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

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.”

The Flowers in the Gardensakushi: satomi gi (yakushi) / sakkyoku: airurando min’yō

The Flowers of the Field | With Lyrics | Irish Folk Song | The flowers in the garden and the chirping of insects

Based on an Irish folk tune, this is a school song with lyrics by Yoshishi Satomi that has been sung since the Meiji era.

Its lyrics poignantly capture the loneliness of autumn as the garden’s grasses and flowers wither, and overlay that scene with the image of chrysanthemums that bloom beautifully despite the frost—an emblem of living nobly while enduring solitude.

The piece was published in June 1884 in the Ministry of Education’s Elementary School Song Collection, Part Three, and was later covered by artists such as Yoichi Sugawara and Rainbook.

It’s a wonderful choice for quiet contemplation on a long autumn night.

The song’s powerful message, nestled within its melancholy, will gently accompany the bittersweet feelings that come with the changing seasons.

Its somehow nostalgic, beautiful melody is sure to soothe the heart.

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.

Choo-choo train

Children’s song “Kisha Poppo”

It’s a cheerful song that sings about the scenery flowing by on both sides while riding a train, but it was created in 1937, before the war, and was released at the time under the title “The Soldiers’ Train.” It is said to have been a song for seeing off soldiers riding a steam locomotive as they headed to the battlefield.

One crow

Japanese nursery rhyme 'One Crow' (Warabe-uta 'Ichi wa no karasu ga')

It is a traditional Japanese children’s song also known as a jump rope rhyme.

Characterized by a simple melody and lyrics that include animal sounds, it is beloved in children’s play and educational settings.

By singing while jumping rope, children can enjoyably learn a sense of rhythm and the concept of numbers.

It’s fun for families and highly valued in early childhood education, and it will likely continue to be loved for many years to come.

Please let me pass.warabeuta

♪Tōryanse – Touryanse | ♪Tōryanse, tōryanse, what narrow path is this? [Japanese Song / Shoka]

This is a traditional Japanese children’s song handed down since the Edo period, said to have been sung along the approach to Kawasaki Daishi Temple in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa.

In a game beloved by children, two players take the role of ogres, join hands to form a gate, and everyone slips through while singing.

The lyrics include the act of offering talismans for the seven celebratory milestones of childhood and convey a sense of awe toward a sacred place.

For those who remember gathering to play it in their neighborhood when they were young, or who know the melody from pedestrian crossing signals, it is a song that can be sung with a warm sense of nostalgia.