[Japanese Folk and Regional Songs] A Collection of Beloved Masterpieces from Across Japan, Brimming with Local Pride

Soran Bushi

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Soran-bushi is arguably the most famous folk song in Japan.

Originally known as a folk song from the Sea of Japan coast in Hokkaido, performances using this piece are now showcased nationwide.

Thanks to factors such as its being easier to dance to than other folk songs, its fast tempo, the ease of calling out chants, and its feature on the TV drama “Mr.

Kinpachi in Class 3B,” it has become widely recognized—a masterpiece Japan is proud of.

Akita Obako Bushi

Akita Obako (Ono Hanako), Akita Prefecture Folk Song

It’s a folk song that represents Akita, one whose glossy beauty somehow carries a touch of melancholy.

Even if you don’t know the melody, you may have heard its distinctive phrasing somewhere before.

Originally a simple tune brought over from Yamagata, it was refined by a composer father and his singer daughter into vibrant music for dance.

The piece won top honors at the national performing arts competition held at the Exposition in 1922 (Taisho 11), and by 1928 recordings such as “Akita Obako” had been released.

Why not lend it an ear as you reminisce about festivals back home?

Hakone Packhorse Driver’s Song

Hakone Packhorse Song (Hakone Mago-uta) - Kanagawa Prefecture Folk Song

This piece feels as if you can hear the powerful breathing of the packhorse drivers traveling the rugged Hakone road in the Edo period.

It contrasts the Hakone mountain path, which even horses could cross, with the Ōi River, whose crossing was even more difficult, vividly conveying the harshness of travel in those days.

The song is a folk tune that spread organically as a work song during the Edo era.

Its roots differ from the 1901 school song “Hakone Hachiri,” and this work, deeply rooted in the local community, has even been commemorated with a monument in Hakone Town for its cultural value.

Why not listen to it when you want to reflect on journeys of the past and experience the spirit of Japan’s landscape?

Hanagasa Ondo

Hanagasa Ondo

This is a rousing hometown treasure from Yamagata Prefecture that sets your heart dancing with its spirited shouts.

Originating as a powerful work song born from civil engineering labor in the Taisho era and shaped into a folk song in the early Showa period, it was showcased at the Zao Summer Festival in 1963.

Since then, it has become indispensable to the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival.

The lyrics’ pride in the region’s beautiful scenery and local specialties, along with the sense of unity as voices join together, fills listeners with vitality.

It’s a perfect classic for those times when you want to feel energized while connecting with local culture.

You’ll feel your heart warmed by the nostalgic fragrance of the homeland.

Iyo-bushi

Iyo-bushi (Ehime folk song), Iyo-Bushi (Ehime, Japan)

This is a famous song that blossomed from the refined ozashiki culture of Edo and spread across the country, conveying the charm of Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture.

According to one account, it originated around 1818, inspired by the popularity of Iyo dyeing and born from the tasteful consideration of the feudal lord.

It was originally a song for pilgrims to Ise, but its lyrics were changed to include local landmarks—such as the steam rising from Dogo Onsen and the bustle of the Mitsu morning market—establishing it as a quintessential Matsuyama ozashiki song.

If you listen while picturing your hometown scenery, or thinking about a journey you’re about to take, it may resonate with you even more deeply.

Yamanaka-bushi

Yamanaka-bushi (Yamanaka Bushi) – “Ishikawa Prefectural Folk Song”

It is a folk song long handed down in Yamanaka Onsen, Ishikawa Prefecture, that stirs a traveler’s heart.

Said to have begun as a call-and-response between spa guests and women in yukata, its bittersweet melody still conjures warm scenes of friendly exchange.

The lyrics weave in both the reluctance to part and the sights of the hot-spring town, likely to evoke nostalgic images in the listener’s mind.

Passed down orally, the song gained nationwide recognition when local geisha performed it with dance at the 1970 Osaka Expo.

It’s a perfect piece for those who wish to touch Japan’s pastoral essence or reflect on encounters made while traveling.

Setsu Toyama

[Folk Singer Performs] Sotoyama-bushi ~Erina Kato~ / [Japanese Soul Song] Sotoyama-bushi ~song by Erina Kato~

This song, brimming with vitality and hometown pride, was born on the vast ranches of Iwate.

Its origins are said to trace back to Meiji 24 (1891), when workers at the Imperial Household Agency’s Goryo Ranch hummed it as a work song during breaks from cutting grass.

The lyrics, which liken oneself to a bracken fern quietly growing in the shade, evoke the image of people living humbly yet powerfully amid harsh nature.

The rhythmic calls and call-and-response singing may vividly depict the scenes of that era, with comrades uniting their hearts as they labored in sweat.

Perhaps many who hear this piece find their thoughts drifting to a nostalgic, quintessential Japanese landscape.