Wonderful sports day / athletic festival

[Eisa] A roundup of classic and popular songs—perfect for sports day!

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Accompanist / Piano Instructoryuri
Accompanist pianist × piano instructor × web writer. I began piano lessons at age four and, inspired by my piano teacher, decided to pursue music. I went on to specialized music programs in high school and university, where I discovered the appeal of accompanying instrumentalists and singers. Currently, alongside teaching piano, I work mainly in my home region of Aichi as an accompanist for flute, voice, choir, and more. Through lessons, my students often introduce me to trending songs, and my hobby is trying anything on the piano—Japanese and Western pop, commercial jingles, and beyond. Since 2021, I’ve also been active as a web writer, covering music and a variety of other genres.

Eisa is sometimes performed as one of the group events at elementary and junior high school sports festivals.

Originally a traditional performing art of Okinawa, the powerful sight of performers beating drums of various sizes and dancing is truly breathtaking!

The music used traditionally includes folk songs passed down through the ages, and in recent years, pop music has also been adopted.

In this article, we’ll introduce a comprehensive selection of songs perfect for Eisa—from classic staples and popular tracks in Okinawa itself to J-pop numbers that are sometimes used for Eisa performances at sports festivals.

We hope this helps you choose music for your sports day!

[Eisa] A roundup of classic and popular songs perfect for sports day! (21–30)

Tōfun Doi

Chinese ship, hey!

Tōfun Doi

Tōshin Doi weaves a distinctly Okinawan melody with the rhythmic sounds of the sanshin.

This song is a folk tune handed down since ancient times in Okinawa, and it is such a popular Ryukyuan folk piece that people say your body starts dancing the moment it plays.

The rapid-fire sanshin feels exhilarating, and the song is performed as a celebratory finale in Eisa.

Its lyrics rejoice in and celebrate the arrival of Chinese trade ships—Tōshin—from the Tang lands with which Okinawa once traded, depicting the excitement of the local people at the time.

Even today, it remains a traditional number performed at banquets and festive occasions.

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Yuito of the WindHii de Katsu

Yuito of the Wind

Yuito of the WindHii de Katsu

It is one of the songs released by Higa Katsumi, a musician from the Yaeyama Islands in Okinawa Prefecture.

Rather than traditional Okinawan music, it features a deep, resonant timbre reminiscent of regions like India and other parts of Asia, creating a strikingly mystical atmosphere.

Along with “Miruku Namuri,” it is beloved as a staple of Eisa, and the incorporation of gentle movements serves to emphasize the song’s worldview.

Because it is a piece with prominent vocals, paying close attention to the calls and responses should allow performers to showcase a powerful Eisa that can stand up to the intensity of the music.

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Flirting all year roundrinken bando

Flirting all year round

Flirting all year roundrinken bando

This work, which beautifully fuses Okinawan tradition with contemporary music, is known as a staple Eisa piece.

Released by Rinken Band in 1991, the song features lyrics that depict Okinawa’s annual events and everyday life, along with the soothing tones of the sanshin and island drums.

With its rhythmic melody and friendly lyrics, it’s loved by a wide range of ages, from children to adults.

It’s a perfect choice for Eisa performances at school sports festivals, too.

It’s sure to bring the whole venue together for a wonderful, smile-filled time.

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Nakazun Nagare

[Okinawan Song] Nakajun Nagari | Sanshin Music Famous in Eisa | With Lyrics

Nakazun Nagare

There are many standard pieces in Eisa, a traditional folk performing-dance of Okinawa, and “Nakazhoon Nagari” is one of the representative ones.

In the Okinawan dialect, it is pronounced Chunjun Nagari.

Although the lyrics mention Tanabata, this summertime song is often used for Okinawa’s Bon dances.

Dancers offer prayers to the local deities and memorials to their ancestors through the performance, celebrating health, safety, and prosperity.

The celebratory song “Nakazhoon Nagari” is now performed and enjoyed across Japan, even at events like school sports days.

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Ichubi measures

Keihō High School Eisa “Ichubi Bushi”

Ichubi measures

This Okinawan folk song is notable for its charming lyrics depicting a woman thinking of a man and visiting him under the pretext of going to pick strawberries.

The word “ichubi,” which carries the meaning of strawberry, is used strikingly, and the appearance of strawberries heightens the sense of cuteness.

The light rhythm is another highlight, making it perfect for use in Eisa.

By adding emphatic calls and responses, the strength of the feelings embedded in the lyrics will likely be emphasized even more.

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abundant harvest of the five grainsPāshakurabu

Parshaclub “Bountiful Harvest” Parshaclub Naha Hari (Dragon Boat Festival)

abundant harvest of the five grainsPāshakurabu

A Pāsha Club track that fuses Okinawan tradition with contemporary music.

Its distinctive sound features lyrics praising the island’s rich nature and culture, interwoven with the tones of drums and the sanshin.

Included on the 1996 album “nanafa,” it was also used the following year in a commercial song for Orion Beer.

Evoking the atmosphere of Okinawa’s harvest festivals, this piece is perfect as background music for Eisa performances at sports days and various events.

When everyone moves in unison and dances with gratitude for the island’s blessings, the entire venue is sure to be wrapped in a sense of togetherness.

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Kudaka Manju-shu

Lyric Commentary: Introduction to an Eisa Song - 'Kudaka Manjushu' [Tokyo Nakano Ward Shimpū Eisa]

Kudaka Manju-shu

Kudaka Manju-shu, also known as “Kūdākā,” is an Okinawan folk song often used in Eisa.

It depicts people teasingly spreading the word that the manju-shu of Kudaka is looking for a lover, and how those around them get drawn into the commotion.

From there, the story develops into going from house to house to receive offerings of sake, and the lively atmosphere comes through in the interjections as well.

This image of visiting homes to receive sake is said to overlap with the origins of Eisa, which involved traveling around regions as a form of dancing nembutsu, and the song has become a staple of Eisa.

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