Nambu Tawarazumi-uta: A folk song rooted in Tohoku. Carefully selected videos by renowned singers and musicians!

Nambu Tawatsumi UtaKouzai Kaori

Kaori Kozai’s Acoustic Singing: Nanbu Tawatsumi Uta Edition

Enka singer Kaori Kozai performs a traditional celebratory song handed down in Aomori Prefecture with a modern approach.

Originally a folk song performed as a door-to-door New Year’s entertainment—visiting homes alongside the Seven Lucky Gods, stacking rice bales as a trick while offering blessings—Kozai elevates the piece into her own unique sound world by infusing it with jazz and funk flavors.

The dynamic vocals, where traditional melodic turns merge with the expressive power of enka, are especially compelling.

The rustic vigor inherent in folk music is beautifully balanced with sophisticated arrangements, so if you’re interested in Japanese traditional music, be sure to give it a listen.

Nambu Tawatsumi UtaNagayama Yōko

Southern Tawaratsumi Song / Yoko Nagayama

This is “Nanbu Tawara-tsumi Uta,” performed with Yoko Nagayama’s vocals—radiating a feminine softness, suppleness, and strength—accompanied by shamisen.

After transitioning from idol singer to enka singer and achieving a major breakthrough, she says she grew up listening to folk songs under her father’s influence and even attended classes for folk singing and shamisen from a young age.

Nanbu Tawatsumi Uta (Jazz ver.)Kouzai Kaori

Kaori Kozai – Nanbu Tawara-tsumi Uta

Nambu Tawaratsumi-uta is a type of Daidō-gei, in which performers go from house to house, visit gateways and guest rooms, present dances, and receive money or goods.

A jazz-mix performance by Kaori Kozai, who is also highly acclaimed as a folk song singer, offers a glimpse into a new side of minyo (Japanese folk music).

Nambu Tawatsumi UtaItō Takio & TAKiOBAND

Takio Ito & TAKiOBAND “Tawara Zumi Uta (Rice-bale Stacking Song)” — January 6, 2017, at “Shibuya New Year Waon Festival, Part 23” @ SHIBUYA TAKE OFF 7

This work powerfully revives a labor song from the southern Aomori region in a modern band style.

Its hallmark sound blends the melodic patterns that accompanied stacking rice bales with traditional Japanese instruments like Tsugaru shamisen and shakuhachi, alongside Western instruments such as drums and bass.

While preserving the flavor of traditional folk music, it’s arranged to suit live performance.

It was included on the October 1988 album “TAKiO — Soran Bushi,” and has been performed repeatedly at local festivals and folk music stages, including the November 2003 concert “TAKiO SPIRIT — Now, the Folk Song (Uta).” This is a performance recommended for those who want to experience Japan’s traditional culture or are interested in crossover sounds that fuse Japanese and Western musical elements.

Nambu Tawatsumi UtaIkegami Mayumi

Mayumi Ikegami – First Folk Song: Nanbu Tawarazumi-uta (Nanbu Rice-Bale Stacking Song)

This work features Mayumi Ikegami, an enka singer from Nara Prefecture, taking on a traditional folk song from Aomori.

It is her first full-fledged folk song cover after building her career around enka, and it was performed in collaboration with a Tsugaru shamisen player at her 10th anniversary concert in 2025.

The result blends the rich vocal style unique to an enka singer with folk traditions, conveying a deep respect for regional culture.

Recommended for those who want to rediscover the appeal of local folk music or who are interested in traditional performing arts.

Also serving as a tourism ambassador for Nara City, she delivers an ambitious project that shares Tohoku’s folk culture from the Kansai region.

Nambu Tawatsumi Utaabeya

Nambu Tawatsumi Song ~Abeya Style~ (Nambu Folk Song)

A bold arrangement of a traditional door-to-door song from the southern Aomori region by a young, skilled ensemble of Tsugaru shamisen and folk singers.

It blends the muscular energy of a work song for stacking rice bales with the celebratory spirit of a New Year’s congratulatory song, creating a distinctive sound world.

Abeya’s performance respects traditional vocal ornamentation while effectively incorporating shakuhachi and spirited calls, resulting in a live, dynamic structure.

Included on the August 2015 album “HINOMARHYTHM,” it drew attention as an authentic folk-song arrangement using only Japanese instruments.

Recommended not only for those interested in Japan’s traditional music, but also for anyone who wants to feel the vitality of Japanese instruments and the new possibilities of folk music.

Nambu Tawatsumi Utasuzune

Tsugaru shamisen “Suzune” Nanbu Tawarazumi-uta, On-tsu-do Co., Ltd. [Leave on-site performances by top-class traditional Japanese musicians to Ontsudo!]

A performance by Suzune, a six-member unit of female Tsugaru shamisen players.

They have reimagined a celebratory door-to-door folk song from Sannohe District in southern Aomori Prefecture for the stage, making full use of Tsugaru shamisen’s rapid picking and percussive techniques to create a lively, festive atmosphere.

Suzune are proven talents, having won first place in the group division at the All-Japan Tsugaru Shamisen Competition Nagoya Tournament in July 2018.

While preserving traditional melodic phrasing, they elevate it into a contemporary stage performance.

Their striking appearance in kimono is also memorable, making this an ideal performance for those wishing to experience Japanese traditional culture or to bring a bright, joyful mood to celebratory occasions.