[2026] The Heart of Our Hometowns Carried Through Song: A Roundup of Japanese Folk Singers, Including Young Talents!

Sayama Tea-Making SongSane Mao

Sayama Tea-Making Song

Mitsuoto Mao is a folk singer from Saitama Prefecture.

The folk song of Saitama, Sayama Tea-Making Song, was often sung while picking tea leaves in the fields or making tea.

Listening to this song brings to mind a scene of people cheerfully plucking tea leaves as they sing.

Song of Ezo FujiFukushi Yūko

Song of Ezo Fuji

Yuko Fukushi is a Japanese folk singer from Hokkaido.

She is actively involved in Hokkaido, performing at events such as the Yosakoi Soran Festival.

In the Hokkaido folk song “Ezo Fuji no Uta,” Ezo Fuji refers to Mount Yotei, a volcano in western Hokkaido, and the song celebrates the beauty of this mountain.

Isohara-bushiShitaya Fumiko

Isohara-bushi (Ibaraki Prefecture)

Fumiko Shitaya is a Japanese folk singer from Shizuoka City, Yamagata Prefecture.

It is said that her mother was a folk singer, and she began learning folk songs from her mother at the age of ten.

Isohara-bushi, a new folk song from Isohara Town in Kitaibaraki City, Ibaraki Prefecture, is characterized by its relaxed tempo and expansive, flowing vocal style.

Soran BushiItō Takio

Copy ~ Takio Ito 'Soran Bushi'

Takio Ito is from Tomakomai, Hokkaido, and is a still-active Japanese folk singer.

He performs the Hokkaido folk song “Soran Bushi” with powerful, expansive vocals that vividly convey the vastness and grandeur of Hokkaido’s land.

Ito is also known for incorporating instruments such as guitar, electric piano, and saxophone, establishing a new form of folk music.

Kuro Dando BushiHajime Chitose

Chitose Hajime “Kuro Dando Bushi”

Chitose Hajime is a Japanese Amami folk singer from Katoku in Setouchi, Oshima District, Kagoshima Prefecture (Amami Oshima).

She has been familiar with the sanshin and island songs since childhood.

The Kagoshima folk song Kurodando-bushi is mainly sung on Amami Oshima, Kikaijima, and Tokunoshima.

Tinsagu FlowersKojya Misako

Okinawan Folk Song “Tinsagu nu Hana” Misako Koja

Misako Koja is a singer from Kadena, Nakagami District, Okinawa Prefecture, and a leading figure in Okinawan music.

The Okinawan folk song “Tinsagu nu Hana” is a traditional piece passed down through generations in Okinawa, and it is sometimes written as “Tensagu no Hana” or “Tensago no Hana.” It is characterized by the abundant use of the Okinawan dialect in its lyrics.

rice sectionYoshizawa Hiroshi

Japanese Dance “Kome-bushi” – Fukagawa Odori, Chisato Otomo

Hiroshi Yoshizawa is a Japanese folk singer from Sendai City.

He has performed more than 200 folk songs from across the country and is widely active, making him one of Japan’s nationally renowned folk singers.

“Kome-bushi,” a folk song from Miyagi Prefecture, is sung with the motif of rice harvesting.