Songs to Listen to on Children’s Day | A Curated Selection of Music for Tango no Sekku!

Seagull SailorSakushi: Takeuchi Toshiko / Sakkyoku: Kawamura Mitsuyo

“The Seagull Sailors – Seagull sailors, sailors in a row~” (with hand motions)

When you think of a harbor scene, many of you might remember this song.

With lyrics by Toshiko Takeuchi and music by Koyo Kawamura, it’s a beloved classic children’s song featuring birds as charming as sailors in white hats and shirts.

Released by King Records in April 1937, sung by Junko Kawamura, the piece is said to have been inspired when Takeuchi visited the Yokohama pier to see off an uncle bound for Hawaii and saw white birds bobbing on the waves.

The rhythm seems to carry the sound of the surf, and the lyrics, as if they’re marching along in lively rows, are delightful.

It’s a standard still sung today by many vocalists and choirs, and has long been familiar through textbooks and television programs.

Try humming it with your child on a sunny seaside drive or during an outing for Children’s Day.

Urashima TaroMonbushō shōka

Urashima Tarō – Urashima Tarō <with choreography> [Japanese Songs / Shōka]

This is a Ministry of Education school song based on a folktale everyone knows—so catchy you’ll find yourself humming along.

Guided by the turtle he rescued, the hero sets off for the Dragon Palace under the sea, and the wondrous journey is portrayed to a friendly melody, all the way to the moment he opens the jeweled treasure box.

Published in June 1911 in the second-year volume of the textbook ‘Standard Elementary School Songs,’ this piece has been sung for over a century since the end of the Meiji era.

It spread nationwide through school lessons and has a history of deep ties to education, even being used as an interlude song in school plays.

The lyrics follow the story so clearly that vivid scenes come to mind, and singing it with your child will draw you both into the world of the folktale.

On Children’s Day, why not spend some cozy family time with this song, beloved across generations?

yomogi-jōbu nowarabeuta asobi

Spring children's song / For the April–May seasonal festivals: [Yomogi-Jobu no]. I'd like to play it to coincide with the festival.

When it comes to plants essential for the Boys’ Festival (Tango no Sekku), mugwort and iris—both believed to ward off evil with their strong fragrances—come to mind.

Featuring these medicinal herbs, this piece is a seasonal children’s song wishing for kids’ health and safety.

Its hallmark is the playful motion of lightly tapping the hips with bundled leaves, taking turns in rhythm—coordination is key! The game is packed with traditional wisdom for praying for protection and good health through play.

The recording sung by Emiko Kobayashi is included on the album “Let’s Play with Warabe-uta! Everyone’s Play Songs,” released in December 2004, and it was also issued as a digital release in August 2022.

It’s a short piece of about 26 seconds, but try incorporating it into a moment of parent-child movement and laughter, while wishing for healthy growth!

koinobori (carp streamers)sakushi: fushō / sakkyoku: Hirota Ryūtarō

Koinobori (On the Rooftops...) — Suginami Children’s Choir

Did you know there are two children’s songs: “Koinobori” written in kana and “Koinobori” written with the kanji 鯉のぼり? This one is the kanji version, 鯉のぼり.

It was composed earlier than the more commonly heard kana version.

It seems to have been written in the Taisho era, and it includes many words that are no longer used today, making it feel a bit difficult.

Overall, the song conveys parents’ hopes that their children will grow up healthy and strong in both mind and body.

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utatane

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Boys’ Festival (Tango no Sekku)Sakushi sakkyoku: Yuuko

Tango no Sekku (Boys’ Festival) — Children’s Day [Original Song]

Here is an original song called “Tango no Sekku” by someone named Yuko.

Unexpectedly—or perhaps inevitably—it has turned into a serious, tango-style piece.

The moment the song starts, you might think it’s a parody of that famous tune, but no, it isn’t… it isn’t.

While many songs about Hinamatsuri and Tango no Sekku evoke the feel of Japanese children’s songs, this musical style is conversely fresh and memorable.

I hope it will be loved as a new standard song for Children’s Day.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Tango no Sekku (the Boys’ Festival)Morita Doji

Tango no Sekku by Doji Morita

This is “Tango no Sekku” by singer-songwriter Doji Morita, known for her unique atmosphere and vocals.

The song recalls childhood, always with her younger brother somewhere in her line of sight, and it’s sung as if savoring that nostalgia.

Words like shobu-yu (iris bath) and May rain are scattered throughout, but in true Doji Morita fashion, it becomes a mysterious Children’s Day song.

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Children’s Daysakushi: sakata hiroo / sakkyoku: onaka megumi

Children’s Song: Children’s Day — Lyrics by Hiroo Sakata, Music by Megumi Oonaka

Lyrics by Hiroo Sakata, music by Megumi Ōnaka.

I don’t know the details of its release, but this song, called “Kodomo no Hi,” is an extremely short piece.

Many children’s songs are brief so that even very young kids can sing them, but this one is truly short—so much so that the lyrics seem easy to memorize.

Even children who can’t read yet can sing it.

It’s a song for Children’s Day that evokes the image of openhearted, free-spirited children.

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