[Japanese Folk and Regional Songs] A Collection of Beloved Masterpieces from Across Japan, Brimming with Local Pride
From north to south, the traditional singing voices passed down across Japan are treasures of each region.
Perhaps you, too, have a memorable song that your grandparents or parents sang to you when you were a child—or one you sang together.
Folk songs, woven with the lives, cultures, and sentiments of their native places, have been sung across generations.
In this article, we introduce a selection of Japanese folk songs that resonate with the heart.
As you listen to the nostalgic melodies of hometowns, let us touch the spirit and landscape of Japan.
- Ranking of Popular Folk Songs
- Folk songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke: classic and popular tunes everyone can enjoy
- Nostalgic Children’s Songs, Folk Songs, and Nursery Rhymes: The Heart of Japan Passed Down Through Song
- [Folk and Children's Songs of Hokkaido] Songs of Hokkaido that continue to be loved across generations
- [Hometown Songs] A curated selection of popular Japanese tracks that fill your heart with nostalgia
- Japanese shoka (school songs). Nostalgic tunes, songs of the heart.
- Folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes of Osaka: the enduring spirit of our hometown carried on in song
- A folk song singer. The enduring heart of their hometown
- Folksongs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Fukushima: the heart of our hometown passed down in song
- Folk Songs of the World | Hometown Songs Passed Down Abroad
- Soran Bushi: The heart of Japan passed down through song
- The Spirit of Japan: A Collection of Famous and Popular Shamisen Pieces
- Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes of Aomori: Japanese Songs from Tsugaru and Hachinohe that Resonate with the Heart
[Japanese Folk and Local Songs] A Collection of Beloved Regional Masterpieces from Across Japan (71–80)
Aikawa Ondo
This is a scene of the Aikawa Ondo dance at the National Folk Song Competition held in 2010.
This folk song is considered a Bon Odori song from the Tale of the Heike, passed down in Sado City, Niigata Prefecture.
At this year’s competition as well, a wonderful dance performance is showcased.
A must-see for anyone who loves Bon Odori.
Iso-bushi (Ibaraki Prefecture folk song)
It’s a folk song from Oarai Town in Ibaraki Prefecture.
It’s a parlor song from coastal areas like Oarai, and it’s said to have spread nationwide since the Meiji era.
I’m not well-versed in folk music, but listening to it, I think it’s a good piece.
The shamisen and the dance are perfectly in sync, and I’m sure older people would really like it.
Itsuki LullabyKeiko Ueda
It’s a lullaby that has been passed down in Itsuki Village, Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture since ancient times, and is also known as one of the prefecture’s representative folk songs.
In this video, it’s performed in a modern arrangement, allowing you to appreciate its subtle depth.
You can enjoy the fusion of piano and folk music.
Hot Spring Town SongYumura Women’s Chorus
It’s a bit different from the kind of folk song I had in mind, but I think the “Onsen Town Song” from Shinonsen Town, Mikata District, Hyogo Prefecture is also a great piece.
It celebrates the local charm and the beauty of nature, and the women’s chorus has such beautiful voices—truly astonishing.
It’s a hidden gem that I hope many people will listen to.
Chakkiri-bushiThe Peanuts
“Chakkiri-bushi” is a folk song with lyrics by Hakushu Kitahara and music by Yoshio Machida.
Although it is now regarded as a Shizuoka prefectural folk song, it is one of the “new folk songs.” It was created in 1927 (Showa 2) at the request of Shizuoka Railway as a commercial song for the Kitsunegasaki Amusement Park (later Kitsunegasaki Young Land), which had opened in the suburbs of Shizuoka City.
Noë's lemmaMitsuru Ito, Goro Kagami
The “Noe-bushi” is a folk song said to have originated in Mishima City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
Its origins are relatively recent; the original song is believed to have already been sung during the Kaei era (1848–1854) in the Mishima region as a Bon dance song and a local song.
In 1934 (Showa 9), it was recorded by the popular geisha Akasaka Koume, through which it became known nationwide.
The Lord of KuwanaMatsuko Sato
“The Lord of Kuwana” is a folk song and ozashiki-uta (parlor song) handed down in Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture.
It is thought to be an ozashiki-uta adaptation of “Matsumae Kiyari,” a type of hauling chant (kiyari-uta) used during the sacred timber-dragging for the Ise Grand Shrine’s Shikinen Sengu renewal.
The song depicts affluent patrons from Kuwana who held lavish banquets at Tokyo restaurants, merrily entertained by geisha, and, at the close of the feast, enjoyed chazuke topped with Kuwana’s specialty, shigure clams.
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