Folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Hiroshima: the enduring heart of our hometown, passed down through song.

This is a feature on folk songs handed down in Hiroshima Prefecture.

Folk songs arose from the everyday lives of people in their regions and have been passed down to the present day.

What we discovered while preparing this feature is that, compared with other prefectures, Hiroshima has an exceptionally large number of folk songs bearing the name “Ondo,” and you can find many videos of Bon Odori as well.

It may be that people in Hiroshima have long enjoyed their regional traditions through songs and festivals, happily singing and dancing to them.

In this article, we introduce folk songs that have been passed down in Hiroshima since long ago.

It’s also interesting to listen to the folk songs while exploring the meaning embedded in the form known as “Ondo,” which continues to be handed down.

Playlist

Folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Hiroshima: the enduring heart of our hometown, passed down through song.
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	Please go sleepy-bye.		A lullaby originating in Okayama has been passed down to the present day
2	Rice-Washing Song		The rice-washing song is a work song that helps improve efficiency in sake brewing.
3	Kiyari song		Kiyari are celebratory festival songs that evolved from work songs into folk songs.
4	Ondo Boat Song		Ondo no Funauta is one of Japan’s three great boat songs.
5	Song of Inoko (Boar’s Day Song)		The custom of eating boar rice cakes on the Day of the Boar
6	Kure Ondo		The Kure Ondo was created during the postwar reconstruction period and is enjoyed as a Bon Odori dance.
7	Song of Brush-Making		Passing down the Fude Festival that preserves the tradition of Kumano brushes
8	Song of the Aogiri		A song that weaves the story of the A-bombed Chinese parasol tree and wishes for peace
9	Mihara Yassa Dance		The fun dance of the Mihara Yassa Festival
10	Mr./Ms. Atsumori		A folk song of Shobara City that sings of the tragic romance of Atsumori and Princess Tamaori
11	Mibu’s Hanadaue (Rice-Planting Festival)		Mibu no Hanadaue is a folk song that originated from a rice-planting ceremony.
12	Tosa’s ozashiki entertainment		In Tosa’s ozashiki games, drawing the one with a chrysanthemum means a penalty drink.
13	In the country where Hiroshima is		A song that calls for world peace and opposes war
14	Hi Wagyu Memorial Rice Planting		The 700-year-old rice-planting ritual for honoring cattle in Hiwa Town
15	Soran Bushi		A folk song from Hokkaido wishing for successful herring fishing
16	Genroku Cherry Blossom Viewing Dance		Genroku Hanami Odori is a nagauta piece from the kabuki repertoire.
17	Ooyama Memorial Rice-Planting in Shiobara		The Folk Culture of the Ōyama Memorial Rice-Planting in Shiobara
18	Onomichi Ondo		The Onomichi Ondo was sung at the Port Festival and spread to the public.
19	The square, us, and the blue sky		An anthem supporting the progressive movement born from the 1971 Tokyo gubernatorial election
20	Hiroshima Prefecture Folk Song Bay Nagashi		The origins and uses of Hiroshima Prefecture folk song bai-nagashi
21	Hamakouta (Seashore Maiden’s Song)		Reconstruction of work songs sung by hama-ko (salt field workers) in the irihama-style salt pans
22	Hiroshima is a nice place.		A folk song that sings of hope for recovery from the atomic bomb
23	one, two, three, four		Hiroshima’s demon game: a game where you form pairs when the song ends.
24	Ai-ya bushi		The Aiya-bushi is danced at festivals and celebrations.
25	Saka Town Ondo		Town folk song to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Saka Town’s establishment
26	Hayashida in Shinjo		Traditional performing art of maidens planting rice
27	Millstone Grinding Song		A work song for grinding rice, wheat, and buckwheat into flour with a stone mill
28	Hiroshima Peace Song		A choral piece praying for peace, composed by Hideo Yamamoto and commissioned through a public call by the Hiroshima Peace Festival Association.
29	sunset		An upbeat children's song inspired by a sunset view
30	Fukuyama Tondo Ondo		Fukuyama’s Tondo is a New Year’s event that began when Katsunari Mizuno constructed the castle.