[Folk and Children's Songs of Hokkaido] Songs of Hokkaido that continue to be loved across generations

The folk songs and children’s songs that resound across Hokkaido’s land carry the lives, joys, and prayers of people who have long faced its harsh nature.

Traditional music such as Esashi Oiwake and Soran Bushi has been passed down across generations and remains deeply rooted in many hearts today.

In this article, we introduce beloved classics—folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes—that have been handed down in Hokkaido and are still cherished today.

Why not lend an ear to these nostalgic melodies and feel the allure of music nurtured by the northern land?

Playlist

[Folk and Children's Songs of Hokkaido] Songs of Hokkaido that continue to be loved across generations
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	Hokkai Yanresa-bushi		A warm time dancing together to a Hokkaido folk song
2	Hidaka Uma Kata Mikudari		A parlor song of Hokkaido, a profound piece with complex techniques
3	Choi-sa section		A lively folk song celebrating the bountiful catch of Hokkaido’s fishermen
4	Hokkai Daikoku Dance		An auspicious celebratory song that heralds spring on the northern land and invites good fortune
5	Esashi Packhorse Driver’s Song		A new folk song that gently portrays the loneliness of a person traveling with a horse
6	Hokkai Iwai Nagashi Song		A traditional song from Hokkaido: the joy and bonds of people who work at sea
7	Red mountain, blue mountain, white mountain		A children's song expressing the four seasons of the Hidaka Mountain Range
8	Hokkai Magouta		A folk song depicting the spirit of workers who ride horses across the northern land
9	Esashi Oiwake		Esashi Oiwake is a folk song known for its intricate melodic ornamentation, brought to Hokkaido from the packhorse drivers’ songs of Shinano.
10	Ho-hora-hoi Bushi		A Hokkaido folk song about a fisherman hurrying back to his hometown to see his lover
11	Three-step descent of the Northern Sea		Hokkaido New Folk Song by a Hakodate Folk Singer
12	Tado-shi Ondo		A festival folk song from Fukagawa City, Hokkaido. A heartwarming tune.
13	Utase-bune (traditional Japanese fishing sailboat)		The pride and melancholy of fishermen living on the northern sea
14	Matsumae Oiwake		Mago-uta heads to Hokkaido, tinged with melancholy and allure
15	Hamashack Okeza		A composed folk song that sings of the pathos of a woman waiting for her husband who will never return
16	Kurikai Festival		A rousing northern sea folk song celebrating a bountiful herring catch
17	Boat-Rowing Drifting Song		A folk song based on fishermen’s work songs
18	Soran Bushi		Soran-bushi is a folk song that originated in Hokkaido and is popular nationwide.
19	Pechka (a type of Russian masonry stove)		Pechka is a brick fireplace that was loved in Hokkaido.
20	Hokkai-hama-bushi		The Hokkai-bushi is a folk song of the herring fishery.
21	This roadOhnuki Taeko		Hakushū’s Feelings for Hokkaido and Yanagawa
22	HAPPY HONEY HORSENo-zan Ho-su Pa-ku		Parents and children have fun bonding with a horse-themed hand play song
23	Soran-bushi (from “Northward,” Four Japanese Folk Songs for Mixed Chorus and Piano)Matsushita Kou		Kō Matsushita gives a contemporary arrangement to Hokkaido folk songs
24	Children’s Bon Odori SongMochida Yoshiko		A children's Bon Odori song originating in Hokkaido
25	Nanchu SoranItō Takio		The Soran Bushi has been given a youthful arrangement.
26	Fuki Festival OndoYokokawa Yuko		A festival event in Hokkaido centered on butterbur
27	Donan Nut Bushmin’yō hatakeyama kai		The Nutto-bushi is a factory girls’ work song from a Hokkaido cannery.
28	The Song of the Flow of the Ishikari River in Crimson ScarletSeikō		A new folk song of Hokkaido that sings of the Ishikari River
29	Iyasaka OndoBikutā Shōnen Min’yō Kai		Herring Roe Beating Work Song
30	wave-initial sound		A traditional folk song for synchronizing oars in herring fishing
31	Southern Hokkaido Bon Festival Song		The Donan Bon Odori: A Bon dance in southern Hokkaido passed down from Akita’s Bon songs
32	Hokkai Bon UtaMitsubishi Michiya		Otaru’s Bon Odori song becomes a million-seller for Mihashi
33	Hakodate Port Song ~ Ain’t It Nice?Sasaki Motoharu		A citizens’ song brimming with the warmth of Hakodate’s people
34	Hokkai Yosare-bushiHokkaidō min’yō		The Yosare-bushi is a Bon dance song that was transmitted from Echigo to Hokkaido.
35	Hokkai Nikata-bushiHokkaidō min’yō		A folk song brought from Niigata to Esashi, which prospered from herring fishing
36	Tourist Asahikawa OndoHokkaidō min’yō		Citizen Dance Parade of the Asahikawa Summer Festival
37	Isohama Bon UtaOtsuka Fumio		Origin of the Bon Odori Song of Cape Suttsu
38	Donan KudokiKawasaki Keiko		A song that includes place names from Hakodate to Isoya
39	Hokkai Cod Fishing Songumezu tomohide		A Hokkaido folk song sung by fishermen on board a boat
40	Song of Ezo Fujimin’yō bando Komachi		Expressing the beauty of Mount Yotei with powerful vocals
41	Shibetsu OndoHatakeyama Midori		Dance parade at the Teshiogawa Festival in Shibetsu City
42	Nemuro Women’s Worker’s SongTakae Kumiko		Sang about and passed down the harsh labor of women workers in canning factories
43	Teshikaga OndoTakada Tomoe		Teshikaga Town's Hot Spring Tourism PR Song
44	Autumn Salmon Bounty SongRyūsei		Autumn salmon is a seasonal delicacy known as “aki-aji” (autumn flavor).
45	Tokachi Horse SongOtsuka Hikonobu		A new folk song that expresses the grandeur of the Tokachi Plain
46	Net Hoisting ChantAichi Gakuin Daigaku Guri Kurabu		A work song of fishermen hauling nets. Originates from Ise Grand Shrine.
47	Departure SongMuraki Kenkichi		A folk song about the departure of a young fisherman from Hakodate Port
48	Pirika PirikaIwasaki Suzuyo, Jidō Gasshōdan		A lullaby that sings of the Ainu's beautiful happiness