Spring songs from the early Showa era: a collection of kayōkyoku and shōka that evoke spring
When you hear “spring,” what songs come to mind?In the early Showa era, spanning from before to after the war, many popular songs, school songs, and children’s songs were created that delicately captured the changing seasons.In this special feature, we present a rich selection of songs and school songs about spring from that time.Some of the linked audio-video materials use original recordings from the era, so please savor the spring air of those days along with the retro sound.We hope you enjoy a gentle springtime, humming along to these nostalgic melodies.
- [Spring Songs Born in the Showa Era] A Curated Selection of Kayōkyoku That Colored the Times and Timeless Classics Still Sung Today
- [For Seniors] Spring Songs You'll Want to Hum: Feel the Season with Nostalgic Classics
- [For Seniors] Classic spring songs to sing in April: A heartwarming moment with nostalgic children’s songs and kayōkyoku (Japanese popular songs)
- [For Seniors] Recommended spring songs for people in their 90s: A collection of Shōwa-era spring tunes
- Nursery rhymes to sing in spring: a collection of classic songs you'll want to sing with your children
- [Spring Songs] Classic and Latest Hit Collections Perfect for a Bright, Gentle Spring
- [Spring Songs] Masterpieces to Listen to in April: Classic Tracks that Color the Month
- Moving songs to listen to in spring. Classic and popular spring tracks.
- [2026] Enka Spring Songs to Savor: A Collection of Classic Enka That Evokes the Japanese Spring
- Spring song medley. The best classic tunes to listen to in spring.
- A roundup of classic Showa-era kayō songs: a comprehensive introduction to timeless tracks loved across generations.
- [Spring Songs] Masterpieces for Mid-Spring to Listen to in March. Spring Tunes
- [2026] Time-Travel to Your Memories Just by Listening! Recommended Spring Songs for People in Their 50s
Spring songs from the early Showa era: A collection of kayōkyoku and shōka that evoke spring (21–30)
White Plum Blossoms of YushimaObata Minoru
Minoru Obata, who sang many big hits and was very popular in the early Showa era, released the song “Yushima no Shiraume” in 1942.
It’s a prewar popular song performed to accompany the film “Yushima no Shiraume,” written by Kyoka Izumi, which portrays a love story between a writer and a geisha.
Obata’s smooth, flowing vocal style is very pleasant to hear.
The lyrics follow a 5-7-5 rhythm, giving them a good tempo that matches the melody well.
As a hit song, it has been covered by many singers over the years; more recently, Kiyoshi Hikawa has done a cover.
Suzhou SerenadeWatanabe Hamako, Kirishima Noboru
“Suzhou Nocturne” is a popular song from the Showa era, composed in 1940 as an insert song for the film “China Nights,” and released on record the same year sung by Hamako Watanabe and Noboru Kirishima.
In the film, it is performed by actress Yoshiko Yamaguchi, known as Li Xianglan, who was born in prewar China and lived through a turbulent era.
The song was, in fact, originally created with the premise that the movie star “Li Xianglan” would sing it.
Suzhou—called the “water city of the East”—and the feelings of a man and a woman are depicted in beautifully crafted lyrics characteristic of Showa-era popular music.
Over the hillFujiyama Ichirō
This is the signature hit that cemented the popularity of Ichiro Fujiyama, the mega-star also known for the smash classic “Aoi Sanmyaku” and the first singer to receive the People’s Honor Award during his lifetime.
“Oka o Koete” traces its origins to “Picnic,” a mandolin ensemble piece composed by Japan’s beloved national composer Masao Koga for the Meiji University Mandolin Club.
Later, with lyrics added by Yoshifumi Shimada, it was released in 1931 as the theme song for the film “Ane” (Elder Sister), becoming the “Oka o Koete” we know today.
The anecdote of Koga, then a student at Meiji University, composing the piece while strumming his own mandolin and thinking of those youthful days of cherry blossoms in full bloom that would never return, is itself like a scene from a movie—so lovely, isn’t it? Why not listen to this song as performed by Fujiyama—who graduated at the top of his class from the Tokyo Music School and possessed a naturally rich voice and impeccable precision—and let it evoke images of springtime from your own youth?
Blue MountainsFujiyama Ichirō
In 1949, as postwar Japan began to blossom, a gem of a masterpiece expressing young people’s hopes for a bright future was born, with lyrics by Saijō Yaso and music by Hattori Ryōichi.
The duet woven by the voices of Fujiyama Ichirō and Nara Mitsue evokes the powerful, beautiful arrival of spring—like snow-breaking cherry blossoms that bloom after a harsh winter.
Written for a film, this work overlays the dreams and yearnings of the youth of the time with scenes from nature, brilliantly depicting the sentiments of people during the postwar reconstruction period.
Set against blue mountain ridges crowned with rose-colored clouds, its heartwarming melody and lyrics seem to gently embrace those living in a new era, making it an eternal classic one longs to hear with the coming of spring.
A Hazy Moonlit Nightshouka
A song that beautifully portrays a spring evening depicts, with delicate nuance, a scene where the setting sun and haze spread over a field of rapeseed blossoms, and a pale moonlight floats in the sky.
Alongside the tranquil countryside, it gently embraces quintessential images of spring in Japan—the hues of the forest, people walking along rice-field paths, the croaking of frogs, and the tolling of bells.
Released in 1914 as a Ministry of Education school song, the work seamlessly marries lyrics by Tatsuyuki Takano with music by Teiichi Okano, and it has long been cherished in educational settings.
It has continued to be loved across generations, with Aiko Moriyama covering it in 2009 and Ai Nishida performing it on a program in June 2023.
As a song to hear on a calm spring evening, it offers a warmth that deeply touches the heart.