Folk songs, children’s songs, and nursery rhymes of Osaka: the enduring spirit of our hometown carried on in song
In this article, we feature folk songs and children’s songs related to Osaka!Osaka has long been a key hub of logistics, situated at the confluence of busy sea routes and rivers.Because of that, Osaka’s folk repertoire includes pieces like the Yodogawa boat songs that evoke its deep history.At the same time, there are newer tunes that symbolize contemporary Osaka, such as the Harukas Ondo inspired by Abeno Harukas.Listen to the folk and children’s songs of Osaka—once called the “nation’s kitchen”—and immerse yourself in its long, rich history!
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Osaka folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes: The heart of our hometown passed down through song (11–20)
Kaikake Ondo
This is a Bon Odori chant that has been lovingly passed down in the Kaigake area of the Senshu region in Osaka.
Although it once died out after the war, it was brilliantly revived in 1990 through the efforts of local volunteers.
The 7-7-7-5 meter, punctuated by long interludes of flute and drum, seems to synchronize with the circle of dancers and their breathing.
Don’t you feel that the warm resonance of the music carries the spirit of those determined to preserve their hometown’s traditions? In March 2008, it was designated an Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Hannan City.
During the Kaigake Summer Evening Festival, you can still see local residents dancing together in a circle.
Grand Osaka Subway MarchTokuyama Ren · Kobayashi Chiyoko
A song composed when the Osaka Municipal Subway opened in 1933.
The lyrics were written by Yonejiro Hiratsuka, who was then the director of the Osaka Municipal Electric Bureau, the predecessor of today’s Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau.
At the time, the main modes of transport within the city were streetcars and buses, but since the subway had a higher average speed than those, the song’s theme celebrates the “age of speed.”
Osaka Boogie-WoogieKasaogi Shizuko
A number released in 1948 by Shizuko Kasagi following the huge hit “Tokyo Boogie-Woogie.” The lyrics are packed with Osaka place names like Shinsaibashi and Semba, and even include depictions comparing Osaka to New York.
For Shizuko Kasagi, who grew up in Osaka, this may have been an easier song to sing.
She went on to release many other “local boogies,” such as “Nagoya Boogie” and “Hakata Boogie-Woogie.”
The Four Seasons of Naniwa
This is a piece used in NHK’s morning drama series “Asa ga Kita.” It consists of four sections representing spring, summer, autumn, and winter, weaving in seasonal scenes such as New Year in Osaka, the Tenjin Festival, moon viewing, and a silver winter landscape.
It’s a song that nicely conveys how to enjoy the four seasons in Osaka.
The scenery of the whole world
A play song long cherished in Osaka, it carries a warmth you can feel as you listen.
It celebrates the arrival of spring, conjuring a serene scene of watching a bush warbler chirp on a plum branch.
The wordplay that links the warbler’s call with the Lotus Sutra also shines with the refined wit unique to people of the past.
Listening to this piece, you can almost hear the innocent voices of children echoing through the town long ago.
Ongo
It’s a nostalgic children’s song that conjures up the scene of kids parading in a line through the streets of Osaka on a summer evening.
An anonymous traditional song, it was preserved in a valuable recording on the album Folk Songs of Osaka, published by the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education in 1990.
Beyond the bustling image of the “nation’s kitchen,” you may discover another side of Osaka in the voices of children that once echoed through its back alleys.
It’s a song that evokes the warm spirit of a bygone hometown.
Folk songs, children's songs, and nursery rhymes of Osaka: The enduring heart of our hometown (21–30)
Chochi chochi awawa.
This is a hand play song for infants.
It’s sung in Osaka and many other regions as well.
The part where you whirl your hands is sometimes expressed as “kaiguri kaiguri,” which has a fun sound that children seem to enjoy.
I hope beautiful, nostalgic Japanese songs like this will be passed down and cherished forever.
