Yamada Kōsaku Popular Song Rankings [2026]

Suzaka City AnthemSakushi: Minamisawa Tsuguo / Sakkyoku: Yamada Kousaku8rank/position

Suzaka City Anthem

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 Kōsaku9rank/position

Kosaku Yamada: Symphony in F “Triumph and Peace” (1912)

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.

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Cranford DiaryYamada Kōsaku10rank/position

Kosaku Yamada: The Cranford Diary

Cranford Diary is a distinctive piano collection of three short pieces by Kósçak Yamada, known as the first Japanese symphonic composer.

Each piece is a brief yet evocative musical sketch that captures the scenery of the places where it was composed and the composer’s inner feelings.

The first piece has a warm, dappled-light quality, the second is rich with gentle, lingering emotion, and the third dances with sparkling brilliance.

Every piece brims with Yamada’s hallmark delicacy and musical sensitivity.

For anyone studying piano, this is a collection you’ll want to experience at least once.

Piece Dedicated to Scriabin, No. 1: “Nocturnal Poem”Yamada Kōsaku11rank/position

Yamada Kōsaku: Piece Dedicated to Scriabin – Nocturne; pf. Kita, Kōsuke

The first piece, “Poem of the Night,” from “Pieces Dedicated to Scriabin,” which Kôsaku Yamada composed after being deeply impressed by Scriabin’s piano work “Poème” that he heard in Moscow in December 1913, is a work that delicately depicts nocturnal scenes and inner emotional movements under the theme of “the stillness of night and the passion burning deep within it.” It expresses the intense passion and melancholy felt within silence, and the process by which they gradually fade away, conveying a romantic yet mystical atmosphere influenced by Scriabin.

While its distinctive pauses and sonorities are beautiful, it is a challenging piece that demands richly expressive performance.

SonatinaYamada Kōsaku12rank/position

Kósçak Yamada: Sonatina I. 1st Movement pf. Nanako Sugiura: NanakoSugiura

Kosaku Yamada, known as the first Japanese symphonic composer, left not only songs and orchestral works but also many piano pieces that blend Japanese and Western elements.

His Sonatine, while concise and accessible to perform, is distinguished by beautiful melodies that make use of the inflections of the Japanese language.

It conveys a poetic atmosphere depicting the growth and fragility of love, and explores themes of yearning for freedom and a vivid sense of life.

The interplay of colors and summer scenes seems to symbolize memories and emotions that fade with the passage of time.

It serves as an important study piece for piano learners and offers a fine opportunity to experience Yamada’s artistic world.

Karatachi Flower for PianoYamada Kōsaku13rank/position

Kosaku Yamada: Karatachi no Hana for Piano; Piano: Erika Yamamoto

Kosaku Yamada, a composer who had a tremendous impact on the history of Japanese music.

Among his works, Piano no tame no “Karatachi no Hana” (Karatachi Flowers for Piano), with its particularly beautiful melody, is a gem of a piano piece unveiled in 1928.

While preserving the lyricism of the original Japanese art song, this masterpiece fully draws out the expressive possibilities unique to the piano.

The scenes of the karatachi—white blossoms in spring and yellow fruit in autumn—are exquisitely depicted through delicate touch and rich sonorities.

The nostalgic world view, reflecting the composer’s childhood memories, will resonate deeply with listeners.

Piano Quintet “Resonance of Marriage”Yamada Kōsaku14rank/position

Kósçak Yamada: Piano Quintet “Resonance of Marriage”

Kósçak Yamada was a great composer who left us many familiar children’s songs and Japan’s first symphony.

His only piano quintet, The Sound of Marriage, which he composed while studying in Germany, is a truly captivating chamber work that weaves a Japanese sensibility into the refined forms of classical music.

The harmonies, in which each instrument’s part intertwines superbly, evoke the deep bond and harmony of a married couple, making it perfect for celebrating special occasions.

It’s a piece that bathes you in beautiful sonorities—recommended not only for classical music fans, but also for anyone wishing to discover a new side of Yamada.