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)
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.
Happy Hinamatsuri
The Doll Festival in March is an important event that celebrates girls’ growth.
Being able to decorate the hina dolls that your parents prepared by yourself is a sign that you’ve grown a little.
This is a song for the Doll Festival that celebrates health while enjoying treats like hishi-mochi and amazake (sweet white sake).
koinobori (carp streamers)
Speaking of koinobori (carp streamers), the phrase “higher than the roof…” comes to mind, but I suspect today’s children don’t know what ‘iraka no nami’ (waves of tiled roofs) refers to.
This song evokes a classic, nostalgic Japanese scene that’s rarely seen in cities: carp streamers fluttering in the sky while we imagine the crisp May sky, May blossoms, and tachibana (mandarin orange) flowers.
Moon over the Ruined Castle
It is a celebrated masterpiece by the Japanese composer Rentaro Taki, of which Japan is proud.
On the ground, the rich and the poor fight over land, wars break out, and fortunes rise and fall.
Though the world is fleeting, the moon in the sky remains unchanged, shining upon the ruined castle and evoking the splendor of bygone days—this is what the song expresses.