Folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Iwate: the heart of the hometown passed down through song
It’s a region with many folk songs.
In other words, it proves that the local, deeply rooted culture has been closely connected with music.
Most of the songs are about seasonal events, and I felt they express a distinctly Japanese sense of aesthetics.
These days, I imagine there’s demand among foreigners who love Japan.
Be sure to check it out.
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Folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes of Iwate: The enduring heart of our hometown (1–10)
Sawanai JinkuMiyuki Nakamura
In the area called Sawauchi in Nishiwaga Town, there once existed hidden rice fields.
This song was created from a sad episode in which, during a famine, a village headman’s daughter was offered to the domain in exchange for a reduction in the land tax.
It is also said that “Nanyadoyara” is the original tune.
Adorable foalAkiko Futaba, Yuko Takahashi
Menkoi Koma (Cute Foal) is a children’s song with lyrics by Hachiro Sato that also has a history of its lyrics being revised due to wartime influences.
Many people may know it because it appears in Studio Ghibli’s Grave of the Fireflies.
In this video, the pre-revision lyrics are sung.
Karamébushi (dried, smoked fish shavings; a type of katsuobushi variant)Hiromi Tomono
In the Morioka Domain, gold mines were being developed, and so much gold was extracted that it could be called a gold rush.
The process of refining the gold was called “karameru,” and this song, the Karame-bushi, is a dance that imitates that work.
It is also known as the “Kanayama-odori” (Gold Mine Dance).
Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes of Iwate: The Heart of Our Hometown Passed Down in Song (11–20)
Michi no UmafushiSong: Goto Ginchiku; Shakuhachi: Takahashi Chikuzan
This is a song that was sung when horse traders led home the horses they had won at auction.
When leading inexperienced young horses, it seems they often did so at night rather than during the day.
The song served both to calm the horses and to keep the traders themselves awake.
Shizukuishi Dodosai BushiHiroko Amagasa
When Morioka Castle was being built, there were people who moved from what is now Akita Prefecture to Iwate Prefecture.
The “Semboku Saisai” song they sang was passed down and transformed into what is now the Dodosai-bushi.
It is also said that this song became the original tune for the “Donpan-bushi.”
NanyadoyaraUntake Narita
It is a Bon Odori song sung not only in Iwate Prefecture, but also in Aomori and Akita.
Its hallmark is lyrics whose meaning is unclear, and the folklorist Kunio Yanagita interpreted it as a song in which a woman calls out to a man.
There are various other theories as well, including hypotheses involving Hebrew and Sanskrit.
Dear TorajoAkiko Seino
As you can tell at a glance from the lyrics, this song is also based on “Nanyadoyara.” With its cheerful tone, it’s very much what you’d call a typical Bon Odori song.
A woman’s name appears in the lyrics, and she was a real person who was reputed to be a beauty.