Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes of Aomori: Japanese Songs from Tsugaru and Hachinohe that Resonate with the Heart
Aomori Prefecture is alive with a rich tradition of culture and performing arts.
In the lands of Tsugaru and Hachinohe, the emotive strains of folk songs still resound today.
Coupled with the powerful tones of the Tsugaru shamisen, Aomori’s folk music speaks deeply to our hearts.
In this article, we have carefully selected “folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes of Aomori,” born from the lives of people shaped by mountains, the sea, and a harsh climate.
We present timeless masterpieces that have been lovingly sung and passed down through the ages.
Won’t you lend an ear to the world of songs that can truly be called the heart of Aomori?
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Aomori Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes | Soul-Stirring Japanese Songs Living On in Tsugaru and Hachinohe (1–10)
Southern Dodoitsu
This piece is a song that took shape in Edo during the Tenpō era with a 7-7-7-5 meter, was carried to the Nanbu region of Aomori, and nurtured into a distinct folk tune.
Beyond love songs, it weaves in everyday wisdom and the humor of common people who laugh off hardship, all expressed through the local dialect.
Its generous melodic phrasing offers a gentle flavor unique to Okunanbu, different from Tsugaru folk songs.
While it originally centered on singing, choreography was codified in the Showa period, and it came to be enjoyed as a dance as well.
Why not immerse yourself in this simple, heartwarming world born from local life?
Nambu Mochitsuki Song
This dance song, born in the Shimokita region of Aomori Prefecture, is memorable for its rhythmic calls that echo the motions of pounding rice cakes.
Said to have begun as a festive song of hospitality, it vividly conjures the transformation of harsh labor into a shared, joyful energy.
As the shamisen and drums drive the beat, the rhythm gradually heats up, wrapping listeners in an uplifting excitement that makes both heart and body want to move.
This piece was also featured on folk singer Kohei Fukuda’s May 2022 album, “Furusato Dayori.” Why not lend an ear to this vibrant melody—Japanese soul music in its own right?
Nanbu Umakata San-ori
It is a folk song that vividly evokes scenes from travels in the southern Aomori region.
Based on a travelers’ song said to have come from Shinshu, it sets the feelings of a horse-leading traveler to a lively sanbon-downbeat style on the shamisen.
You can sense both the melancholy of crossing misty mountains at dawn and the pride of a land famed for its fine horses.
Loved as accompaniment for hand dances, its light, repetitive melody conjures cheerful images of people forming a circle and dancing together.
When you want to reflect on the majestic nature of the northern country and the lives of its people, give it a listen.
Aomori Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes | Soul-stirring Japanese Songs Alive in Tsugaru and Hachinohe (11–20)
Tsugaru Sangen Kudari
Among folk songs, the “Sangakudari” is said to be the most challenging in terms of tempo and timing.
In the folk music world, it’s known as a piece that only fairly advanced performers can sing or play well.
When you listen to performances by Kohei Fukuda, an enka singer renowned for folk songs, you can really tell how advanced he is.
Tsugaru Bayashi
Tsugaru Bayashi is said to have originated when people from Tsugaru who went to work in the Murakami area of Niigata Prefecture brought back and sang the local Bon Odori.
This folk song, cherished as a drinking song, is based on the original tune Murakami Jinku, and before the war it was reportedly sung by Tsugaru entertainers to draw in crowds.
Since it was originally a Niigata folk song, it was first called Echigo Jinku, but after the war it came to be widely known by its current title.
Apple tune
Composed in 1954, this is a relatively new folk song themed around Aomori’s famed apples.
Its lyricist and composer, Untake Narita, hails from Nishitsugaru in Aomori.
Tsugaru folk songs are now renowned nationwide, but there was a time when they were looked down upon as beggars’ songs.
Nambu Tawatsumi Uta
This is a kadozuke song handed down in Sannohe District, Aomori Prefecture.
Kadozuke songs are performed when entertainers visit the gates or parlors of homes, showcasing arts like drumming, shamisen, and dance, and receive money or goods in return.
At New Year’s, kadozuke performers would sing this lively folk song, lavishly praising the master’s storehouses and residence.
Focusing on the lyrics—basically showering the head of the household with praise like “the master of this house is amazing”—you can picture how, in the past, having kadozuke songs boisterously performed at New Year’s was a status symbol for the wealthy.