[Hiroshima Songs] The Heart of Our Hometown Passed Down in Song | A Curated Selection of Timeless Classics Loved Across Generations

If you take the tramIshii Anna

If you take the streetcar, full MV.mov

This is Ema Ishii’s second single; she is an artist active mainly in Hiroshima Prefecture.

When it was released in 2010, Ishii was still a high school student, but her powerful, full-bodied vocals—unbelievable for a student—evoke vivid images of Hiroshima.

a pencilMisora Hibari

a pencil

This is a song by Hibari Misora, the “Queen of Kayōkyoku,” created for her appearance at the first Hiroshima Peace Music Festival.

It depicts the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Having herself experienced the Great Yokohama Air Raid, she is said to have readily accepted the invitation to perform at the festival.

Hiroshima I always used to seeyoshida takurou

Takuro Yoshida: Hiroshima I Always Watched

The lyrics to this song were not written by Takuro Yoshida; they were penned by the late Osami Okamoto, known for “Erimo Misaki.” I feel it was highly significant that Yoshida, who didn’t sing anti-war songs during the folk boom of the 1970s, released this song after entering the 1980s.

SanyōdōToba Ichirō

Sanyōdō

Sanyo Road portrays a man who, while harboring a selfish heartbreak, sets out on a journey in pursuit of his dreams.

Sung with a powerful kobushi by Ichiro Toba, the renowned enka master known for Kyodai-bune, it preserves in our hearts the time-honored Japanese culture that is enka.

MONEYHamada Shogo

Money (WE ARE STILL ON THE ROAD.)

A signature song by singer-songwriter Shogo Hamada, known as “Hamasho.” The album that features this track, DOWN BY THE MAINSTREET, is said to be modeled on the industrial zones around Kure City in Hiroshima Prefecture, where Hamada grew up.

You can feel the fervent desire of a man who vows to leave his small town, seize his dreams, and one day return.

Woman of OnomichiKitajima Saburō

(39) Woman of Onomichi (Saburo Kitajima)

A song released in 1966, back when Saburo Kitajima—affectionately known as “Sab-chan,” one of the biggest figures in the enka world—was still just starting out.

It evokes the sweet yet fleeting scene of a man who has traveled all the way from the north, crossing the sea, to reunite with a woman from his memories.

#33Mebius

Mebius “Smile” ~Hiroshima Toyo Carp Ryosuke Kikuchi’s Life Theme Song~

This is the song used as the walk-up music for Ryosuke Kikuchi of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.

The title, of course, comes from Kikuchi’s jersey number.

Mebius, a sister duo from Hiroshima, delivers a refreshing up-tempo tune, with perfectly matched harmonies that pump up Kikuchi’s entrance.