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

Songs of Iwate: The Heart of Our Hometown Passed Down in Song | A Collection of Classics to Enjoy While Thinking of Iwate

Accompanist / Piano InstructorYuri
Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.

With melodies that resonate in the heart, Iwate’s beautiful scenery unfolds before your eyes.

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The culture rooted in this land and the lives of its people have become countless beloved songs that are still sung today.

The timeless history of the World Heritage site Hiraizumi, the mystical folklore of Tono, and the warm feelings of the people who live in the region.

The stories woven into each song are like a single painting capturing Iwate’s landscapes through the changing seasons.

In this article, we introduce gems of classic songs brimming with love for Iwate.

Why not let these songs stir your thoughts toward Iwate?

[Songs of Iwate] The Heart of Our Hometown Passed Down in Song | A Collection of Classics to Listen to While Thinking of Iwate (21–30)

Nanbu sakeKoji Kobashi

Southern Sake — Shoji Koganezawa — from the Yuu Nakarai Works Collection

Koji Minamikawasaki Sake Kobashi

Originally, it’s a song by Shoji Koganezawa, but it seems quite a few artists have covered it.

This is Koji Kobashi’s cover, and it feels like a modest, earnest man quietly reminiscing about his hometown while having a drink.

You can sense a rustic simplicity in the way he sings that he doesn’t need anything extra.

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The monk from IwateMichiya Mihashi

Iwate Monk (Michiya Mihashi) Cover Song by leonchanda

Mitsuya Mihashi, the Buddhist monk from Iwate

Michiya Mihashi, who is also famous as a folk singer, sang this kind of comical song as well.

It’s about someone who couldn’t endure the harsh winter and ascetic training deep in the mountains of Iwate, and, feeling homesick for his mother, descends the mountain and returns to his hometown—only to find it’s festival time.

He decides to stay in his village as long as his hood hides his shaved monk’s head and no one notices… but it seems he probably won’t make it as a full-fledged monk.

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[Songs of Iwate] The Heart of Our Hometown Passed Down in Song | A Collection of Classics to Listen to While Thinking of Iwate (31–40)

Kitakami NocturneHiroshi Wada and the Mahina Stars, Sachiko Tama

Kitakami Nocturne - Hiroshi Wada and the Mahina Stars & Sachiko Tama, UPB-0037

Kitakami Nocturne - Hiroshi Wada and the Mahina Stars, Sachiko Tama

What a very beautiful lyric.

This song, “Kitakami Nocturne,” was apparently sung nationwide at sing-along cafés around the year 1955, while its author remained unknown.

In 1961, the person who came forward as the author was Mr.

Tadashi Kikuchi.

Astonishingly, he had written the lyrics in his teens.

Mr.

Kikuchi later pursued a career as a teacher, but he became so absorbed in writing lyrics that he nearly had to repeat a year.

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Kitakami RiverMina Nomura

[Official] Mina Nomura “Kitakami River” Full Chorus with Comments from the Artist

Minami Nomura of the Kitakami River

The Kitakami River flows through Iwate Prefecture.

Rivers that represent a region often appear as backdrops in songs, but most of them carry an image of parting.

This song, too, is a local tune that names famous spots in Morioka along the way to the Kitakami River.

With this song, Mina Nomura adds the third installment to her river-themed series.

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Woman of HanamakiGenta Chiba

Genta Chiba 40th Anniversary of His Singing Career: Commemorative Performance for the Release of the New Song 'Hanamaki no Onna'

Gentā Chiba, the woman from Hanamaki

Miyazawa Kenji was from what is now Hanamaki City, and the lyrics even quote “Ame ni mo Makezu” and “Night on the Galactic Railroad.” While it sings of a love story that never comes together in Hanamaki, it also does a thorough job of promotion, including in the title.

Chiba himself is from Miyagi Prefecture, and it’s said that “Hanamaki no Onna” was his first attempt at a softer image.

He usually performs powerful enka with folk-song elements.

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Morioka RomanceYuko Kinoshita

Morioka Romance / Kinoshita Yuko Cover: Yamaguchi Eiko (Doenka Eiko)

Morioka Romance Yuko Kinoshita

It says “romance,” but it doesn’t feel like a love song—rather, it strongly evokes feelings for one’s hometown.

The mention of “Rakan-sama” refers to the Five Hundred Arhats at Hōon-ji Temple in Morioka City, a series of statues each with very expressive faces, known as a spiritual power spot.

The song also fully captures the beauty of Morioka in other ways.

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Legends of TonoTakeshi Matsubara

Tono Monogatari ~ Airship

Tono Monogatari Takeshi Matsubara

Compared to Anbe Mitsutoshi & Misaki Usuzawa Group’s “Tono Monogatari,” which turns the story into a song as a beautiful memory somewhat like first love, this “Tono Monogatari” is a piece based on anecdotes from Iwate Prefecture’s Tono region collected by Kunio Yanagita.

The part featuring a zashiki-warashi is also well known, with a famous inn located in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture.

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