[Yamagata Songs] Beloved local tunes and classic tracks celebrating majestic nature and hometown pride
Yamagata Prefecture faces the Sea of Japan and is blessed with rich natural beauty woven by mountains and rivers through the changing seasons.
This environment has given rise to heartfelt folk songs and hometown melodies.
The masterpieces born from people who love their homeland have captured the hearts of many, not just the prefecture’s residents.
This time, we’re spotlighting songs connected to Yamagata! From folk tunes rooted in the region to soul-stirring enka and cheerful local songs that lift your spirits, we’ll introduce a wide range.
Please enjoy these songs brimming with the charms of Yamagata.
- [Folk Songs of Yamagata] The Heart of Our Hometown Passed Down in Song: Feelings Woven into Nostalgic Melodies
- A classic song that sings of Yamanashi. The enduring heart of our hometown.
- Miyagi Songs: Popular tracks that celebrate famous sights and specialties, and timeless pieces filled with love for home
- [Local Songs] Recommended tracks packed with Japan’s nationwide classics and hometown pride
- Bands, artists, and singers from Yamagata Prefecture
- [Okayama Songs] A roundup of local anthems and classic hits brimming with hometown pride!
- A classic song about Kumamoto. The enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
- [Songs of Aomori] A collection of local songs depicting the grandeur of nature and the warmth of its people.
- [Akita Songs] A Collection of Gem-Like Local Tunes Filled with Love for Hometowns
- [Folk Songs and Children's Songs of Akita] A curated selection of local masterpieces that evoke love for one’s hometown
- A roundup of regional enka songs: classic hits that feature places from all across Japan in their lyrics.
- Beautiful Folk Songs Passed Down in Miyagi Prefecture: A Collection of Masterpieces that Play the Heart of the Hometown
- Recommended songs about mountains: classic and popular tracks for mountaineering and mountain songs
[Yamagata Songs] Famous and Local Tunes Celebrating Majestic Nature and Love for One’s Hometown (21–30)
Hometown, I want to see you.Kudō Ayano
For those who have a hometown to return to, this song seems to evoke the scenes of their own homeland.
Centered around the Mogami River, it sings of memories fondly recalled—mountain ranges familiar since childhood, the countryside where the sun set—while also expressing the longing for a hometown that soothes the soul, even though one cannot return every year.
RAMBO N°5UNICORN
Rather than a song, it almost sounds like an advertisement jingle for Yamagata Prefecture’s specialty cherries, and it’s basically just some slightly goofy older gentlemen almost dancing along to a mambo tune.
Unicorn is a bona fide rock band, and while most of the members are from Hiroshima Prefecture, only Abe Bee (Yoshiharu Abe) is from Yamagata, so that might be why this song came to be.
Yamagata Lumberjack Song
This is a Yamagata work song that extols the pride and vibrant spirit of sawyers sweating through their mountain labor.
You can almost picture the cheerful scene of reporting to the boss that they’ve harvested high-quality timber and sharing the joy with their comrades.
The song has a background of having been formed in 1931, when the Yamagata Shimbun held a public contest for lyrics and fused the winning words with a locally handed-down melody.
For those who wish to reflect on nostalgic hometown landscapes or seek a boost of energy for daily life, its simple yet powerful tune will serve as fuel for tomorrow.
Mogami River
This is a solemn, moving piece that symbolizes the majestic nature of Yamagata Prefecture.
Its pure yet powerful melody was composed based on an imperial poem by Emperor Showa, inspired by the scenery of the Mogami River.
The lyrics express the river’s eternal flow, the beauty of the changing seasons, and a deep affection for one’s hometown.
Completed in 1930 and designated the prefectural anthem the following year, the song continues to be cherished and sung at official occasions.
Since its adoption, it has been performed in schools and at community ceremonies, becoming deeply rooted in the hearts of the people of Yamagata.
For those living away from home, hearing it may evoke gentle images of Yamagata’s tranquil landscapes and stir a sense of nostalgia.
Moon MountainKishi Yoko
Mount Gassan is located in the central part of Yamagata Prefecture.
Its foothills are renowned for the Gassan Foothills Spring Group, and the mountain is also known by the alternative name “sacred mountain.” One of the suites composed from Atsushi Mori’s Akutagawa Prize–winning novel Gassan is “Mountain of the Moon.” Yoko Kishi, who was born in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture, is said to have put great passion into this song.
Love-Waiting FlowerAsada Atsuko
The safflower, the flower of Yamagata Prefecture, yields threads in various shades depending on the different extraction liquids used, and is woven into cotton, silk, and summer kimono.
In the song, the protagonist wears a safflower–shibori yukata and longs for a man she met as a traveler.
Atsuko Asada became a singer after winning numerous karaoke competitions, which caught the attention of a talent scout; she debuted in 1994.
Perhaps because she is from the Kansai region, she often sings songs themed around Kansai.
One cherry, please.Iwase Yukiko
It’s an utterly charming children’s song inspired by Yamagata’s local specialties.
Sung from the pure perspective of a child asking, “May I have one?”, it melts your heart with its innocence.
The crystalline vocals and sprightly melody together conjure up a sun-drenched scene of cherry orchards.
This piece is the memorable debut work of Yukiko Iwase, released using a submission to the “Yamagata Children’s Songs” call for entries by the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun in 1933 as its original composition.
It might be the perfect track when you want to muse on Yamagata’s tranquil natural beauty.