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)
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.
Classic Japanese folk songs passed down through solo performances (51–60)
Aoba Castle Love Songsatou muneyuki
Released by Muneyuki Sato as his debut single in 1978.
Carried by its flowing melody and the longing it expresses for Sendai, the song became a hit and is now an indispensable local anthem of the city.
It’s no exaggeration to say that the nickname “City of Trees, Sendai” was popularized by this song.
Travel Lodgeyoshida takurou
Perhaps the most famous Japanese folk singer is Takuro Yoshida.
From his amateur days, he was very much a man of folk—playing and singing folk music and gaining popularity.
This is one of Yoshida’s representative songs from his younger years.
Cape TourYamamoto Kōtarō & Uīkendo
Released as a single in 1974, it became the biggest hit for Kotaro Yamamoto & The Weekend.
With its refreshing melody and lyrics that liken encounters and farewells between people to a journey by bus, the song has a distinctive poignancy and has continued to be sung in many places.
ChampionArisu
Released in 1978, this song is Alice’s biggest hit and an energetic folk tune.
It tells the story of a boxer—fighting in the ring, then falling… and what lies before his eyes after that? It’s a song that makes you want to sing your heart out.
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.
Do you not sing that song anymore?kaze
This is a single by the folk duo Kaze, released in 1975.
The name “Kaze” (Wind) comes from the idea of not staying in one place like air and continually evolving musically.
With lyrics that read like a letter and a bittersweet melody, the song stood out at a time when folk groups were in vogue.