[Folk Songs and Children's Songs of Akita] A curated selection of local masterpieces that evoke love for one’s hometown

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.

Playlist

[Folk Songs and Children's Songs of Akita] A curated selection of local masterpieces that evoke love for one’s hometown
	Title	Playlist	One point
1	Little loaches and little crucian carp		As the pond’s ice melts, creatures sing the joy of spring
2	Kubota-bushi		The shamisen’s melody weaves together Akita’s landscapes and spirit.
3	Akita Oiwake		Akita’s Oiwake folk song sings of the soul of its homeland.
4	Senboku Nikata-bushi		Traditional zashiki folk songs of Akita: scenes and the breath of its people
5	Nangai Kouta		A folk song imbued with love for the land of Akita
6	Minamikayabe Cod-Fishing Kudoki-bushi		The appeal of Akita’s sorrowful yet powerful folk songs
7	Akita Sake Brewer’s Work Song		A sake brewery in Akita, resounding with powerful folk songs
8	Akita Sake Brewers’ Moto-Suri Song		The craftsman’s spirit embodied in the brewery’s song
9	Song by Kazunaga Tsuna		A work song from Akita, resounding with powerful breaths
10	Miyokichi-bushi		Akita’s Bonten Festival, the song of people’s souls
11	Niida-bushi		Akita Folk Songs: Ballads of Tradition and Revival
12	Song of the Seashore		A wave-like melody calls to the homeland of the heart
13	Fukikko Song		The powerful spirit of Akita folk songs and the charm of the homeland
14	Come, firefly		Hotaru Koi is a children's song from Akita.
15	Akita Obako		The Obako song, a folk song that praises the women of Akita
16	Donpan-bushi		A folk song from Akita: a ridge-raising song crafted by a master temple carpenter.
17	Akita-bushi		A soothing folk song singing the charms of Akita
18	Aikawa Ondo		Folk songs of Sado, Bon dance songs, traditional performing arts
19	Akita Ondo		Akita Ondo is a lively folk song that makes your body dance.
20	Look up		A children’s song depicting snowy scenes in Akita
21	Akita Nikata-bushi		A lustrous folk song that traveled from Niigata to Akita
22	Akita Daikoku Dance		The Daikoku dance at New Year’s is auspicious.
23	Okosa-bushi		Akitа’s sake-drinking song, with a cheerful melody
24	Oyama Kozasato		A folk song depicting the mountain's nature
25	Nennyako Koro Chako		Akita’s nursery rhymes, nostalgic lullabies
26	Hideko-bushi		The song of the mountain deity becomes a folk song along with wild mountain vegetables.
27	Kiyobushi		Akita folk songs, celebratory lyrics, and beautiful shamisen
28	Big sister too		A work song from the mines filled with yearning for love
29	Honjo Oiwake		Honjo Oiwake is a nostalgic song that sings of the local scenery.
30	Namahage Ondo		Bonai-bushi, a sake-feast song for praying for a good harvest
31	Akita Tanto-bushi		The Wara-uchi Tanto-bushi is a folk performing art of Akita.
32	Akita Jinku		Southern Bon song transformed into Akita Jinku
33	Akita Rice-Washing Song		The rice-washing song is a song that expresses the hardships of sake brewing.
34	Akita Funakata-bushi		A beautiful folk song that sings of a boat swaying on the waves
35	Akita Grass-Cutting Song		An agricultural work song from the Senboku region, depicting the scene of grass-cutting.
36	Akita Sake Brewer’s Song		Songs of craftsmen accompanying the sake-brewing process
37	Akita Nagamochi Song		Carrying bridal trousseaus and songs sung with emotion
38	Akita Horse-Driver’s Song		A song sung at the night horse market to dispel loneliness
39	Millstone Grinding Song		The appeal of folk songs that encourage millstone-grinding work through song
40	Kakumagawa Bonten Song		A folk song of Akita’s Bonten Festival that purifies body and mind.
41	Mount Choja		A folk song that envies the discovery of a gold mine, set in a tranquil scene
42	Akita Kobara-bushiHifumi Muraoka		A sorrowful folk song of the hunt, the weight of nature and life
43	The Candy Seller’s Song		The charm of a candy peddler’s lively sales song
44	Akita Ningyo Jinku		A street-performer’s song that sings of a doll’s vitality
45	Song of Akita PortHirofumi Kaneko		A folk song in which Kaneko Hirofumi depicts the sea and fishermen