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

The Sparrow School

Suzume’s School by Sachiko Komiyama

This is a children’s song by the duo of composer Ryutaro Hirota and poet Katsura Shimizu, who were active in the Taisho era.

It was composed in December 1921 and published in the February 1922 issue of the children’s magazine Shōjo-gō.

The song depicts a school where sparrows gather in a circle under their teacher and chirp in unison.

The repeated onomatopoeia “chii-chii pappa” gives it a rhythmic structure that’s easy for children to remember.

It has been included in numerous compilations, including Nippon Columbia’s three-disc set “Ketteiban: Kokoro no Dōyō—Omoide no Aishōka 100-sen.” It’s a recommended song for those nostalgic for their early childhood or for anyone who wants to sing along with their children.

Horse’s tail, pig’s tail.Sakushi: Abe Hitomi / Sakkyoku: Yamamoto Naozumi

Horse tails, pig tails

Broadcast on NHK’s Minna no Uta in August 1983, this song is a humorous children’s tune themed around the tails of a horse and a pig.

Written by Hitomi Abe and composed by Naosumi Yamamoto, it was selected as an outstanding piece in NHK’s Children’s Song Lyrics and Composition Contest.

The story charmingly likens a boy’s puppy-love—teasing the girl he likes—to animal tails, sweetly capturing that childish urge to tug on her pigtails.

Sung by Kyu Sakamoto and the NHK Tokyo Children’s Choir, it became well-loved and was rebroadcast in 2010 and 2015.

There are also covers by various artists, including Seiji Tanaka, and it is widely sung in kindergarten and nursery school choirs.

Its lively melody and catchy refrain make it perfect for parents and children to sing together.

Foal’s Rhythm PlayMonbushō shōka

A nursery teacher plays the piano for the rhythm activity “Little Foal”! Sheet music included

This children’s song, which depicts a lively foal moving forward to the chant “Hai-shii, hai-shii,” was included in the Ministry of Education’s Shoka for the Elementary School Reader, edited in July 1910 (Meiji 43).

Its hallmark is the way it expresses the foal’s hoofbeats—pressing on along mountain paths and up steep slopes—through an even beat and rhythm.

Today it is used in early childhood education and eurhythmics as a “rhythm play” activity, ideal for children to walk, run, and stop in time with the piano.

Because changes in pitch and tempo can be expressed through body movement, it’s perfect for group movement play and parent–child bonding time.

By imitating a horse’s gait, it offers a fun way to foster a sense of rhythm.

Adorable foalSakushi: Satō Hachirō / Sakkyoku: Niki Takio

Adorable Foal - Children's Song - Showa-era Song - Radio Kayō / National Kayō - With Lyrics

This song warmly portrays the life of a foal and a child, while carrying a curious, poignant sense of the times quietly creeping in.

You dry the foal’s wet mane, run together, and eventually part ways.

Such scenes unfold alongside rhythmic calls and responses.

The lyricist, Hachirō Satō, was active across a wide range from children’s songs to popular music, and the composer, Takio Niki, was a seasoned talent also known for film scores.

The work was released in December 1940 and broadcast nationwide the following January 1941 on NHK’s “National Songs.” It is closely connected to the film “Uma” (Horse), and has long been loved, later even featured in animated films.

Singing it as a family invites reflections on life in earlier times, and in early childhood settings it can be enjoyed as a play activity by imitating a foal’s movements.

horse (childish/affectionate term)Sakushi: Hayashi Ryūha / Sakkyoku: Matsushima Tsune

[Ouma] Children's song ♪ with hand motions ♪ song ♪

This piece portrays a foal walking clip-clop alongside its mother, set to a gentle rhythm.

Lyricist Yanaha Hayashi is said to have written the words based on the scene of a mare and foal he saw at the Imperial Stock Farm in Chiba, weaving the affection between animal mother and child in simple language.

Composer Tsune Matsushima aimed for a vocal range and phrasing that are easy for lower elementary grades to sing, and created accompaniment that is easy to play on keyboard or harmonica.

After being included in the February 1941 national school textbook “Uta no Hon, Upper,” it continued to be adopted in textbooks by various publishers after the war, and in 2007 it was selected for the “100 Best Japanese Songs.” It fits naturally into kindergarten and preschool choruses, and it’s easy to incorporate into fingerplay or instrumental ensembles.

If parents and children sing it together, they can have fun imitating the sound of hoofbeats.

Denderaryuba

Denderaryuuba [With Song] Children's Song/Hand Play

It is one of the traditional children’s songs from Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, and is also used in the Nagasaki Kunchi festival.

It is known as a hand-clapping song for children.

It is said to be based on the Nagasaki-bushi, which became popular during the Russo-Japanese War, as suggested by words like “Russian warship” and “Cossack cavalry.”

Oonami Konami

Can you sing the jump rope song “Big Waves, Small Waves” all the way to the end?

Positioned as a staple song for long-rope jumping and Eurhythmics, this piece is enjoyed along with movements that express the motion of waves by swinging the rope widely from side to side.

By moving their bodies while singing, children naturally develop a sense of rhythm and cooperation.

It is also used in settings for children’s music education and emotional development, and is included in Kyoiku Geijutsusha’s elementary school music textbook “Ongaku for Elementary Students 1.” Many people may remember happily doing group long-rope jumping to this tune while humming it as children.

The lyrics seem to vary by region, so if you’re curious, be sure to check them out.