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

Tokushima’s Folk Songs, Children’s Songs, and Nursery Rhymes | Traditional Songs Rooted in the Region, Including Awa Odori

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.

In Tokushima Prefecture, where abundant nature and traditional culture thrive, many traditional songs vividly depict the land of Awa and the lives of its people.

From work songs sung during farm labor and Bon dance songs to lullabies, Tokushima’s folk songs—passed down through daily life—are filled with charms worth sharing across generations.

In this article, we have gathered a selection of Tokushima’s captivating folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes.

Why not lend an ear to a musical world, born in Tokushima and lovingly carried on by locals, where nostalgia and freshness blend together?

Tokushima Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes | Traditional Songs Rooted in the Region, Including Awa Odori (11–20)

Naruto Bayashifolk song

[New Folk Song] Naruto Bayashi: Hidejo Onishi and Fusako Shitaya

Naruto Bayashi folk song

It’s a vibrant piece that seems to let you hear the mighty whirlpools of Tokushima and the breath of the people who live there.

The lively rhythms of shamisen and taiko bring to mind sea breezes, darting plovers, and dancers in indigo-dyed yukata.

They say this song evolved from an existing new folk tune as it was passed down among the people, eventually taking the form we know today.

Beloved as a staple performance at Naruto City’s summer festival and even featured in the city’s tourism goods, it is cherished as a work that conveys a strong bond with the region’s culture.

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Awa Sceneryfolk song

Awa Scenery (Tokushima Prefecture New Folk Song) — a collaboration of Japanese dance and shamisen!

Awa Scenic Folk Songs

Awa Landscapes is a folk song from Tokushima Prefecture that evokes scenes of Awa.

Images unique to Tokushima—such as the swirling Naruto Strait and the bridges over the Yoshino River—are interwoven with feelings of love, resulting in a gently beautiful folk tune.

Why not listen to it while imagining the scenery of Tokushima?

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Awa Yoshikonofolk song

In Awa blossoms O-Koi, a dance song of life: 'Awa Yoshikono'

Awa Yoshiko folk song

Awa Yoshikono is a folk song beloved in Tokushima Prefecture.

Sung during the Awa Odori dance, it is cherished not only by Tokushima residents but by many people.

“Yoshikono” is said to refer to the rhythmic form of the Yoshikono-bushi that was popular from the Edo period into the early Meiji era.

It has a mysterious charm that makes you want to move your body to the rhythm without even thinking.

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Awa Odori (Awa Dance Festival)folk song

Awa Odori – Tokushima Prefectural Folk Song – Arranged by Naohiro Iwai

Awa Odori folk song

Awa Odori is Tokushima Prefecture’s quintessential folk song, known to everyone.

It is one of Japan’s three major Bon dances, famous nationwide, and many people look forward to it every year.

During the Awa Odori festival, crowds dance in unison to this tune.

Its breezy melody naturally makes your body move.

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Iya Mill Songfolk song

Kaori Kozai - Iya no Konahiki-uta (Tokushima Prefecture Folk Song)

IyA Mill-Grinding Folk Song

Born in the Iya region of Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture, “Iya no Konahiki-uta” is one of the prefecture’s representative folk songs.

In the past, people in this area ground wheat, buckwheat, soybeans, and other grains into flour, which formed a staple of their diet.

After doing hard labor during the day, they would return home and turn the millstone, but they couldn’t help getting sleepy.

So, it’s said that people of the time sang this song to shake off drowsiness as they devoted themselves to their work.

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Barley Threshing Songfolk song

Ten Ten: Mugi Uchi Uta (Barley Beating Song)

Wheat-Threshing Folk Song

“Mugiuchi-uta” is one of the folk songs handed down in Tokushima Prefecture.

It spread as a work song sung during threshing—beating the wheat to separate the grain—and later came to be performed in parlors as a song celebrating bountiful harvests.

Don’t you feel that, while rhythmic, it also has a somewhat leisurely atmosphere that conjures up the image of wheat fields heavy with grain?

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In conclusion

In Tokushima’s folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes—whether seaside work chants, farming songs that evoke nostalgic scenes of daily life, or traditional songs preserved alongside the Awa Odori—the lives and hearts of the people are reflected.

The iconic melodies that symbolize Tokushima will continue to resonate with us as soothing music for the soul.