Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes of Aomori: Japanese Songs from Tsugaru and Hachinohe that Resonate with the Heart
Aomori Prefecture is alive with a rich tradition of culture and performing arts.
In the lands of Tsugaru and Hachinohe, the emotive strains of folk songs still resound today.
Coupled with the powerful tones of the Tsugaru shamisen, Aomori’s folk music speaks deeply to our hearts.
In this article, we have carefully selected “folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes of Aomori,” born from the lives of people shaped by mountains, the sea, and a harsh climate.
We present timeless masterpieces that have been lovingly sung and passed down through the ages.
Won’t you lend an ear to the world of songs that can truly be called the heart of Aomori?
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Aomori Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes | Soul-Stirring Japanese Songs Living On in Tsugaru and Hachinohe (1–10)
Nambu Jinku
This is a representative hand-dance song that has been passed down for over a century in the southern region of Aomori Prefecture.
It is said that a stylish song that was popular in Edo during the Tenpō era made its way north, where it took root, blending with the local language and climate.
Within its short 7-7-7-5 verses, it deftly weaves in moments of respite during labor and the subtleties of everyday life, resonating warmly with listeners.
This piece has no single identified author and has been cherished and sung among the people.
Today, it is an indispensable number in the region’s performing arts, appearing on albums that collect local Bon dance songs and being performed at community events.
Nanbu Niagata-bushi
A folk song said to have its origins in Niigata celebratory chants, beloved for its generous, light, and lively melody.
It has been sung as a hymn to the people responsible for the labor of carrying goods.
You can feel the resilience of people who find joy and celebration amid harsh work.
This piece is included on Mitsugu Koyama’s album “Tsugaru Shamisen: Mitsugu Koyama Folk Song Collection, Vol.
1,” as well as on the album “Oku no Yorimichi,” arranged by Yujiro Takahashi and Katsuaki Sawada.
Passed down to the present as the soul of the region, this song is perfect when you want to connect with the celebratory spirit rooted in Aomori’s climate and culture.
Nambu Oiwake
This is one of the folk songs that originated in Oiwake-juku in Shinshu, was passed down to the southern region of Aomori Prefecture, and beautifully fused with the local horse-driver’s songs.
The lyrics mention place names and signposts along the way, deeply expressing the melancholy and homesickness a traveler might feel at a fork in the road.
It is said that this piece has also been cherished as accompaniment for the regional “Nanbu Teodori” hand dance.
It was documented as a folk song in 1941 and was included on Kenji Yamamoto’s album Nanbu Oiwake: Kenji Yamamoto Aomori Oku-Nanbu Folk Song Collection, released in November 2001.
Shall we reflect on the lives of people who live in harmony with a harsh natural environment?
Aomori Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes | Soul-stirring Japanese Songs Alive in Tsugaru and Hachinohe (11–20)
Southern Dodoitsu
This piece is a song that took shape in Edo during the Tenpō era with a 7-7-7-5 meter, was carried to the Nanbu region of Aomori, and nurtured into a distinct folk tune.
Beyond love songs, it weaves in everyday wisdom and the humor of common people who laugh off hardship, all expressed through the local dialect.
Its generous melodic phrasing offers a gentle flavor unique to Okunanbu, different from Tsugaru folk songs.
While it originally centered on singing, choreography was codified in the Showa period, and it came to be enjoyed as a dance as well.
Why not immerse yourself in this simple, heartwarming world born from local life?
Nambu Mochitsuki Song
This dance song, born in the Shimokita region of Aomori Prefecture, is memorable for its rhythmic calls that echo the motions of pounding rice cakes.
Said to have begun as a festive song of hospitality, it vividly conjures the transformation of harsh labor into a shared, joyful energy.
As the shamisen and drums drive the beat, the rhythm gradually heats up, wrapping listeners in an uplifting excitement that makes both heart and body want to move.
This piece was also featured on folk singer Kohei Fukuda’s May 2022 album, “Furusato Dayori.” Why not lend an ear to this vibrant melody—Japanese soul music in its own right?
Nanbu Umakata San-ori
It is a folk song that vividly evokes scenes from travels in the southern Aomori region.
Based on a travelers’ song said to have come from Shinshu, it sets the feelings of a horse-leading traveler to a lively sanbon-downbeat style on the shamisen.
You can sense both the melancholy of crossing misty mountains at dawn and the pride of a land famed for its fine horses.
Loved as accompaniment for hand dances, its light, repetitive melody conjures cheerful images of people forming a circle and dancing together.
When you want to reflect on the majestic nature of the northern country and the lives of its people, give it a listen.
Apple tune
Composed in 1954, this is a relatively new folk song themed around Aomori’s famed apples.
Its lyricist and composer, Untake Narita, hails from Nishitsugaru in Aomori.
Tsugaru folk songs are now renowned nationwide, but there was a time when they were looked down upon as beggars’ songs.