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?

Playlist

Folk Songs, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes of Aomori: Japanese Songs from Tsugaru and Hachinohe that Resonate with the Heart
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	Tsugaru Sangen Kudari		Among folk songs, the most difficult in terms of tempo and the handling of pauses…
2	Tsugaru Bayashi		People from Tsugaru who went to work in the Murakami area of Niigata Prefecture…
3	An Apple’s Soliloquy		A bright red fruit tells of its own journey, such a dear/lovely...
4	Ho-hai Festival		A falsetto that stretches on endlessly like yodeling…
5	Nambu Aiya-bushi		One of the folk songs representative of the southern Aomori region. A port town…
6	Yasaburō-bushi		It’s a folk song that was sung around the end of the Edo period, but…
7	Nambu Yosare-bushi		A lively tatami room that represents the southern region of Aomori Prefecture…
8	Nambu Jinku		Danced for over 100 years in the southern region of Aomori Prefecture…
9	Nanbu Niagata-bushi		Said to have its origins in Niigata celebratory songs, the generous...
10	Nambu Oiwake		A song originating from Oiwake-juku in Shinshu spread to the southern part of Aomori Prefecture…
11	Southern Dodoitsu		The 7-7-7-5 meter that took shape in Edo during the Tenpō era…
12	Nambu Mochitsuki Song		This dance song, born in the Shimokita region of Aomori Prefecture, is for rice cakes...
13	Nanbu Umakata San-ori		It vividly evokes scenes from a journey through the southern Aomori region...
14	Apple tune		Made in 1954 (Showa 29), Aomori’s famous specialty apples...
15	Nambu Tawatsumi Uta		This is a door-to-door song handed down in Sannohe District, Aomori Prefecture. A door-to-door song is…
16	Tsugaru Aiya-bushi		“Tsugaru Aiya-bushi” is “Tsugaru Ohara-bushi,” “Tsugaru…
17	Tsugaru Jongara-bushi		Tsugaru Jongara-bushi is a song accompanied by the shamisen...
18	Tsugaru Ondo		It’s given an ondo and a title, but the song…
19	Tsugaru Yosare-bushi		The “Yo...” in ‘Tsugaru Yosare-bushi,’ one of the three major Tsugaru folk songs
20	Tsugaru Ohara Bushi		“Ohara Bushi” is a folk song sung in various regions across Japan…
21	Sparrow Hoshinjo		The rhythmic calls beckoning the sparrows are so...
22	Moukko		In the Tsugaru region’s nursery rhyme, Mouko refers to the Mongols…
23	Hachinohe KoutaOnishi Tamako		Composed in 1931 to celebrate the completion of the construction of Hachinohe Same Port…
24	Tsugaru JinkuTakahashi Tsuya		Originally a Bon song called “Doredabachi,” meaning…
25	The Kase Slave Dance		A Bon festival that has been passed down in Kase, Goshogawara City for about 300 years...
26	Mountain Pilgrimage Climbing Festival Music		Born from deep faith in Mount Iwaki, the sacred peak of Tsugaru…
27	Hachinohe Great Catch Ondo		The fact that the port of Hachinohe City was renewed in 1931…
28	Hachinohe Port Festival Ondo		The very sound of Hachinohe’s bustling postwar port...
29	Silver Killer		The melancholy strains of the Nanbu Jinku and children’s songs...
30	Dear TorajoSeino Akiko		When I looked it up, I found that it’s also well known as a folk song from Iwate Prefecture…
31	Nambu Cattle Drivers’ Song		A cowherd from the old Nanbu domain’s Sannohe region leading a cow along the road…
32	Thirteen SandhillsMitsubishi Michiya		The Thirteen Sand Dunes are located in Shiura Village, (former) Kitatsugaru District, Aomori Prefecture, Ju…
33	Tsugaru Shiogama JinkuSasaki Rie		It was sung by the people involved in salt making in the early Meiji period…
34	Tsugaru Mountain SongSatō Nobuo		A celebratory song that has been sung in a mountain village in the western part of Aomori Prefecture...
35	Tanabu Oshima-koYamamoto Takeyuu		“Oshimako”? I looked it up, wondering what it means…
36	Nebuta OndoSasaki Shinichi		Swept away by the Nebuta Festival, famous as one of the three great festivals of Tohoku...
37	Japan’s Best Counting SongSasaki Kakusei		It is also known by the alternative name “Tsugaru Counting Song,” but…
38	Ajigasawa JinkuOtsuka Fumio		It is a Bon Odori folk song that was sung in Ajigasawa Town, Aomori Prefecture…
39	Kuroishi Yosare BushiKawasaki Masako		A characteristic of the Yosare-bushi is that performances with instruments such as the shamisen and drums...
40	Tsugaru Tanto-bushiKudō Kimie		The Tanto-bushi originally comes from the “Bangaku” of Semboku District in Akita Prefecture…
41	Yosare Great Catch SongMatsuda Takayuki		At celebratory drinking parties after big catches at Hachinohe Port in Aomori Prefecture and in the Sanriku region...
42	Tsugaru Kobi-ki Uta (Tsugaru Woodcutter’s Song)Kikuyasu Katsuyō		When the people working in the mountains can saw the wood, everyone keeps the rhythm...
43	Michi no UmafushiGotō Ginchiku		Goto Ginchiku, who was the beloved disciple of the famous Narita Untiku...
44	Kenryō-bushiNarita Takeshi		The reading is “Kenryō-bushi,” and around the Aomori City area...
45	Waiha BushiNarita Untiku		The meaning of “Waiha” in the Tsugaru dialect is something like “astonishment,” and…