Lovely nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs

A classic Japanese folk song passed down through generations of acoustic performances

Pop music writer/editorKEI
A style that keeps updating my favorites while loving mainstream and hit songs. I have experience writing articles for outlets like Utaten. Since I discovered music as a student, I’ve mainly listened to Japanese and Korean pop. 2000s J-POP and 2010s K-POP were my youth, and I’m also loosely into jazz and R&B. I enjoy good music across genres with a “good is good” mindset. Thanks to my past work environment (and its influence), I listened to a lot of classic rock and kayōkyoku, which may have broadened my tastes. At RAG MUSIC, I mainly cover K-POP. I focus on reviews that emphasize feelings people can relate to, and on editing aligned with local pride and hit potential. Thank you!

A special feature on Japanese folk songs.

Folk music originally began as arrangements of traditional songs and spread in the United States.

From around the 1960s, it was also embraced in Japan, and, reflecting the times, songs with strong anti-war and anti-government messages were delivered.

Entering the 1970s, it became especially popular with more accessible, mainstream themes and reached a peak of commercial success.

Although Japanese folk has evolved to incorporate various elements, it retains an acoustic allure and a wistful mood, with lyrics that stand out and resonate.

By all means, take your time and immerse yourself in Japanese folk music!

Timeless Classics of Japanese Folk Songs Passed Down Through Guitar-and-Vocal Performances (61–70)

A Lonely RoomMasaya Takagi

Masaya Takagi album 'TRUE LOVE' ♪♪ A Lonely Room

Lonely Room - Masayo Takagi

It was released in 1973 as Masasa Takagi’s debut single.

In May 1973, Takagi participated in the 5th Yamaha Popular Song Contest and won a prize with this song, marking her debut.

The song sold over 400,000 copies and earned her the Oricon Newcomer Award.

Raise the rankinglower

Imperial Regent DeclarationMasashi Sada

Kampaku Declaration — Masashi Sada

Kampaku Sengen by Masashi Sada

This is a song that Masashi Sada, who was a member of the duo Grape, released after going solo, and it became a huge hit.

The lyrics are essentially the words a man says when proposing to a woman.

The large volume of lyrics, almost novel-like, is very characteristic of folk music.

Raise the rankinglower

Sometimes like a child without a motherCarmen Maki

Sometimes like a child without a mother... Carmen Maki

Sometimes Like a Motherless Child, Carmen Maki

Released in 1969 (Showa 44), this song is based on the 19th-century African American spiritual “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,” whose theme is a sorrow verging on despair felt by Black people brought from Africa to America and enslaved.

The then-unknown Carmen Maki, with her melancholic singing style and mixed-race features, heightened the song’s realism even further.

Raise the rankinglower

Is it true that you’re getting married?Da Capo

Is it true that you’re getting married?

Is it true that you're getting married, da capo?

Released in 1974 as Da Capo’s fourth single overall, it became a major hit, selling 600,000 copies—their biggest hit to date.

It received the Community Activity Encouragement Award at the Yokohama Music Festival.

The two married in 1980 and continue to perform as a husband-and-wife duo.

Raise the rankinglower

If I could fly in this skyTokiko Kato

If I Could Fly in This Sky — Tokiko Kato

If I Could Fly This Sky - Tokiko Kato

This was a single released by Tokiko Kato in 1978.

It was used as the theme song for Fuji TV’s Golden Drama Series “Spherical Wilderness,” and recorded total sales of 350,000 copies.

The lyrics and music were written by Miyuki Nakajima, and as the lyricist, Nakajima won the Saijō Yaso Prize (later the Lyrics Award) at the 20th Japan Record Awards for this song.

Raise the rankinglower

A Ballad Dedicated to My MotherKaientai

Kaientai – A Ballad Dedicated to My Mother

A Ballad Dedicated to My Mother (Kaientai)

The folk group that Tetsuya Takeda belonged to is Kaientai.

This song, which expresses feelings toward a mother from a son’s perspective, is delivered mostly in a spoken style, almost like a one-man play.

This may have led to his later acting career.

Raise the rankinglower

Red ElegyAgata Morio

Red Elegy – Morio Agata (Live video recorded on November 22, 2009, with lyrics subtitles)

Red Elegy Agata Morio

Released in 1972 (Showa 47), this is a fairly recent photo, but at the time Morio Agata had a certain forbidding, somber aura as a singer.

The origins of this song came from a gekiga (dramatic manga), and while it’s a folk song, it somehow also evokes the feel of enka, which helped it be embraced not only by young people but by a wider audience.

Raise the rankinglower