RAG MusicJapanese Songs
Lovely nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs
search

The World of Kagoshima Folk Songs: Traditional Melodies that Carry On the Spirit of the Hometown

Folk songs and children’s songs rooted in the land of Kagoshima vividly reflect the spirit and daily life of the region.

Masterpieces that capture a range of emotions—such as the toil of land-reclamation work, the prayers and joys of islanders, and the pure romantic feelings of young people—have been passed down across generations and are still cherished today by locals and by those living away from their hometown.

In this article, we’ve gathered folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes brimming with love for Kagoshima.

Please enjoy the moving world of Kagoshima’s folk music.

Playlist

The World of Kagoshima Folk Songs: Traditional Melodies that Carry On the Spirit of the Hometown
show_chartTitlePlaylistOne point
1eastKagoshima Hama-bushiThe majestic seascape of Kagoshima and the people who live there...
2eastSatsuma OndoA melody filled with nostalgia and warmth resonates in my heart...
3north_eastUnder Yuuna’s treechildren’s songA gentle feeling, like sensing the calm breeze of a southern island…
4north_eastIkkyun Nyakana-bushiIsland SongA bittersweet yet beautiful song about parting with a loved one...
5south_eastNakokai Tobokaichildren’s songCome on, if you have time to cry, then just go all out...
6eastChest! OharaThe traditional melodies of Kagoshima accompanied by the powerful shouts of young people…
7eastYo-isura BushiIsland SongA powerful melody that stirs the spirit of Amami resonates deep in my heart...
8eastShunryō main clauseIsland SongNurtured by the climate of Amami, it holds a heart-stirring melody…
9eastNagakumo-bushiIsland SongIt came to be known as a “parting song” sung during uta-asobi (song gatherings)…
10eastTropical Love StoryA warm tropical scene, and the man and woman whose relationship blossoms there...
11eastKagoshima Hanya-bushifolk songA melody brimming with the charm of Satsuma and a uniquely moving resonance in the heart…
12eastI’m from Satsuma.Singing the soul of Kagoshima, a traditional Satsuma celebration...
13eastFull Moon Night Tug-of-Warchildren’s songConveying to the present the fervor of Southern Satsuma and the bonds of its people, a soul-stirring...
14eastCanned SongIsland SongIsland words sung to a relaxed tempo...
15eastKuninao Yone Ane-bushiIsland SongA heart that seems to vividly picture Amami’s beautiful sea and greenery...
16eastWatasya BushiIsland SongI can picture the scenes of a voyage by ship around the Amami Islands...
17eastKurudando-bushiChitose MotoA folk song from Kagoshima Prefecture—Amami Ōshima, Kikai Island, Tokunoshima...
18eastMorning Flower FestivalMinami KizukiIt is a representative folk song of the Amami Islands’ shima-uta (island songs)…
19eastThe Chawanmushi SongOgojozuA song that supposedly every resident of Kagoshima Prefecture knows...
20eastKushinoki SanosaSeikōIn the Meiji era, a fisherman from Kushinoki went out to fish off the coast of Korea and...
21eastKagoshima Ohara-bushiMasako MoriIn Kagoshima’s folk songs, the representative piece “Ohara-bushi” is...
22eastChiran-bushiGeorge AssociationChiran Town in Kagoshima Prefecture is called the Little Kyoto of Satsuma, a na…
23eastNot not, boy, you knowKotoe NishiyamaThis is a lullaby from the Kasari area of Amami City in Kagoshima Prefecture. The dialect...
24eastSatsuma Heiko-bushi (Satsuma Youth Soldiers’ Chant)Tagami brothersIt’s hard to decipher unless you’re from Kagoshima…
25eastTanegashima Kamone OndoYoshimi TendoAlthough it’s quite a new song for a folk tune, still…
26eastI am a child of the sea.Heine YukiThe familiar Ministry of Education song whose author was said to be unknown...
27eastSuzukake Horse DanceBashin-kaiIn various parts of Kagoshima Prefecture (the Hyuga, Osumi, and Satsuma regions) ...
28eastmailmanKubo Ken’oAlthough it’s sung all across the country, “The Mailman”…
29eastyokaiMitsuo SasagawaNot “yōkai” as in supernatural creatures, but “youkai” refers, in Kagoshima, to...
30eastRokuchōKazuhira TakeshitaSinging, dancing, sanshin, drums, whistling, calls...
31eastGrass-Cutting SongTakako HidakaI thought it might be a common kind of folk song—like a field work song or labor song…
32eastOsumi Rice Hulling SongMinyo Hokushin-kaiThe rice-hulling song has taken on various lyrics in regions all across the country...
33eastKagoshima Mikudari (three-step descent)Shimbashi KiyozōEven among folk songs, this is quite a sultry one. The three-sa...
34eastCounting Song of the Arrival of FirearmsNaoyuki HaradaNowadays, it’s famous as a rocket launch site…
35eastShio-kaebushiShoji MatsuyamaMakurazaki City in Kagoshima Prefecture has long been a town where the fishing industry thrives...
36eastKaseda Makata-bushiKagoshima Song Singing ClubIn 1872 (Meiji 5), it became the first place visited by Emperor Meiji on an imperial tour...
37eastwide clauseYutaka TsuboyamaWhen I listen to it a bit, it even feels like Okinawan folk music...
38eastTokunoshima BushiYamato TokuharaOne of the traditional island songs handed down in Amami, sung throughout Tokunoshima...
39eastKagoshima Hama-bushiKatsushi MatsuyamaA folk song that sings of the scenery of Fukiagehama in Kagoshima Prefecture…
40eastShinchi Bushiten tenThe Kagoshima folk song “Shinchi-bushi” is also known as “Izumi Shinchi-bushi”…
41eastMorning Glory MelodyHatsune MikuIn the Amami Islands, for New Year’s, weddings, and other celebratory occasions, there are celebratory songs, and…
42eastHonen-bushi (Harvest Festival Song)Saburo HidakaFrom the title, if you imagine, it would be wishing for a bountiful harvest, or…
43eastthe ‘don-don’ ending; the -don/-dondon sentence-ending pattern (a Japanese grammatical/expressive ending implying things proceed rapidly or continuously)Kore-eda Three SistersThis is a folk song from Tokunoshima in Kagoshima Prefecture. It was composed about 400 years ago and...
44eastAhagariIkue AsazakiIsland songs have been passed down not as songs, but in words...
45eastSumo wrestler songAssociation for Caring About Takarabe HometownA sumōtoribushi (sumo wrestler’s song) that also conveys a sense of uniqueness…