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Yamada Kōsaku Popular Song Rankings [2026]
Kosaku Yamada was a musician who worked tirelessly to popularize Western music in Japan and was active both at home and abroad.
He is known for composing numerous works that incorporate distinctly Japanese melodies, as well as for founding Japan’s first symphony orchestra.
He also conducted orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the Leningrad Philharmonic, and his achievements are indispensable to the history of Japanese music.
In this article, we present a ranking of Kosaku Yamada’s most popular pieces.
We hope you’ll listen while imagining the atmosphere of the era.
Kosaku Yamada Popular Song Rankings [2026] (1–10)
red dragonflySakushi: Miki Rofū / Sakkyoku: Yamada Kōsaku1rank/position
This is a nostalgic work that layers feelings of longing for childhood while gazing up at a red dragonfly flying in the sunset sky.
Rofu Miki infused the poem with memories of his hometown in Hyogo Prefecture, and Kosaku Yamada set it to a beautiful melody.
The poem was published in 1921 and set to music in 1927, and it has been sung across generations ever since.
It was featured in the 1955 film “Koko ni Izumi Ari” and on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” in 1965, and has long been widely cherished.
On an autumn evening, why not hum it as you watch the red dragonflies by the window? Its gentle triple-meter melody is easy to sing, and if you gather to sing it together, it’s sure to spark fond reminiscences.
Pechka (a type of Russian masonry stove)Sakkyoku: Yamada Kōsaku2rank/position
Pechka, the Russian fireplace and oven.
Watching the fire burn on a cold winter’s day is truly soothing, isn’t it? Here is a song about that pechka.
It was included in the Manchuria Song Collection published in 1924 and was reportedly composed at the request of the South Manchuria Education Association for people emigrating to Manchuria at the time.
Since the winters in Manchuria were said to be very cold, this song must have suited the setting well.
In its final section, although the piece is in a major key, it employs chords from the parallel minor of the same tonic, creating a distinctive atmosphere.
Pechka (a type of Russian masonry stove)Sakushi: Kitahara Hakushū / Sakkyoku: Yamada Kōsaku3rank/position
This is a nursery song that paints a warm scene of people gathered around a fireplace, talking on a cold, snowy night.
Created by the golden duo of Hakushū Kitahara and Kōsaku Yamada for children living in Manchuria, it was included in the 1924 collection Manchurian Songbook: For Elementary Grades 1 and 2.
Later, it was featured on NHK’s Minna no Uta from December 1965 to January 1966, and gained wider popularity thanks to visuals by picture-book artist Rokurō Taniuchi.
You can almost feel the quiet of the night as they gaze into the fire, savoring the aroma of roasted chestnuts and the crackle of sparks.
Even when it’s cold outside, the warmth of time spent with family seeps into the heart—making this a perfect song for winter.
Flowers of the trifoliate orangeSakushi: Kitahara Hakushū / Sakkyoku: Yamada Kōsaku4rank/position
A song that can be called a representative work of Japanese art songs, themed around a plant that blooms with white flowers at the end of spring.
Through images of white flowers, blue thorns, and golden fruit ripening in autumn, it portrays the pains of childhood and warm memories.
The lyrics are by Hakushū Kitahara, and the music is by Kōsaku Yamada.
It was published in the magazine Josei in May 1925 and later spread in sheet music form.
In April 1958, a TV program bearing the song’s title aired in the Yomiuri TV drama slot “Yamaichi Masterpiece Theater.” Imbued with Kōsaku Yamada’s memories of his boyhood, it deeply resonates with listeners.
Its melody grows more flavorful the more you sing it, so why not hum along with older adults and let your thoughts drift to each person’s hometown and childhood?
Song of the Railway SpiritSakushi: Kitahara Hakushū / Sakkyoku: Yamada Kōsaku5rank/position
Composed in 1935 as the official company song established by the Ministry of Railways, this piece is a powerful march created by the renowned duo representing Japan—poet Hakushu Kitahara and composer Kósçak Yamada.
As suggested by phrases like thundering iron wheels, service to the nation, and a great family of 200,000, the song celebrates the sense of duty and pride of the employees who supported the railways—the nation’s main artery.
