie in Niigata, and it underwent unique development in Akita.
Since before the early Showa period, the piece has been rooted in rural life and refined by performers as a parlor song that enlivened festivals and celebratory gatherings.
The lyrics strikingly capture auspicious New Year scenes and the vigorous breath of people toiling at farm work amid harsh nature.
Listening to this work conjures up the region’s abundant nature and everyday lives, letting you feel the very soul of Akita.
Nangai Kouta
Set against the rich natural backdrop of Daisen City in Akita Prefecture, this song is imbued with deep love for its hometown.
Created in the late 1980s by Ichiro Muto with the warm wish of “a folk song that children can sing,” it features a gentle melody in the yonanuki (pentatonic) scale that lingers in the heart, paired with lyrics that celebrate the region and evoke a tender sense of wonder.
Its familiarity is evident from an episode in which a first-grade student sang it confidently at the Akita Folk Song Festival.
When sung together with family and community, it may deepen one’s feelings for their hometown even more.
Minamikayabe Cod-Fishing Kudoki-bushi
This work is striking for its somewhat wistful yet powerful melody.
It is said to have originally been hummed during the harsh intervals of cod fishing, and the conversational singing voice conveys, with great depth, the joys and sorrows of people living with unforgiving nature.
In 1998, Chizu Nakajin arranged the traditional song, shaping it into its current form.
Loved by local communities beyond its birthplace, it is even performed at folk song competitions in Akita.
Perhaps it would be nice to listen closely while letting your thoughts drift to the land of Akita.
Akita Sake Brewer’s Work Song
This is a striking work song from Akita’s harsh winters, known for the powerful voices of the master brewers echoing through the sake breweries.
Passed down to boost morale and synchronize rhythm during monotonous preparation work, it has long served to encourage one another.
From the shouts layered over the sounds of shamisen and drums, you can feel both a fervent prayer for good sake and the strong bonds among comrades.
You can hear it on the album “Sasaki Sadakatsu & Komatsu Midori Masterpieces: Akita Folk Songs – Michishirube,” released in December 2016 by the married duo Sadakatsu Sasaki and Midori Komatsu, who devoted their lives to preserving Akita folk music.
How about savoring some local Akita sake while immersing yourself in the craftsmanship and spirit behind it?