[2026] The Heart of Our Hometowns Carried Through Song: A Roundup of Japanese Folk Singers, Including Young Talents!
Powerful voices ringing out on festival nights; work songs passed down during rice-planting season… Folk songs that live on across Japan are a musical culture woven together with each region’s daily life and scenery.Many people may associate folk singers with something nostalgic and old-fashioned.But in fact, more and more female folk singers are taking on new forms of expression while faithfully carrying on tradition, and young artists are sharing the appeal of folk music with a fresh sensibility unique to their generation.In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of singers—from legendary figures who represent folk music to up-and-coming talents.You just might discover a voice from home that resonates in your heart!
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- [Japanese Children's Songs] Carefully selected timeless masterpieces loved across generations!
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[2026] The Heart of Our Hometown Carried in Song: A Roundup of Japanese Folk Singers, Including Young Artists! (11–20)
New Soma BushiHarada Naoyuki
Naoyuki Harada, a native of Namie in Fukushima Prefecture, made his record debut with Polydor in 1964 and has remained at the forefront of the folk song world for over 60 years.
His “Zenkoku Go-Chonai Ondo” sold over 500,000 copies, earning him the Golden Disc Award from Nippon Columbia.
Appearances on the 1978 NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen and as a regular on “Yoru no Shiteiseki: Minyō o Anata ni” brought him nationwide recognition.
He has received numerous honors, including the Matsuo Performing Arts Award and the Minyō Meijin title, and he is dedicated to nurturing the next generation through his Harada Minyō Association.
With commanding vocal power and supple ornamentation that carefully traces regional dialects and melodies, his singing is highly recommended for those who wish to cherish the songs of their hometowns.
Nambu Cattle-Driving SongFukuda Kouhei
Kohei Fukuda is an enka singer from Shizukuishi, Iwate District, Iwate Prefecture.
He began performing folk songs at the age of 23 and has won many folk song competitions.
The Iwate folk song “Nanbu Ushi-oi Uta” (Nanbu Cattle-Driving Song) was sung by cattle handlers as they loaded harvested rice onto the backs of oxen and transported it to the Nanbu domain’s rice storehouses.
Tsugaru Ohara BushiKoyama Mitsuna
Mitsuna Koyama is from Yugawara Town in Kanagawa Prefecture.
She is a Japanese folk singer specializing in Tohoku and Tsugaru folk songs.
The Tsugaru Ohara-bushi, a folk song from the Tsugaru region of Aomori Prefecture, is mainly sung during celebratory occasions and other lively gatherings.
It also has its origins in Shiogama Jinku, a folk song from Miyagi Prefecture.
Its light, buoyant rhythm is a distinctive feature.
Kagoshima MikudariShinbashi Kiyozo
Shimbashi Kiyozō was a Japanese folk singer from Tanegashima, Kitata-ne Village, Kumage District (now Nishinoomote City) in Kagoshima Prefecture, who was active from the early to mid-Showa era.
A former geisha, Shimbashi performed “Kagoshima Sansagari,” a folk song from Kagoshima Prefecture that is also one of the ozashiki (parlor) songs.
Iso-bushiHayasaka Mitsue
Mitsue Hayasaka is a Japanese folk singer from Chuo City, Tokyo.
Because both of her parents were folk singers, she has been active in the world of folk music since childhood.
The Isobushi, a folk song from the Pacific coastal region of Ibaraki Prefecture, was originally a sailors’ work song, but it is said to have spread nationwide as an ozashiki song (a song performed in tatami-room gatherings).
Tsugaru Jongara-bushiKanazawa Akiko
Akiko Kanazawa is a Japanese folk singer from Ichikawa City in Chiba Prefecture.
The Tsugaru folk song “Tsugaru Jongara-bushi” is famous as one of the three major Tsugaru folk songs, alongside “Tsugaru Yosare-bushi” and “Tsugaru Ohara-bushi.” Incidentally, the word jongara in the title is said to derive from the name Jōen, a Buddhist priest of a temple located beneath Asaseishijō (Asaseishi Castle) in Aomori Prefecture.
[2026] The Heart of Our Hometowns Carried Through Song: A Roundup of Japanese Folk Singers, Including Young Artists (21–30)
Obonai-bushiKawasaki Masako
Masako Kawasaki is a Japanese folk singer from Niiyama, Omonogawa Town, Hiraka District, Akita Prefecture.
The Obonai-bushi, a folk song from Semboku City in Akita Prefecture, is also affectionately known as Obonai Dashi (Obonedashi) after its opening lyrics and is widely beloved.