A classic Japanese folk song passed down through generations of acoustic performances
A special feature on Japanese folk songs.
Folk music originally began as arrangements of traditional songs and spread in the United States.
From around the 1960s, it was also embraced in Japan, and, reflecting the times, songs with strong anti-war and anti-government messages were delivered.
Entering the 1970s, it became especially popular with more accessible, mainstream themes and reached a peak of commercial success.
Although Japanese folk has evolved to incorporate various elements, it retains an acoustic allure and a wistful mood, with lyrics that stand out and resonate.
By all means, take your time and immerse yourself in Japanese folk music!
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Classic Japanese folk songs passed down through solo singing and guitar (41–50)
PrayerNagabuchi Tsuyoshi
This is a folk ballad that feels like a raw cry of the soul, based on Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi’s real-life experience of suddenly losing the one he loved in his youth.
The sound of a single acoustic guitar strummed hard and his wrung-out vocals convey a visceral sense of irreparable regret and frustration.
This piercing prayer will surely seize the listener’s heart.
Released as a single in July 1979, it was also included on that year’s album Gyakuryu.
His solo live performance of the song has been praised as its very essence.
When you’re carrying deep loss, encountering the fierce emotions poured into this piece may paradoxically bring a strange feeling that your own sorrow is being purified.
Heart patternInoue Yosui
Alongside Takuro Yoshida, Yosui Inoue became one of the quintessential Japanese folk singers of the 1970s.
Despite being regarded almost as a byword for folk music, he himself has said that he liked bands such as the Beatles.
sonOkuda Tamio
Amid the band boom of the ’80s, Tamio Okuda debuted as the vocalist of the rock band Unicorn.
This is a song he wrote after going solo.
Strumming a folk guitar, he sings about his child from a father’s perspective.
In the Great Sky and on the Vast EarthMatsuyama Chiharu
This is a song included on his first album, released in 1977.
Evoking the vastness of Hokkaido, its dynamic lyrics have made it a long-standing favorite.
Even today, it is performed at concerts as one of Chiharu Matsuyama’s signature songs.
Goodbye for today.Moriyama Ryoko
Ryoko Moriyama, a Japanese singer-songwriter, was born to parents who were jazz musicians.
She wrote many famous songs and sang them with a magnificent, beautiful voice, but the lyrics and composition of this song she sang in her youth were by Shoichi Kaneko.