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.