Japanese Shoka, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes | Timeless masterpieces that resonate in the heart, passed down across generations

Seven-year-old child

♪ Seven Little Children – Nanatsu no Ko | ♪ Why does the crow cry? The crow is in the mountains ♪ [Japanese song / shoka]

This is a song that brings back the scene that used to play from schools and the like around the time evening fell, when children were still absorbed in play and it was about time to head home.

In the lyrics, the “seven” has long been debated—whether it refers to seven crows or to age seven—and even today there are various theories about this traditional children’s song.

We Look Up to You with Respect

[Graduation Song] Congratulations on Your Graduation! “Aogeba Tōtoshi” [Soprano Duo]

A song often sung at graduation ceremonies and the like.

When I listen to this piece, I’m filled with a mix of feelings—nostalgia and a touch of loneliness—and it brings back memories of those days.

It doesn’t seem to be sung much at recent graduation ceremonies for younger people, so I’d love for them to go back to the basics and sing it.

SMAP also sang it back in the day.

The Harvest Moon

♪ Full Moon on the Fifteenth Night – 15-ya Otsuki-san | ♪ Full Moon on the Fifteenth Night, how are you, dear Moon? [Japanese Song / Shoka]

The harvest moon looks beautiful because the air is clear, but the song’s content is very sad.

The lyrics tell of a girl who has been separated from her family; as she gazes at the moon and remembers them, she longs for the loved ones she can no longer see.

Perhaps the lyricist, Noguchi Ujō, wrote such words based on experiences from his own childhood.

I found a hint of autumn

I found a little sign of autumn.

The lyrics of “Chiisai Aki” are profoundly sad.

Phrases like the north-facing windowpane, the fogginess, and dissolving milk with vacant eyes layer images of loneliness.

Little by little, the cold sets in, and the song seems to verbalize the coming of autumn as it is felt.

Koinobori higher than the roof

♪ Koinobori – Carp Streamers | Carp Streamers Higher Than the Rooftops; The Big Black Carp Is Father [Japanese Song / Shoka]

This is a song filled with the wish that boys and fathers live in good health on May 5th, Children’s Day, during the Boys’ Festival (Tango no Sekku).

At that time, the father was the main pillar of the household, and the mother, as a woman, does not appear in the song.

It reflects the social background of that era.

Urashima Taro

[With Song] Urashima Tarō: Children's Song and Folktale

It’s a song about a mysterious tale in which a fisherman who worked earnestly in his village every day saves a turtle, and as thanks is taken to the Dragon Palace under the sea.

It teaches the lessons that joyful times pass in the blink of an eye, and that failing to keep a promise can lead to disastrous consequences.

Red Shoes

Red Shoes – Akai Kutsu | The girl who wore red shoes [Japanese song / shoka (school song)]

During the wartime era, foreigners were considered enemies and, even for adults, beings whose language they could not understand.

In the time when people called foreigners ‘ijinsan,’ this song vividly conveys how children—who had never actually seen a foreigner—felt that they were frightening.