[2026] Masterpieces themed on Ehime: from local songs to municipal anthems

GAIYA ON THE ROADUzaki Ryūdō

Gaia on the Road - Ryudo-gumi

This song by Ryudo Uzaki is a powerful track that resounds through the Uwajima Ushioni Festival in Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture.

Its blood-stirring sound—like a fusion of rock and festival music—matches perfectly with the fervor of the “Gaiya Carnival.” It’s also noteworthy that it features the Uwajima dialect, with phrases like “dogai mo kogai mo.” The vigorous calls shake the listener’s soul, giving a visceral sense of being at the very heart of the festival’s whirlwind.

It’s sure to grab the hearts not only of people from Uwajima, but of anyone who wants to feel the fiery spirit of Ehime.

Our backs and the sunLUNKHEAD

Our backs and the sun

A rock band from Niihama City in Ehime Prefecture, LUNKHEAD offers a classic song filled with bittersweet feelings for their hometown: “Our Backs and the Sun.” Based on the real experiences of vocalist Yotarou Odaka, who wrote both the lyrics and music, the song even mentions a specific place, the “Niihama Civic Cultural Center.” It evokes a shimmering page of youth: nights spent on a deserted rooftop talking about the future with friends, the sun they watched while holding both anxiety and hope for what lies ahead.

Carried by nostalgic guitar tones, the straightforward message—“Let’s dream once more”—gently nudges those who have left home and are doing their best.

It’s a warm anthem that reminds listeners of love and gratitude for their hometown.

Our hometownImabari Shiritsu Bekku Shōgakkō 6-nensei

Our hometown

Our Hometown is a song created by the 6th graders of Bekku Elementary School in Imabari City together with singer-songwriter Jinto Tanaka.

The charms of Imabari, woven by the children themselves, ride on a gentle, soothing melody that resonates in the heart—a heartwarming community-made song.

The lyrics feature local specialties like “soft and fluffy towels,” conveying their deep affection for their hometown.

As they approach graduation, their pure, straightforward voices seem to stir nostalgia in listeners and gently wrap them in warmth.

Song of Matsuyama CitySakushi: Ōno Shizune / Sakkyoku: Akutagawa Yasushi

Song of Matsuyama City with subtitles & furigana (Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture) 4K

Written by Shizune Ono, selected through a public call for lyrics, and composed by the master Yasushi Akutagawa, this piece was created to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Matsuyama’s incorporation as a city.

The lyrics, penned from a citizen’s perspective, unfold the gentle landscapes of Matsuyama as if in a painting.

Akutagawa’s dignified yet approachable melody embraces these warm words, filling the heart with love and pride for the hometown.

Not merely a tour of famous sights, the song carries a hopeful message in which people’s smiles form a “circle” and cast a “rainbow” toward the future.

Blending seamlessly into citizens’ daily lives, this song is a hometown anthem that unites the people of Matsuyama.

Iyo Banzaimin’yō

Iyo Banzai

Iyomanzai, a traditional performing art of Matsuyama that has continued since the Edo period, is a celebratory song infused with pride in the hometown and wishes for people’s happiness.

In the lively back-and-forth between the tayu and Saizō, famous spots like Matsuyama Castle and Dogo Onsen are sung one after another, as if you were traveling to these landmarks through music.

The spirited chant of “Ha—yassai yassai” alone makes your heart leap and fills you with the energy of a festival.

It’s a piece that symbolizes Ehime—warmth carefully preserved by the local people, packed into the sounds of shamisen and drums.

Song of Kamijima TownHakasé Tarō

Song of Kamijima Town

This is the image song for Kamijima Town in Ehime Prefecture, created by Taro Hakase, one of Japan’s leading violinists.

After actually visiting the town, Hakase turned the emotions he felt from its scenery and the character of its people into music—resulting in a special piece written exclusively for Kamijima.

The gently played violin melody evokes the calm sound of the Seto Inland Sea’s waves and the pleasant breeze that sweeps through the islands.

Listening to it, you can almost see the sunlit, shimmering sea and the lush, green islands.

It’s a gem of an instrumental piece that lets you feel the warm atmosphere of Kamijima Town through music.

OhanahanBaishō Chieko

Ohana-san

It goes back quite a while, but this is the theme song from an NHK morning serial drama that aired from April 1966 to April 1967.

The story follows a woman in the Meiji era who marries a military officer and has a child, but then loses her husband.

Raising her child alone, she overcomes numerous hardships, and the theme song sings of the way of life of such an “Ohana-han.”