Folk songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke: classic and popular tunes everyone can enjoy

Soran BushiIshikawa Sayuri

Soran Bushi

An overwhelming performance by Sayuri Ishikawa, who revived Hokkaido folk songs through the power of rock and kayōkyoku.

Featured on her March 2019 album “Tami,” this track, arranged by Seiji Kameda and recorded in the studio with Tomoyasu Hotei on lead guitar, elevates what had long been a stage staple of folk repertoire into a definitive recorded work.

The interplay of distorted electric guitar and traditional folk chants channels the exhilaration of festival music with rock’s dynamics, preserving tradition while reaching new listeners.

A performance that reaffirms just how cool Japanese music can be.

Kawachi OndoKawachi-ya Kikusui-maru

Kawachi Ondo, Kiku-Sumimaru of the Kawachi Family 3-1

The current Kawachi Ondo is a newly arranged version of songs that were sung in the Kawachi region of Osaka, and it became known nationwide after a record sung by Teppō Kōsaburō became a big hit.

There seem to be many schools when it comes to singing styles, but Kawachiya Kikusui-maru is particularly famous, and during the Bon Odori season you can hear this ondo everywhere.

Sado OkesaMurata Bunzō

Sado Okesa (Murata Bunzo) 2

There are various interpretations of what the term “Okesa” means, and no single definition has been settled on.

However, its plaintive melody and the graceful dance performed with bird-chasing hats have become known throughout the country, and it is now one of Japan’s representative folk songs.

The dance isn’t particularly difficult, so it can be enjoyable to try dancing along while singing the song.

Hokkai Bon UtaMitsubishi Michiya

Mitsuhashi Michiya [Hokkai Bon Uta]

It was originally sung as a Bon Odori song by coal miners, but the lyrics were sexy at the time.

In today’s terms, it had somewhat erotic elements, so later the lyrics and melody were revised.

After the great singer Michiya Mihashi performed it and it became a big hit, it spread nationwide as a Bon Odori song.

It’s a lively, up-tempo Bon Odori tune.

Kiso-bushiFujimoto Nisankichi

Kiso-bushi (Fujimoto Fumiyoshi)

It is said to be a song sung by a middle crewman aboard a boat carrying timber down the Kiso River.

It’s a bit curious why it’s the middle crewman and not the bowman, but that doesn’t really matter.

Since the melody is familiar to everyone, try singing it while picturing the scenes of the Kiso region described in the song.

Yasugi-bushiKuroda Sachiko

Yasugibushi (Sachiko Kuroda)

The Yasugibushi is a folk song that has been sung and danced in the Yasugi area of Izumo Province.

As its other name, ‘Dojo Sukui’ (loach scooping), suggests, it traditionally comes with the Dojo Sukui dance.

While the singing has the character of a typical folk song, the dance is coquettish, bringing a spontaneous smile to viewers’ faces and soothing the heart.

One way to enjoy this song is to watch the screen and follow along with the dance.

Kushimoto-bushiOtomaru

Kushimoto-bushi (Otomaru)

This is a parlor song that has been sung in Kushimoto, a port town in Wakayama Prefecture at the southernmost tip of Honshu.

Oshima, located off the coast of Kushimoto, is now connected to Honshu by a bridge, but in the past people traveled back and forth by boat.

As a parlor song, it is accompanied by shamisen, and its tone is similar to that of a kouta (a short song).