Japanese Shoka, Children's Songs, and Nursery Rhymes | Timeless masterpieces that resonate in the heart, passed down across generations
Do you ever recall the nursery rhymes and children’s songs you sang with family and friends when you were little? The nostalgic songs—including the Monbushō shōka (Ministry of Education songs)—are treasures of Japan that have been passed down across generations.
Still, there are times when you remember a title but can’t recall the lyrics, or you know the melody but can’t remember the title.
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of shōka, nursery rhymes, and traditional children’s songs that everyone has heard at least once.
As you listen to those nostalgic voices, try humming along with someone dear to you.
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Japanese shoka, children’s songs, and warabe-uta | Timeless, heart-stirring classics passed down across generations (71–80)
Koinobori higher than the roof
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
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
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.
red dragonfly
A red dragonfly is flying in the evening at the end of summer.
Little by little, night is falling earlier, and the time to go home is drawing near.
This song captures a nostalgic feeling—seeing a red dragonfly and recalling the times we went home with the orange sunset at our backs.
Doll with Blue Eyes
In today’s borderless world, dolls made in America are nothing unusual, and you can actually meet blue-eyed foreigners.
However, in old Japan there were people who had only ever seen foreigners as dolls, and this song evokes how Japanese people of that time felt about Americans.
Happy HinamatsuriSakushi: Satou Hachirou / Sakkyoku: Kawamura Naonori
As we celebrate the Peach Festival, Junko Kawamura’s singing depicts charming scenes: the Emperor and Empress dolls sitting on the tiered platform watching over the children, and a child sweetly offering sweets to the dolls.
Featured on the albums “Junko Kawamura: A Journey Through Children’s Songs I” and “Junko Kawamura: A Journey Through Children’s Songs II,” this song has been cherished since its 1936 release as a classic that evokes the arrival of spring.
It reminds us of the importance of family bonds and honoring tradition.
Come Hinamatsuri season, it’s a tune that people of all ages find themselves humming.
Highly recommended for anyone who wants to feel a warm glow as spring arrives.
spring breezeSakushi: Katō Yoshikiyo / Sakkyoku: Fositā
A work that beautifully fuses Japanese tradition with Western music.
Its lyrics, depicting the gentle scenery of spring, and its pleasant melody tenderly accompany the listener’s heart.
Ever since it was included in the “Certified Song Collection” in 1926, this piece has been cherished for many years.
Scenes that evoke the arrival of spring—willow branches, kites, and the wind blowing through the garden—come vividly to mind.
It’s a perfect song for the start of a new school term or the kindergarten/elementary school entrance season.
Singing it with children will deepen the joy of spring, and adults, too, will enjoy it along with fond memories.