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

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

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.

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.

[Japanese Folk Songs / Regional Songs] A Collection of Beloved Classics from Around Japan (21–30)

Saitaro-bushiKohei Fukuda

Male Chorus Piece “Saitaro-bushi” (Saitaro Song)

Fukuda Kohei - Saitaro-bushi

The Saitaro-bushi is a folk song handed down around the Matsushima Bay area of Miyagi Prefecture.

It is said to have been sung as a rowing song and as a celebratory song for bountiful bonito catches.

From the Taisho through the Showa era, Momosui Goto compiled it together with other songs as “Tairyo Utaikomi,” which made it famous nationwide.

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Oedo NihonbashiFORESTA

Shamisen Song: Oedo Nihonbashi (Ichimaru)

Oedo Nihonbashi FORESTA

Oedo Nihonbashi is a folk song from Nihonbashi, Tokyo, with unknown composer and lyricist.

It weaves in the post station names of the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido, presenting in succession the place names and famous spots along the Tokaido journey spanning 124 ri and 8 cho—about 500 km—from Nihonbashi in Tokyo to Sanjo Ohashi in Kyoto.

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[Japanese Folk Songs / Regional Songs] A Collection of Beloved Masterpieces from Across Japan Filled with Local Pride (31–40)

Kiryu YagibushiKiryu Yagibushi Liaison Council Select Team

Kiryu Yagibushi (yagibushi)

Kiryu Yagibushi Kiryu Yagibushi Liaison Council Selected Team

A performance of the Kiryu Yagibushi by local residents of Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture.

It’s so cohesive and musically impressive that it’s hard to believe it’s being performed by ordinary people.

Folk songs are the soul music that lives in the hearts of Japanese people, so perhaps that’s why they’re easy for anyone to perform.

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Akita OndoJunko Sakurada

Junko Sakurada - Akita Ondo

Akita Ondo Sakurada Junko

Akita Ondo is a folk song from Akita Prefecture.

It is said to have taken shape when it was performed for Satake Yoshitaka, lord of the Kubota Domain (Akita Domain), in 1663.

There are many variations of the lyrics; well-known versions list regional specialties such as Hiyama natto and Odate magewappa, and include verses about Ono no Komachi, who was born in Dewa Province, which corresponds to present-day Yamagata and Akita Prefectures.

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Yagi-bushiKunisada Chūji

Yagi-bushi, Tadaharu Kunisada, Second-generation Horigome Genta

Yagibushi Kunisada Chūji

Yagibushi is a folk song that originated in the region centered on Ashikaga City in Tochigi Prefecture and Kiryu and Ota Cities in Gunma Prefecture.

One of its roots is said to be a song sung by the first Genta Horigome at Yagi-juku, which was located in present-day Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture.

In Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, the Kiryu Yagibushi Festival is held every August, showcasing the Yagibushi dance and the Yagibushi ondo.

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"Kokiriko" Toyama Prefecture folk songHachinohe Municipal Nejō Junior High School Choir Club

Kokiriko — “The Kokiriko bamboo is seven sun and five bu long” — Toyama Prefecture folk song, music by Hideo Kobayashi (Nejo Junior High School Choir)

Kokiriko - Toyama Prefecture Folk Song, Hachinohe Municipal Nejō Junior High School Choir

Watch “Kokiriko” Toyama Prefecture Folk Song — Hachinohe Municipal Nejō Junior High School Choir on YouTube

This is the folk song “Kokiriko,” performed by the choir of a local junior high school in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture.

The first thing that astonishes you is the clear, striking presence of the voice.

That voice alone elevates the folk song to another level, turning it into something different.

It’s definitely worth listening to at least once.

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Sado OkesaBunzō Murata

Sado Okesa (Murata Bunzo) 2

Bunzō Murata of Sado Okesa

Sado Okesa is one of the Okesa folk songs handed down in Sado City, Niigata Prefecture (the former Province of Sado), and today it is known nationwide as a representative folk song of Sado.

In 1926 (Taisho 15), Murata Bunzo released a record of Sado Okesa and held concerts not only throughout Japan but also in South Sakhalin, Manchukuo, Taiwan, and Korea, helping to popularize Sado Okesa.

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