Folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes of Kumamoto: the enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
Kumamoto has served as the setting for folk songs and children’s songs known throughout Japan, such as Otemoyan and Itsuki no Komoriuta.
These works vividly portray the grandeur of Aso’s natural landscape, the majestic figure of Kumamoto Castle, and the rhythms of everyday life.
From Taharabanzaka, which conveys the sorrow of the Satsuma Rebellion, to Higo Kome Ondo, which celebrates a bountiful harvest, each folk song passed down through the generations is deeply etched with Kumamoto’s history and culture.
In this article, we have gathered folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes from Kumamoto, imbued with love for the homeland and the joys of daily life.
Let us lend an ear to the world of song where the spirit of Kumamoto resides.
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Kumamoto’s folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes: The heart of our hometown passed down through song (31–40)
Aoi-san’s Gate (Festival Song)
A heartfelt traditional melody rooted in the festivals of Kumamoto.
Its simple yet majestic pentatonic tune invites listeners into the joy of celebration.
This piece has been passed down as a “folk song of the Kumamoto region” and is still sometimes performed at local festivals in Kumamoto today.
Piano arrangements and vocal sheet music are also available for purchase, and it is widely known as a song deeply embedded in Kumamoto’s culture.
Those who wish to experience the warmth of Japanese traditional music and the spirit of local culture will find themselves filled with a gentle sense of peace.
Hang in there, Kumamoto!Hayashida Kenji
An anthem born from the heartfelt wish for recovery after the Kumamoto earthquakes, bringing together the hopes of many.
Kenji Hayashida carefully transformed the real voices and earnest wishes of those affected into lyrics, creating this work together with the people of Kumamoto.
As symbolized by the Kumamoto dialect word meaning “hang in there,” it carries a warm yet powerful message of encouragement that speaks directly to the listener’s heart.
Included on the mini-album “Minna no Oto-gasane” released in January 2017, the song is deeply connected to support for the disaster-stricken areas, including Kumamoto Castle.
Enriched by the pure voices of the NHK Kumamoto Children’s Choir, it powerfully conveys undying love for one’s hometown and the bonds of people facing hardship.
It’s a song that gently stays by your side when your heart is about to break or when you long for human warmth, giving you a push toward tomorrow.
Nagasu Bridal Song
The Kumamoto folk song “Nagasu Yomeiri Uta,” also known as “Nonshikora,” is better known nationwide by the latter name.
Passed down since the mid-Edo period, the song was originally called “Higo no Yomeiri Uta” and has been sung particularly along the Ariake Sea coast in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Morning Grass-Cutting Song of AsoYamamoto Tokio
This is the folk song “Aso no Asakusa-giri Uta,” passed down in the Aso region of Kumamoto Prefecture.
It sings of cutting “morning grass” around the time the second birds begin to call, after the very first birds of dawn.
Traveling along a mountain path wrapped in morning mist, then crisply cutting grasses and wildflowers in a wide field—just picturing the scene is enough to make you feel refreshed.
metacoxae
The folk song “Ozaya-bushi,” read as Ozaya-bushi, is handed down in the Higo Yatsushiro District.
Born from the land reclamation project of “Shihyakuchō Shinchi,” completed in 1819 (Bunsei 2), Ozaya-bushi was passed on to the reclaimed “Yatsushiro Shinchi area,” constructed in 1855 (Ansei 2), and has been sung to this day as Yatsushiro Shinchi Ozaya-bushi.
Kumamoto’s Folk Songs, Children’s Songs, and Nursery Rhymes: The Heart of Our Hometown Passed Down in Song (41–50)
Kahoku Tea Mountain SongUeda Yuko
Kahoku Chayama-uta is a folk song handed down in Kahoku Town (now Kahoku-machi, Yamaga City), the northernmost part of Kumamoto Prefecture.
Kahoku has long been known as a tea-producing area, and from the feudal domain era onward, many tea-picking girls came to work during the harvest season.
The work song those tea-picking girls sang is Kahoku Chayama-uta.
Ushibuka Sagarin (Ushibuka San-sagari)
The Kumamoto folk song “Ushibuka Sansagari” is pronounced ‘Ushibuka Sansagari.’ Sansagari refers to tuning, specifically lowering the third string of the shamisen by one tone.
Lowering it by one tone is said to produce a stylish sound.
This song is sung as a prelude to the “Ushibuka Haiya-bushi.”