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: Japanese Songs That Resonate in the Heart, Alive in Tsugaru and Hachinohe (21–30)
Nambu Cattle Drivers’ Song
A cattle-driving song sung by drovers from the former Nanbu domain’s Sannohe region as they led their oxen on the road.
They loaded salt, fish, and sundries landed at Hachinohe Port onto the oxen’s backs to sell in Kazuno District, Akita Prefecture, and on the return trip carried ore from Kazuno.
It is said the song was sung like a lullaby to the oxen, as if to ease the drovers’ loneliness during the long journey.
Moukko
In the nursery rhymes of the Tsugaru region, “moukko” refers to the Mongols.
Much like Akita’s Namahage, it carries the sense of “If you don’t behave, Mongols will come down from the mountain and attack,” so while it’s a kind of lullaby, it feels a bit scary.
Nowadays, because it frightens children, it’s weathering into a gentler version of “Namahage,” but many regional lullabies and children’s songs actually tend to be quite frightening for kids.
Hachinohe KoutaOnishi Tamako
Composed in 1931 to celebrate the completion of the Hachinohe Same Port, the song became extremely popular at the time.
Its lyrics are filled with lines promoting Hachinohe, and it remains a Nanbu folk song that is still played at festivals in Hachinohe City today.
While many people associate “Nanbu” with Iwate Prefecture, in Aomori Prefecture it refers to the southern areas—Kamikita, Shimokita, and Sambi—and is likewise a region famous for its folk songs.
Tsugaru JinkuTakahashi Tsuya
Originally, it was a bon dance song called “Doredabachi.” The name is thought to come from a shortened Tsugaru dialect phrase, “dodabado odarebaja,” but if you’re not a local, dialects are hard to understand.
Looking it up, it means “Who is that?” or “Who are you from where?” The fact that it’s sung in the Tsugaru dialect gives the song its distinctive flavor.
The Kase Slave Dance
It’s a Bon Festival song that has been passed down in Kase, Goshogawara, for about 300 years, and it’s also a satirical song about society.
It carries the idea that honest people get the short end of the stick while sly, smooth operators come out ahead, and it makes me think people never really change no matter how many years go by.
On a different note, Ikuzo Yoshi’s “Ora Tokyo sa Iguda” is set in Goshogawara, but it apparently drew a lot of backlash from residents.
They were like, “We’re not that rural!” After all, the lyrics back then said it was a village with no TV or radio.
Dear TorajoSeino Akiko
Upon looking into it, it’s also well known as a folk song from Iwate Prefecture, but as a regional tradition it’s a Bon dance song sung over a wide area from Ninohe City in Iwate to Shichinohe Town in Aomori.
There are various theories about the term “torajo,” but it’s thought to be a dialectal corruption of Torazō; in some areas it’s also called “Lady Tora” (Torajo-sama).
As a folk song of Aomori, it’s referred to as “Nanbu Torajo-sama.” Because the lyrics vary by region, there are slight differences, but it’s a curious and fascinating Bon song.
Thirteen SandhillsMitsubishi Michiya
Thirteen Sandhills is a Bon dance song handed down around Lake Jūsan in Jūsan Village, Shiura Village, former Kitatsugaru District, Aomori Prefecture.
From the Kamakura period through the Muromachi period, the area flourished as a major gateway for importing culture from the capital, but in 1340 it was struck by a massive tsunami, and the village fell into decline.
The melody, tinged with the pathos of rise and fall, is a popular folk song.
The tsunami is said to have reached 20 meters, and is considered to have been far larger than the one in the Great East Japan Earthquake.