Kyoto’s folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes: the enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
A special feature on folk songs and nursery rhymes from Kyoto Prefecture, one of Japan’s premier tourist destinations and home to countless historic sites.
Kyoto has long been a stage for history and is rich in diverse cultures.
Even within the category of “folk songs,” the periods in which they were created vary widely, and there are many genres of songs that reflect local lands and customs.
If you’re a local, many of these may ring a bell.
And if you live in the Kansai region, you might even encounter songs whose melodies are the same but whose lyrics differ.
Shall we unravel Kyoto’s history through its songs?
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Kyoto’s folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes: The heart of our hometown passed down in song (1–10)
Scenery in all directions
“Shihō no Keshiki” is a children’s song (warabe-uta) that sings of Kyoto’s spring scenery.
You can picture a bright, warm scene of spring, with cherry blossoms in bloom and bush warblers singing.
It’s one of the “temari songs” that children sing while bouncing a handball.
It has an elegant, courtly atmosphere, doesn’t it?
The monk’s head is Marutamachi.
“The Monk’s Head is Marutamachi” is a song used to memorize the east–west streets of Kyoto.
Just like this tune, “Maru-Take-Ebi” is also famous as a song for learning the east–west streets! “The Monk’s Head is Marutamachi” lists the street names with a similar rhythm to “Maru-Take-Ebi.” In the first half, the street names are sung in full without abbreviations, but from around Aneyakoji and Sanjo Street, the names are recited more briskly—like wordplay—much like in “Maru-Take-Ebi.” With these two songs, it seems you could master all the names of Kyoto’s east–west streets!
graceful woman
Known as both a lullaby and a song to soothe children, this piece is called “Yashome.” The title is read “yashome” and refers to a very beautiful woman.
The song depicts her in Kyoto’s lively, glamorous streets, carefully selecting items such as expensive textiles and scarlet crepe used for long underrobes.
Sung at a gentle pace, it conveys a mother’s tender love for her child.
From its atmosphere, one can sense a mother’s wish that her child will one day wear such lovely fabrics.
Kyoto’s folk songs, nursery rhymes, and children’s songs: The heart of our hometown passed down in song (11–20)
Takeda Lullaby
Takeda Lullaby is a folk song from Kyoto Prefecture that has been sung by various artists, including Off Course, Yoshimi Tendo, and Yo Hitoto.
Although its gentle, unhurried melody may make it sound like a tender song, the lyrics depict the painful, heartrending circumstances of a child sent out to work, struggling with childcare duties at their place of service.
There are no days off; the baby they look after hardly ever stops crying; they cannot even wear the clothes they like…
The song weaves a sincere longing: it’s hard, I want to go back to my own home.
The “Takeda” in the title is said to refer to the Takeda area located in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City.
staring contest
It’s a nursery rhyme where you puff out your cheeks while singing.
You take turns making funny faces at each other, and whoever laughs loses.
It’s great for playing with little kids.
Playing face-to-face like this might be quite rare these days, but once you try it, it’s really fun.
Bitterly cold, bone-chilling cold
It’s a children’s song about the cold of winter.
The lyrics vary slightly by region, but the story is that the brothers “Ōsamu” and “Kosamu,” personifications of the wintry wind, come down from the mountains before winter.
Its exact place of origin is unclear, but it has long been a beloved nursery rhyme in Kyoto as well.
Miyazu Bushi
Miyazu-bushi, a song that has been sung since the Edo period in Miyazu City, Kyoto Prefecture—home to Amanohashidate, one of Japan’s Three Scenic Views—is also danced to in the Miyazu Odori, an Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and is a staple for Bon Odori in the city.
The lyrics describe sailors who gathered at Miyazu Port, indulged themselves in the pleasure quarters, squandered their money, and swore they would never go back to Miyazu.
Yet in the latter half, the song also conveys a positive message, inviting people to visit, highlighting Miyazu’s wonderful sights and specialties, starting with Amanohashidate.