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[Folk Songs and Children's Songs of Akita] A curated selection of local masterpieces that evoke love for one’s hometown
A wealth of folk songs and children’s songs that have long been close to the lives of the people of Akita.
Nurtured amid abundant nature and a harsh climate, Akita’s folk songs are imbued with people’s joys and sorrows, and with hearts of prayer.
Still sung at local festivals and traditional events and passed down to children, these songs are, quite literally, the very heart of Akita.
In this article, we introduce the musical world that Akita proudly offers—a region renowned nationwide for its vibrant folk song culture—from well-known folk and children’s songs everyone has heard at least once, to hidden gems known only to the initiated.
[Akita Folk and Children's Songs] Carefully Selected Local Masterpieces That Evoke Hometown Love (1–10)
Little loaches and little crucian carp
With the arrival of spring, the ice on the pond melts and creatures awaken—this renowned song depicts that scene in warm Akita dialect.
Sung from the perspective of loaches and crucian carp, its portrayal of the changing seasons gently conveys the workings of nature and the brilliance of life.
Originally a children’s folk song handed down in Akita City, it spread nationwide after being broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” starting in April 1961.
Passed down across generations, this piece invites us to feel Japan’s beautiful nature more closely by singing it together with children.
Senboku Nikata-bushi
Set to the dazzling melodic picking of the shamisen, this is a celebratory song from the Senboku region of Akita Prefecture, sung with a rich, lustrous tone.
Its origins are said to lie in Niigata, and it underwent unique development in Akita.
Since before the early Showa period, the piece has been rooted in rural life and refined by performers as a parlor song that enlivened festivals and celebratory gatherings.
The lyrics strikingly capture auspicious New Year scenes and the vigorous breath of people toiling at farm work amid harsh nature.
Listening to this work conjures up the region’s abundant nature and everyday lives, letting you feel the very soul of Akita.
Nangai Kouta
Set against the rich natural backdrop of Daisen City in Akita Prefecture, this song is imbued with deep love for its hometown.
Created in the late 1980s by Ichiro Muto with the warm wish of “a folk song that children can sing,” it features a gentle melody in the yonanuki (pentatonic) scale that lingers in the heart, paired with lyrics that celebrate the region and evoke a tender sense of wonder.
Its familiarity is evident from an episode in which a first-grade student sang it confidently at the Akita Folk Song Festival.
When sung together with family and community, it may deepen one’s feelings for their hometown even more.
Akita Oiwake
The Oiwake melody that came from Shinshu underwent its own unique development within Akita’s harsh natural environment.
Its structure—starting with a conversational opening and flowing into a main song tinged with melancholy—is especially striking.
The lyrics weave in Honjo’s specialties and its beautiful mountains and rivers, conjuring images of the warm gaze of people who love their hometown and their everyday lives.
Though the work’s author remains unknown, it is said to have been shaped into its present form in 1929 by Umewaka Asano and others.
It’s a masterpiece to listen to when you want to connect with the hearts of the people rooted in the land of Akita.
Akita Sake Brewers’ Moto-Suri Song
Sung and passed down at sake breweries in Akita, this piece spread as a work song for brewing.
It was reportedly sung during the monotonous yet vigorous task called “moto-suri,” in which steamed rice and koji are crushed with a paddle.
The rhythmic phrasing and the spirited interjection “yarayoi” seem to express fleeting moments of joy amid hard labor and a sense of solidarity among the craftsmen.
This work is said to have taken root spontaneously from the early to mid-Meiji period.
It might be a good listen when you want to connect with the history of Japanese handcrafts and the local culture born in harsh environments.
Kubota-bushi
This piece, with its shamisen melody that’s both sprightly and somehow lyrical, invites listeners into the beautiful, unspoiled landscapes of Akita.
But what it portrays is more than just scenic beauty.
Through richly expressive phrasing, it seems to convey the quiet moments of wonder and the spirit of prayer found in everyday life.
Composed around 1950 by Teiji Nagasawa and popularized in households through Akita Television’s program “Kubota Folk Song Country Tour,” “Kubota-bushi” found an enduring place in people’s hearts.
Hibari Misora’s deep, resonant voice further cemented its appeal.
It’s a classic that’s perfect for times when you’re thinking of your hometown or wanting to immerse yourself in the beauty of Japan’s landscapes.
Minamikayabe Cod-Fishing Kudoki-bushi
This work is striking for its somewhat wistful yet powerful melody.
It is said to have originally been hummed during the harsh intervals of cod fishing, and the conversational singing voice conveys, with great depth, the joys and sorrows of people living with unforgiving nature.
In 1998, Chizu Nakajin arranged the traditional song, shaping it into its current form.
Loved by local communities beyond its birthplace, it is even performed at folk song competitions in Akita.
Perhaps it would be nice to listen closely while letting your thoughts drift to the land of Akita.