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.
- A classic song about Kumamoto. The enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
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- Fukuoka’s folk songs and children’s rhymes: History and sentiments conveyed by the nostalgic melodies of home
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- Japanese counting songs: nostalgic temari (handball) songs and children’s folk songs
- Folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Hiroshima: the enduring heart of our hometown, passed down through song.
- [Children’s Songs of Autumn] Autumn songs, school songs, and traditional children’s rhymes. A collection of classic pieces to sing in autumn.
- [Folk Songs and Children's Songs of Akita] A curated selection of local masterpieces that evoke love for one’s hometown
- Collection of winter nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs. Includes fun winter hand-play songs too.
- Nostalgic Children’s Songs, Folk Songs, and Nursery Rhymes: The Heart of Japan Passed Down Through Song
- The World of Kagoshima Folk Songs: Traditional Melodies that Carry On the Spirit of the Hometown
Kumamoto folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes: The heart of our hometown handed down in song (1–10)
A Gift of Kumamoto Folk SongsMorita Kazuhiro
A clarinet octet themed around four songs related to Kumamoto Prefecture, titled “A Gift of Kumamoto Folk Songs.” The four pieces— the children’s song “Antagata Dokosa” and the folk songs “Tabaruzaka,” “Itsuki Lullaby,” and “Otemoyan”—are arranged to highlight each piece’s unique character.
It’s an enjoyable work even if you’re not familiar with the original folk songs.
TabaruzakaKumamoto Tomokichi
The Kumamoto folk song “Tabaruzaka” is read as “Tabaruzaka.” Tabaruzaka, located in Ueki Town, Kamoto District at the northwestern edge of Kumamoto Prefecture—now part of Kita Ward, Kumamoto City—is an old battlefield of the Satsuma Rebellion and has been designated a national historic site.
Another well-known folk song about the Satsuma Rebellion is “Gōketsu-bushi.” Although the lyrics are the same for both songs, the melodies differ.
bling-blingSatō Matsuko
Kinkirakin is one of the few old folk songs that were sung in the castle town of Kumamoto since the days of the former feudal domains.
During the era of Lord Hosokawa Shigekata, the sixth lord of the Higo Kumamoto Domain, silk garments were banned under the frugality edicts of the Hōreki Reforms.
Since silk was then called kinkira, it is said that this folk song emerged as a satire of those frugality policies.
Where are you from?
The piece known by the name “Antagata Dokosa” has the official title “Higo Temari Song.” It is a children’s song set in the Semba district of Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, and has long been loved as a handball song for girls.
On the syllable “sa,” you lift your foot and let the ball pass under it, and at “choi to kabuse,” you hide the ball with your skirt.
Many of you probably played with a ball while singing it as children, didn’t you?
Samba Otemoyanotemo TRIBE
“Samba Otemoyan” was born as a song by Otemo TRIBE, a group formed for Kumamoto’s reconstruction theme and made up of Kumamoto-born supporters of the project—Korokke, Kengo Kora, Kiyoko Suizenji, and Potchomkin.
It’s very popular among young people, and you can imagine a future where it’s sung alongside “Otemoyan,” the folk song that represents Kumamoto.
We also recommend listening to and comparing the two tracks.
Itsuki LullabyKubo Yukie
Among traditional lullabies passed down through the ages, “Itsuki no Komoriuta” is known nationwide.
When we hear “lullaby,” we tend to think of music for putting a baby to sleep, but this song voices the feelings of a young nursemaid entrusted with childcare.
It conveys the everyday lives of people from historically discriminated communities—realities that are hard to imagine today.
Listening with this context in mind, the song takes on a different resonance.
Yoheho-bushi
The “Yoheho-bushi” is a folk song passed down in Yamaga City, Kumamoto Prefecture.
On summer nights, the entire town of Yamaga is wrapped in a magical glow as women gather with traditional Yamaga paper lanterns balanced on their heads.
Watching them dance gracefully to the lyrical Yoheho-bushi makes me feel as if I’m seeing Yamaga of days gone by.