[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 Songs] A Collection of Gem-Like Local Tunes Filled with Love for Hometowns
- Akita Ondo: The Heart of Japan Passed Down in Song
- [Children’s Songs of Autumn] Autumn songs, school songs, and traditional children’s rhymes. A collection of classic pieces to sing in autumn.
- Nostalgic Children’s Songs, Folk Songs, and Nursery Rhymes: The Heart of Japan Passed Down Through Song
- Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes of Aomori: Japanese Songs from Tsugaru and Hachinohe that Resonate with the Heart
- Niigata’s folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes: the heart of our hometown passed down in song
- Folksongs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Fukushima: the heart of our hometown passed down in song
- Children’s songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes about insects
- [Folk Songs of Yamagata] The Heart of Our Hometown Passed Down in Song: Feelings Woven into Nostalgic Melodies
- Beautiful Folk Songs Passed Down in Miyagi Prefecture: A Collection of Masterpieces that Play the Heart of the Hometown
- Folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Iwate: the heart of the hometown passed down through song
- [Songs of Aomori] A collection of local songs depicting the grandeur of nature and the warmth of its people.
- Folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes of Kumamoto: the enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
[Akita Folk Songs and Children's Songs] A Curated Selection of Beloved Local Classics that Evoke Hometown Love (41–50)
Millstone Grinding Song
This is a work song that was sung while grinding rice, wheat, or buckwheat with a stone mill.
Mill work is a slow, steady task that can take a long time, often going through the night, and it seems people would sing as they worked until morning.
When several people worked together, they would sometimes improvise call-and-response verses with each other.
The beautiful melody could almost make them forget their fatigue.
The Candy Seller’s Song
This is a song that merchants used to sing to attract customers as they walked around selling candy, carrying a candy box over their shoulder, dressed in eye-catching costumes, and beating a drum.
With a bright, uplifting tune, the candy-seller songs said to exist across the country are also characterized by lyrics tailored to each region.
It’s the kind of song that makes you want to buy some delicious candy without thinking.
Song of Akita PortKaneko Hirofumi
Composed around 1939 by Kaneko Hirofumi with images of his hometown’s sea and fishermen, this is a relatively new folk song.
It captivates with its rousing shouts evocative of seafaring men and its wistful lyrics.
Among Akita’s folk songs—surprisingly few of which sing about the sea—it stands out with a sense of strength.
In conclusion
From folk songs to children’s songs and school songs, we have looked closely at Akita’s rich musical culture.
The folk songs that Akita Prefecture proudly boasts are precious treasures that convey the region’s way of life and feelings to the present day.
Not only for the people of Akita, these songs are something we should continue to cherish, sing, preserve, and pass down to future generations.