Folksongs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Fukushima: the heart of our hometown passed down in song
The Tohoku region has traditionally been rich in folk songs.
Since ancient times, there have been festival songs and the like that are rooted in the local land.
Many of these songs are ones that everyone from the area would know, but this time we’ve gathered pieces to help more people appreciate the beauty of folk music.
Younger people and others may not be very familiar with it nowadays, so I’d be happy if this sparks your interest!
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Folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Fukushima: The heart of our hometown passed down in song (21–30)
Aizu Nagamochi SongHasebe Masayuki
The Long-mochi (Nagamonji) song is a folk song traditionally sung by the people carrying the bride’s chest of drawers in a wedding procession.
It is a well-known folk song in Miyagi and Akita Prefectures, and as it spread to different regions it took on local characteristics, becoming the Aizu Nagamochi Song.
In the Aizu area, it is still passed down today as a celebratory wedding song.
New Soma Bon UtaHarada Naoyuki
After the war, Masao Suzuki I began singing it, and it became famous nationwide.
Today it is one of the folk songs that represent Fukushima Prefecture.
It is a new folk song created by combining three pieces: the “Haa” of Miyagi’s Ishinage Jinku, Soma’s Kusakari-uta (Grass-Cutting Song), and the drinking song Soma-bushi.
Although it was Masao Suzuki who sang it and spread it across the country, it was composed by his mentor, Hide-no-shin Horiuchi from Soma City.
Since the Soma region is the birthplace of many folk songs, it is said to have been created by combining traditional folk melodies.
Aizu MatsuzakaNemoto Miki
It is always sung at wedding and celebratory gatherings throughout the Aizu region.
I looked into whether the correct form is Matsusaka or Matsuzaka, and found that it was originally composed by Mr.
Kenryō Matsunami, who was born in Shibata City, Niigata Prefecture.
The term “Matsuzaka” originally refers to a type of celebratory song distributed mainly in Echigo and across the Tohoku region, and it is called by different names depending on the area, such as Nikata-bushi or Kenryō-bushi.
In modern usage, the kanji 松坂 (Matsuzaka) appears to be more common.
Since versions of “Matsuzaka” exist in various regions, we prefixed the title with “Aizu” to distinguish it as an Aizu folk song.
Soma Grass-Cutting SongMitsubishi Michiya
It is said to have begun as a song sung during grass-cutting work and on morning trips to cut grass.
Although it is considered originally a rowdy drinking song, it is also said to be a variation of the Soma Jinku.
Because it was sung during fieldwork, it naturally became a slow song, and the hayashi accompaniment may sound somewhat coarse.
The interjected phrase “Nanda kora yōto,” too, was likely a shout to spur themselves on during hard labor.
Song of JangaraShimo-tsudzuri Seinenkai
This is a folk song sung during the Jangara Nenbutsu Dance, an intangible folk cultural property passed down in Iwaki City since the Edo period.
During the Obon season, youth associations and volunteers from various parts of Iwaki visit households observing their first Obon to offer memorial services.
They perform dances to the chant of Namu Amida Butsu, imbuing the singing and dancing with prayers for the repose of the deceased, accompanied by drums and hand gongs.
Commonly called “Jangara,” it has become a hallmark of the Obon season in Iwaki.
The dance styles and melodies vary widely—even within Iwaki—and the lyrics differ by region, but the meaning of Jangara remains the same.
Soma NagareyamaNakanishi Natsuko
The Soma Nomaoi is a festival held at Soma Nakamura Shrine, Soma Ota Shrine, and Soma Odaka Shrine, centered on the Nakamura area of Soma City in Fukushima Prefecture.
At the Hibari-ga-hara festival grounds, armored horse racing and a sacred flag contest are conducted.
At each shrine, the eve festival on July 23 serves as a departure ceremony, during which the Soma Nagareyama is sung.
Waraji OndoKoseki Yūji
This song was created for the Waraji Odori of the Fukushima Waraji Festival, a summer event launched by the Fukushima Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1969 to wish citizens good health and strong legs.
It was inspired by the 300-year-old Shinobu Sanzan Yaki-mairi, in which about 100 people carry and dedicate a giant straw sandal for the guardian Nio statues enshrined at Haguro Shrine on Mount Shinobu, the symbol of Fukushima City, praying for household safety and a bountiful harvest.
One of the giant straw sandals is dedicated during the Lunar New Year’s Shinobu Yama Yaki-mairi, and the other is dedicated in early August when the Fukushima Waraji Festival is held.
In recent years, with events like Dancing Soda Night and the Heisei Waraji Ondo, the festival has taken on a slightly samba-like vibe.