Kyoto’s folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes: the enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
A special feature on folk songs and nursery rhymes from Kyoto Prefecture, one of Japan’s premier tourist destinations and home to countless historic sites.
Kyoto has long been a stage for history and is rich in diverse cultures.
Even within the category of “folk songs,” the periods in which they were created vary widely, and there are many genres of songs that reflect local lands and customs.
If you’re a local, many of these may ring a bell.
And if you live in the Kansai region, you might even encounter songs whose melodies are the same but whose lyrics differ.
Shall we unravel Kyoto’s history through its songs?
- [Kyoto Songs] Masterpieces that sing about Kyoto — songs themed on the ancient capital. The enduring heart of our hometown passed down in song.
- Folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes of Osaka: the enduring spirit of our hometown carried on in song
- Ranking of Popular Folk Songs
- Collection of winter nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs. Includes fun winter hand-play songs too.
- Children’s songs, school songs, and nursery rhymes with a river theme. Beloved classics about nostalgic watersides.
- Ministry of Education songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes. The heart of Japan passed down in song.
- [Parenting] Parent-child bonding! Hand-play songs and traditional nursery rhymes collection
- Fukuoka’s folk songs and children’s rhymes: History and sentiments conveyed by the nostalgic melodies of home
- [Folk Songs of Yamagata] The Heart of Our Hometown Passed Down in Song: Feelings Woven into Nostalgic Melodies
- [Folk and Children's Songs of Hokkaido] Songs of Hokkaido that continue to be loved across generations
- Folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes of Kumamoto: the enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
- Folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Hiroshima: the enduring heart of our hometown, passed down through song.
- Beautiful Folk Songs Passed Down in Miyagi Prefecture: A Collection of Masterpieces that Play the Heart of the Hometown
Kyoto’s folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes: The heart of our hometown passed down in song (1–10)
graceful woman
Known as both a lullaby and a song to soothe children, this piece is called “Yashome.” The title is read “yashome” and refers to a very beautiful woman.
The song depicts her in Kyoto’s lively, glamorous streets, carefully selecting items such as expensive textiles and scarlet crepe used for long underrobes.
Sung at a gentle pace, it conveys a mother’s tender love for her child.
From its atmosphere, one can sense a mother’s wish that her child will one day wear such lovely fabrics.
Children’s Song of the Candle Sellers of Minami-Kannon-yama
The Gion Festival is held every year in sweltering July.
In this video, you can hear little girls singing a nursery rhyme at Minami-Kannon-yama during Yoiyama.
When I hear the bell sound of “konchikichin,” it brings back memories of the crowds and the chilled pineapple from the street stalls.
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I hope this tradition continues for years to come.
Scenery in all directions
“Shihō no Keshiki” is a children’s song (warabe-uta) that sings of Kyoto’s spring scenery.
You can picture a bright, warm scene of spring, with cherry blossoms in bloom and bush warblers singing.
It’s one of the “temari songs” that children sing while bouncing a handball.
It has an elegant, courtly atmosphere, doesn’t it?
Kyoto’s folk songs, nursery rhymes, and children’s songs: The heart of our hometown passed down in song (11–20)
Bitterly cold, bone-chilling cold
It’s a children’s song about the cold of winter.
The lyrics vary slightly by region, but the story is that the brothers “Ōsamu” and “Kosamu,” personifications of the wintry wind, come down from the mountains before winter.
Its exact place of origin is unclear, but it has long been a beloved nursery rhyme in Kyoto as well.
Miyazu Bushi
Miyazu-bushi, a song that has been sung since the Edo period in Miyazu City, Kyoto Prefecture—home to Amanohashidate, one of Japan’s Three Scenic Views—is also danced to in the Miyazu Odori, an Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and is a staple for Bon Odori in the city.
The lyrics describe sailors who gathered at Miyazu Port, indulged themselves in the pleasure quarters, squandered their money, and swore they would never go back to Miyazu.
Yet in the latter half, the song also conveys a positive message, inviting people to visit, highlighting Miyazu’s wonderful sights and specialties, starting with Amanohashidate.
One glance, then another.
This is a children’s song sung while playing hanetsuki in Kyoto.
It’s a handy tune because, as you sing, it lets you keep track of how many hits you’ve managed in a row.
However, if the rally doesn’t last, it’s hard to make it to the latter part of the song.
I’ve heard the same hanetsuki song is used in Shiga as well, so it might have been a popular song around the Shiga–Kyoto area.
The monk’s head is Marutamachi.
“The Monk’s Head is Marutamachi” is a song used to memorize the east–west streets of Kyoto.
Just like this tune, “Maru-Take-Ebi” is also famous as a song for learning the east–west streets! “The Monk’s Head is Marutamachi” lists the street names with a similar rhythm to “Maru-Take-Ebi.” In the first half, the street names are sung in full without abbreviations, but from around Aneyakoji and Sanjo Street, the names are recited more briskly—like wordplay—much like in “Maru-Take-Ebi.” With these two songs, it seems you could master all the names of Kyoto’s east–west streets!