Lullabies: children's songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes. Nostalgic songs for putting children to sleep.
Lullabies have existed since ancient times in every country—they’re songs for soothing children.
I’ve put together a list of many lullabies, from the kind you might have heard on NHK’s educational channel to arrangements of foreign folk songs.
I’m sure there are songs in here that you sang together with friends when you were a child.
If you listen again now with the mindset of returning to childhood, you might discover something new.
If you “struggle every time to put your child to sleep,” please try listening—and singing—these songs to them at least once.
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Lullabies: children's songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes. Nostalgic bedtime songs (21–30)
Lullaby of Narada
Narayuda Lullaby is not a song from Nara, but a lullaby from Hayakawa Town in Minamikoma District, Yamanashi Prefecture.
Place names appear in the lyrics, suggesting a deep connection with this region.
The song’s lyrics are quite amusing and, unlike many lullabies from that era, they don’t convey a dark worldview.
In the first half, an elderly woman who loves grilled rice cakes (yakimochi) eats a lot of mochi.
Apparently, in the latter half, someone rides a horse and drops one of those rice cakes.
Seeing it this way, the lyrics are indeed quite unique!
Okazaki Lullaby
This lullaby is sung in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture.
Its lyrics resemble those of the so-called Edo lullaby, and some researchers are studying their common features.
As lullabies are sung over long periods of time, some naturally undergo gradual changes.
Lullabies like this can bring comfort not only to children but to people of all ages.
When you’re tired from work or studying, it might be nice to drift off to sleep while listening to songs like these, returning to the feeling of childhood.
Lullabies: children's songs, folk songs, and nursery rhymes. Nostalgic bedtime songs (31–40)
Yoichi Chikuma
It is a lullaby originating in Kamihata-cho, Omihachiman City, Shiga Prefecture, which spread to nearby Kyoto, Mie, Aichi, and even to Kyushu.
“Takeuma Yoichi” refers to Mr.
Yoichi of the shop named Takeuma (“stilts”), and it is said that people working there sang it along their peddling routes and passed it on.
Multiple variations of the lyrics have been confirmed.
In this version, the lyrics describe carrying vegetables by boat, crossing the Sanzu River, and warning that there are scary snakes.
However, in the final verse, it’s revealed to be just a joke.
Echigo Lullaby
This Echigo lullaby, a lullaby from the coastal area of the former Kubiki District in Niigata Prefecture, has also been sung by Peggy Hayama and Michiya Mihashi, but it has become less commonly heard in recent years.
From the lyrics, you can almost see the sea of Niigata; it’s that kind of song.
In this way, across Japan, local lullabies—akin to local theme songs—may have been born and then faded away.
They may not fit the times now, but I can’t help wishing they would continue to be sung from parent to child for generations.
Shimbara Lullaby
This is a reworked piece based on a lullaby that Kohei Miyazaki, a writer from Shimabara City in Nagasaki Prefecture, sang while caring for his child alone.
It is said that the original song is the folk tune from Yamanashi Prefecture, “Koshu Enko-bushi.” It was broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” in October 1973.
Lullaby of the Hunter
The lullaby “Hunter’s Lullaby” has been passed down in Shibi, Miyazaki Prefecture.
It’s a very short piece, but am I the only one who finds the combination of a hunter and a lullaby a bit dramatic? It’s a calm song, perfect for soothing a baby, and it might even make the singer feel sleepy.
The lyrics carry a Miyazaki dialect, giving it a strong regional flavor, and feature a cat, a cow, and a hunter.
Perhaps it’s a song of a hunter soothing his child; it evokes the natural setting of Shibi, a mountainous area of Miyazaki.
Takeda Lullaby
This is a lullaby that was passed down in a marginalized (burakumin) community located in what is now Kyoto Prefecture.
Although it was performed by folk groups and singers such as Red Bird, it was banned from broadcast for a long time, and only fairly recently began to be featured on radio and television.
Perhaps for that reason, the song’s lyrics themselves have been significantly altered from the original.