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 popular songs and school songs that evoke spring (31–40)
Song of SpringUchida Hajime
This is a heartwarming song that began airing in March 1937 (Showa 12) on NHK’s Osaka Central Broadcasting Station as a National Song.
Composed by Hajime Uchida with lyrics by Kunizo Kishi, its melody has a familiar warmth that resonated with people’s daily lives at the time.
Across its four verses, the lyrics depict charming scenes: the sweet gaze of a flower seller, the bustle of a market lined with fresh vegetables, the chirping of fledgling birds, and a spring landscape swaying in a gentle breeze.
A record was released by Polydor in July of the same year, followed by a release from Teichiku the next year.
The song has been covered by many artists, including Chieko Baisho and the sisters Saori Yuki and Sachiko Yasuda, and it continues to be beloved as a piece that lets listeners share the joy of spring’s arrival.
It’s a tune you’ll want to hum with family and friends as the season signals the beginning of spring.
Flowers and Sunshine of a Spring DayAirurando min’yō
The youth and beauty of a loved one inevitably change with time.
Yet this work is a gem of a love song that gently embraces those changes while proclaiming that the bonds of the heart remain eternal.
Set to a traditional Irish melody, its calm and warm vow of love resonates deeply.
First published in 1807, it has also been cherished as Harvard University’s alma mater and as a hymn.
In Japan, thanks to Keizo Horiuchi’s beautiful Japanese lyrics—and recordings by sisters Saori Yuki and Sachiko Yasuda—it has won the hearts of many.
It is often sung at life’s milestones, such as weddings and graduations, as a testament to unchanging love.
Where are you, spring?Futaba Akiko, Fujiyama Ichirō
Haruhai Izuko (Where Is Spring?) is a song released in 1940 (Showa 15) by the golden combo of Showa-era popular music: lyrics by Saijō Yaso, composition by Koga Masao, and vocals by Akiko Futaba and Ichirō Fujiyama.
A film of the same title was released in the same year, and, as was common with popular songs of the time, this piece served as its theme song.
Incidentally, there is another theme song for the same film, Natsukashi no Utagoe (Nostalgic Singing Voice), for which the lyricist, composer, and singers are all the same; in fact, Haru yo Izuko was issued as the B-side to the Natsukashi no Utagoe record.
While both sets of lyrics share a sentimental tone in keeping with the film’s story, Haru yo Izuko is characterized by a more melancholy, plaintive melody and mood compared to the bright, up-tempo feel of Natsukashi no Utagoe.
If you’re interested, I encourage you to listen to both and compare them.
carp streamer
Even today in the Reiwa era, koinobori carp streamers are displayed across Japan as May approaches.
And whenever we see those koinobori, the children’s song “Koinobori” automatically comes to mind.
It’s a short tune, but I feel the lyrics are wonderfully apt in likening the carp streamers swaying in the blue sky to a parent and child and describing them as “swimming.” How many people can immediately say who wrote the words and music to “Koinobori”? The song is said to have first appeared in Ehon Shoka: Haru no Maki, a picture-book collection of songs published in 1931, with lyrics by Miyako Kondo, who had a background as a music teacher.
In fact, Kondo also wrote the lyrics to the well-known “Tulip,” but because her works were initially published as anonymous pieces, she was not officially recognized as the lyricist until 1993, after various complications.
What’s more, the composer remains unknown even today.
Despite that background, the song has continued to be sung, surely thanks to the excellence of both the melody and the lyrics of “Koinobori.”
We Look Up to You with Respectshouka
A classic song for spring is Aogeba Tōtoshi, familiar from graduation ceremonies.
For many people, hearing this song brings back the feeling that spring has arrived.
Although the details of the song are unclear, it was first published in the 1884 collection Shōgaku Shōka (Elementary School Songs).