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

Hiroshima StoryKadokawa Hiroshi

Hiroshi Kadokawa “Hiroshima Story”

A mature, emotionally rich number that serenely sings of Hiroshima nights, it evokes a moody memory of a man and woman’s encounter.

Kadokawa is a veteran enka singer who debuted in 1976, but it’s said that in high school he was a member of the baseball team at Koryo High School.

Hiroshima, River of LoveKatō Tokiko

"Hiroshima: River of Love" Massive Riverside Chorus on August 6 — First Event — Filmed in 2015 (70 years after the bombing)

This is a message song praying for everlasting peace, with lyrics written by the late Keiji Nakazawa, author of Barefoot Gen, set in Hiroshima, which was devastated by the atomic bomb.

Ms.

Kato, known for the classic Shiretoko Ryojo and for voicing Gina in the Studio Ghibli film Porco Rosso, delivers a powerful performance.

HiroshimaNakamura Takamichi

09_Hiroshima

Nakamura’s “Hiroshima,” whose lyrics capture a brief return to their hometown.

Prompted by a sudden feeling amid life in Tokyo, they go back to Hiroshima and sing lyrically, as if recalling those days.

That image resonates with our own lives, leaving us feeling sentimental yet warmly comforted.

Longing for TomonouraIwa Misaki

Misaki Iwasa “Tomo no Ura Bojō” (Released Wednesday, January 8, 2014) [Full MV]

This song was released in 2014 as the third single by Misaki Iwasa, formerly of AKB48.

Producer Yasushi Akimoto reportedly chose Tomonoura in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, as a scenic port town to evoke an enka atmosphere, and the song was created with that setting in mind.

Seto SongDaikoku Yuki

Setoka Daikoku Yuki

This is a song by Hiroki Daikoku that portrays the feelings of a woman who keeps waiting in Onomichi for her beloved, who has left for Tokyo.

Although Daikoku debuted as an enka singer, he is now active under his real name, Miwako Daikoku, having shifted to the J-pop scene.

Fukuyama Seasonal Song ~This Is Fukuyama, Come On Over~Yokoyama Chie

Fukuyama Shikisai Song ~ Chie Yokoyama

This is a song by Chie Yokoyama, who was also active as part of the unit “Yamada Katsutenai Wink” with Kuniko Yamada.

Grandly unveiled at the Fukuyama Civic Hall in 1994, this piece can be considered a local song that weaves the scenery of Fukuyama into its lyrics, and it is even referred to as the “phantom” Fukuyama city song.

Brave Fight！macchotenguman

Officially recognized local hero of Hiroshima Prefecture, Aki Warrior Maple Kaiser, theme song “Brave Fight!”

This is the theme song of Aki Warrior Maple Kaiser, a local hero familiar to children in Hiroshima Prefecture that aired on TSS TV Shin-Hiroshima, and its guitar-driven rock—perfect for a tokusatsu hero show—is sure to fill our hearts with courage.