Miyagi Songs: Popular tracks that celebrate famous sights and specialties, and timeless pieces filled with love for home

Pray at dawnHisao Ito

Prayer at Dawn – Hisao Ito

It’s a song that somehow brings tears to my eyes.

It was the theme song for a film made in 1940, but it’s practically a military song.

It’s the song of a man from Miyagi Prefecture who is being sent off to war, resolved never to return to his hometown, entrusting his feelings for his family to the moonlight along with his loyalty to Japan.

Every time I hear a song like this, I hope Japan will never repeat its mistakes.

The power of the song comes through in Hisao Itō’s magnificent voice and vocal strength.

Lovely SendaiKiyotaka Date

Lovely Sendai / Kiyotaka Date

“Lovely Sendai” is a new version of the song released in 2004 as the top prize-winning piece of the Sendai Citizens’ Anthem for the 400th anniversary of the city’s founding.

It has a vibe that’s somewhat bluesy, somewhat enka-like, and reminiscent of mood kayō.

Kiyotaka Date, who hails from Tagajō in Miyagi Prefecture, celebrated his 50th anniversary since debut in 2015.

There really are so many singers who are active in their local communities.

MasamuneKeiichi Date

Masamune / Date Keiichi

When it comes to Sengoku warlords from the Tohoku region, it has to be the One-Eyed Dragon, Date Masamune.

He was also the one who built Aoba Castle.

Despite battles and hardships, he may have enjoyed the happiest later years among the warlords.

With its majestic imagery, this piece evokes a hero who, even without seizing the realm, was unquestionably a great lord who unified Tohoku.

Lament of the Kitakami RiverAtsumi Hirohata

Lament of the Kitakami River

From the very first high notes, it’s absolutely impossible for an amateur to sing.

As for Miyagi’s representative rivers, the Hirose and the Kitakami, lyrics about the Hirose River often evoke faint first love or passing memories, while the Kitakami River seems to express lingering attachment and tragic love.

This song “Kitakami River Zesshō” is also a story of letting lingering feelings flow into the Kitakami before marriage, and trying to forget.

setting sunTakuro Yoshida

setting sun

This is a song written by folk singer Masami Okamoto based on real-life experiences.

The dice symbolize gambling, and the lyrics liken life to the encounters made while wandering and to the phrase “back to square one” when rolling the dice.

The ferry from Tomakomai, Hokkaido to Sendai is operated by Taiheiyo Ferry and still runs today.

Perhaps Sendai is the very first step back at the starting point.

Come to ShiogamaToshihiko Kikuchi

Come to Shiogama / Toshihiko Kikuchi

This is a song composed by Toshihiko Kikuchi, who hails from Shiogama City, which suffered devastating damage in the 3.

11 disaster, with a heartfelt wish for recovery.

When local festivals and other events resume, the joy is all the greater, isn’t it? This song is also a recommended piece by the Shiogama Minato Festival Sponsorship Association, and it’s a festival tune that conveys the feeling of a fresh new start.

Michinoku NarukoKaori Aoi

Kaori Aoi “Michinoku Naruko” (Short ver.)

The hot spring town is set in the famous Naruko Onsen.

With nearly 400 hot spring sources in the Naruko Onsen area, Naruko is well known throughout Japan, and even its name evokes a sense of charm.

The lyrics, as expected, sing of the sorrow of deciding to part ways, but there’s another thing Naruko is famous for: kokeshi dolls.

Naruko kokeshi are known for the squeaking sound they make, and the lyrics, which liken a “kokeshi” to a woman and lament that the one being waited for never comes, are heartbreaking.