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?

Playlist

Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes of Aomori: Japanese Songs from Tsugaru and Hachinohe that Resonate with the Heart
	Title	Playlist	One point
1	Ho-hai Festival		The beauty of falsetto and chest voice in Tsugaru folk songs
2	An Apple’s Soliloquy		Journey of the Apple: The Feelings Woven into a Children's Song
3	Nambu Aiya-bushi		Aomori folk song, lively shamisen and dance
4	Nambu Yosare-bushi		The Nanbu Yosare of Aomori: The Charm of a Lively Folk Song
5	Southern Dodoitsu		The Appeal and Characteristics of Traditional Folk Songs from the Southern Region
6	Nambu Jinku		Aomori’s traditional hand dance songs, cherished and passed down by the people
7	Nanbu Niagata-bushi		A folk song originating in Niigata, a hymn to labor
8	Nambu Oiwake		A folk song that fuses Shinshu Oiwake and the horse-driver’s songs of Nanbu
9	Nambu Mochitsuki Song		Mochitsuki song from the Shimokita region, celebrating the joy of labor
10	Nanbu Umakata San-ori		Aomori folk song: the melancholy of travel and the pride of the horse
11	Tsugaru Sangen Kudari		Sangadori is the most challenging piece in folk music.
12	Tsugaru Bayashi		Migrant Tsugaru people bring back the Murakami Bon Odori
13	Apple tune		The Formation and Popularization of Aomori Apple Folk Songs
14	Nambu Tawatsumi Uta		The Aomori “mon-zuke” song is a folk tune sung at New Year to praise the prestige of households.
15	Tsugaru Aiya-bushi		A folk song sung by fishermen of Tsugaru praying for a big catch
16	Tsugaru Yosare-bushi		Explain the meaning of “Yosare” in Tsugaru folk songs.
17	Tsugaru Jongara-bushi		The origins of traditional Tsugaru-region shamisen folk songs
18	Tsugaru Ondo		The Story of the Revival and Naming of Tsugaru Folk Songs
19	Yasaburō-bushi		Introducing a folk song about harsh bride-bullying from the Edo period
20	Tsugaru Ohara Bushi		Ohara-bushi, a folk song representing Tsugaru
21	Silver Killer		A song of sorrow and nostalgia of the southern fishermen
22	Hachinohe Great Catch Ondo		A lively folk song celebrating the opening of Hachinohe Port
23	Hachinohe Port Festival Ondo		A traditional chant that expresses the vibrancy of Hachinohe Port through sound
24	Mountain Pilgrimage Climbing Festival Music		A prayer to Mount Iwaki, a soul-stirring timbre
25	Sparrow Hoshinjo		A heartwarming song born from Aomori’s children’s folk songs
26	Moukko		A Tsugaru children's song that threatens with a lullaby about the Mongol invasions
27	Hachinohe KoutaTamako Onishi		A Nanbu folk song celebrating the construction of Hachinohe Port, a source of regional pride
28	Tsugaru JinkuTsuya Takahashi		Regional characteristics of the Dodebachi Bon song in the Tsugaru dialect
29	The Kase Slave Dance		The Bon Festival songs of Goshogawara are songs that speak of satire and humanity.
30	Dear TorajoAkiko Seino		Traditional Bon festival song “Torajo” preserved in the Iwate and Aomori regions
31	Nambu Cattle Drivers’ Song		A folk song that sings of a cowherd’s journey and solitude
32	Thirteen SandhillsMichiya Mihashi		Jūsan no Sunayama is a folk song that sings of the sorrow of tsunami victims.
33	Tsugaru Mountain SongNobuo Sato		Tsugaru Mountain Song, a traditional celebratory song from a rural village in Aomori
34	Tanabu Oshima-koTakeyu Yamamoto		A regional title named after a beautiful woman, “Oshima”
35	Nebuta OndoShinichi Sasaki		Aomori Nebuta Festival: Local Music and the Haneto Dance
36	Tsugaru Shiogama JinkuRie Sasaki		The origins of a folk song that sings of the labor of salt-making
37	Japan’s Best Counting SongTsuru-koe Sasaki		The Japan’s number-counting song is a song common throughout the country.
38	Ajigasawa JinkuFumio Otsuka		History and Characteristics of Aomori’s Bon Odori Folk Song, Ajigasawa Jinku
39	Kuroishi Yosare BushiMasako Kawasaki		A lively folk song celebrated with shamisen and drums
40	Tsugaru Tanto-bushiKudo Kimi-e		From Akita's Bangaku to the Birth of the Tsugaru Tanto-bushi
41	Michi no UmafushiGoto Ginchiku		“Umakata-bushi” is a folk song that sings about the horse markets of the Tohoku region.
42	Yosare Great Catch SongTakayuki Matsuda		The History and Allure of Herring Fishing in Aomori
43	Tsugaru Kobi-ki Uta (Tsugaru Woodcutter’s Song)Kikuyasu Katsuyō		Kobiki songs were born from cooperative work in the mountains.
44	Kenryō-bushiTakeshi Narita		The folk song “Kenra-bushi” is sung in various regions.
45	Waiha BushiUntake Narita		Tsugaru dialect 'Waiha': a folk song of homesickness