It is a work we especially recommend to those with fond memories of railways or an interest in the history of Japanese rail transport.
Kayano-KeyamaSakushi: Kitahara Hakushū / Sakkyoku: Yamada Kōsaku6rank/position
Kayano nuts, which are roasted and eaten, and whose oil—extracted from the nuts—is used for lamps and as hair oil, are one of autumn’s seasonal delights.
The piece “Kaya no Kiyama no” depicts a grandmother roasting these kaya nuts over the irori hearth.
As the weather gradually turns colder in autumn, gathering around the irori to enjoy the flavors of the season is truly charming.
For those who had an irori at their family or grandparents’ home, it may feel nostalgic, and for those who have never seen one, the song may feel fresh and new.
The scenes evoked by the lyrics and melody carry a sense of nostalgia that fits perfectly with the quiet, bittersweet mood of autumn.
This roadSakushi: Kitahara Hakushū / Sakkyoku: Yamada Kōsaku7rank/position
This classic that portrays the beauty of Japan’s changing seasons is a masterpiece of lyrical song, with music by Kósçak Yamada set to a poem by Hakushū Kitahara.
Its bright, gentle melody and vividly scenic lyrics blend in perfect harmony.
The soothing, healing tone of the piece reminds us of the joy of singing.
Since its release in 1927 in a recording by Yoshie Fujiwara, it has continued to be loved by many.
It’s an ideal song for a music recreation activity everyone can enjoy together.
Why not spend a heartwarming moment sharing fond memories as you listen?
waiting in vainSakushi: Kitahara Hakushū / Sakkyoku: Yamada Kōsaku8rank/position
This work was created by the famed duo of Hakushu Kitahara, a leading figure of modern Japanese poetry, and composer Kósçak Yamada.
Based on an old Chinese folktale, it portrays a farmer who, after getting a taste of accidental good fortune, stops working.
It begins with a lively rhythm and a cheerful mood, but as the story unfolds, the once-rich fields fall into ruin, culminating in a bleak winter landscape—its hallmark progression.
The somewhat plaintive melody pairs well with the feeling of the season shifting from autumn to winter.
First released in 1924 as a children’s song, it was later broadcast on NHK’s “Minna no Uta” starting in August 1973.
The narrative draws you in deeply, making it perfect for savoring the lyrics on a long autumn night.
Suzaka City AnthemSakushi: Minamisawa Tsuguo / Sakkyoku: Yamada Kousaku9rank/position
The Suzaka City Song—a dignified ode to the majestic nature of Shinshu and love for one’s hometown—features lyrics by Tsuguo Minamisawa and a solemn melody by Kosaku Yamada.
Premiered in October 1957 at the Suzaka Elementary School auditorium, the work depicts Nagano’s beautiful scenery over three verses: the seven-colored rainbow, the flow of the Chikuma River, and the bounty of the surrounding mountains, powerfully expressing civic pride and hope for the future.
Yamada remarked that he was able to compose it in one go, affectionately calling the piece “my child.” Created to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Suzaka’s incorporation as a city, it has continued to be sung at milestones such as Coming-of-Age ceremonies and graduations, cherished across generations as a song that nurtures love for the hometown.
Victory Cry and PeaceYamada Kōsaku10rank/position
This work, Kachidoki to Heiwa (Victory and Peace), is said to be the first symphony written in Japan.
Composed in 1912 by Kōsaku Yamada— a pioneer of Western music in Japan and a towering figure in modern Japanese music history who produced many great works— it is also known as an orchestral piece written following his Overture, the first orchestral work by a Japanese composer, likewise by Yamada.
Yamada, who had encountered Western music in his teens and was already composing, wrote this piece while studying composition at the Royal Academy of Arts in Berlin in 1910.
It can be seen as the first fruit of his youthful years in Germany, where he absorbed the essence of Western music at its source.
While the style follows the late Romantic tradition, the melody heard at the opening of the first movement is said to quote the tune of Kimigayo, making it fascinating as a work in which admiration for Western music and a Japanese identity are beautifully fused.
