[Yamagata Songs] Beloved local tunes and classic tracks celebrating majestic nature and hometown pride

Safflower Picking SongIshikawa Sayuri

Safflower Picking Song - Sayuri Ishikawa - 1979

This is a new folk song from Yamagata Prefecture—a drinking song.

Safflower belongs to the daisy family, but like a rose it has thorns.

There are thornless varieties used for fresh flowers, but for dyeing, thorny safflowers are used.

They are picked in the morning because the thorns soften with the early-morning dew.

It’s a folk song that sings of Yamagata along with the wisdom of the past.

Oshin’s LullabyYamamoto Kazuko

49 Kazuko Yamamoto, “Oshin’s Lullaby”

When people hear “Oshin” and can immediately picture the drama, is it only those up to around their 40s nowadays? The NHK morning drama series that began in 1983 caused a tremendous sensation at the time.

Above all, the unforgettable scene is when seven-year-old Oshin, sent away to work to lessen the number of mouths to feed, rides a raft on the Mogami River and parts from her family.

In the falling, bitterly cold snow, her farewell to her mother was something that cannot be described as mere sadness.

The song sounds as if it recreates the drama.

AgarashareSeikou

"Agarashare" Yamagata Prefectural Folk Song, cover by Seiko

This is a sake party song passed down in the Osawa settlement of Mogami District, Yamagata Prefecture.

It says that mornings are busy and afternoons are busy—the idea being that breakfast gets pushed to noon and lunch to evening.

“Agarashare” means “please have some,” and the song describes the custom of being made to drink alcohol even if it’s a bit forced.

It’s a folk song characteristic of Tohoku, known for its hardworking people—not just in Yamagata.

Yoshiko’s Hanagasa OndoMiko Takekawa

Shin-buyō [Yoshiko's Hanagasa Ondo] by Yoshiko Takekawa, Ushio Shin-buyō Research Association, Toyama Prefecture Takaoka Cultural Hall

When it comes to folk songs that represent Yamagata, it has to be the Hanagasa Ondo.

It’s famous nationwide, not just among Yamagata residents, especially as a Bon dance song.

Because of that, there are many titles like “Traditional Hanagasa Ondo” and “Singer X’s Hanagasa Ondo,” where the singer’s name is placed in front.

There are slight arrangements, but nothing drastically different.

Safflower LongingHayama Mizuki

Mizuki Hayama “Benibana Bojō” Music Video

Safflower is a plant in the Asteraceae family and is also the prefectural flower of Yamagata.

Since the Edo period, the Mogami River basin—with its fertile soil and good drainage—has been a major production area for safflower, and boats loaded with the flowers were reportedly carried to Kyoto and Osaka.

There’s a certain charm to drifting downstream with boats full of blossoms.

Unfortunately, the song is about unrequited love.

Kamiyama LongingAoyama Hikaru

Hikaru Aoyama / Kaminoyama Longing [Official PV]

This is a tragic love song set in the Kaminoyama Onsen area of Yamagata Prefecture.

The chirping of nightingales overlaps with the castle in the music video, evoking memories of history.

Hikaru Aoyama is the last disciple of Hiroyuki Nakagawa—known as the emperor of mood kayō—who composed many songs such as Love You Tokyo and Silver Fox of the Night.

Michinoku Rain SentimentKomachi Yukino

"Michinoku Ujō" Yukino Komachi — female enka singer

Although it’s not a place name exclusive to Yamagata Prefecture, as a local Tohoku song that skillfully incorporates famous sightseeing spots of Michinoku, it also features regions like Iwate and Fukushima.

Believing I can meet the one I love again, I travel on—today it’s the Mogami River, and indeed this river is the emblem of Yamagata.