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

Shinjō-bushiŌba Shigenobu

Shinjō-bushi.wmv

The Hanazawa-bushi, a jinku originally sung during grass-cutting in the Hanazawa area of Sakata River Village, Mogami District, Yamagata Prefecture, was brought to Shinjo around the beginning of the Meiji era and became the parlor song Shinjo-bushi.

With changing times, lyrics that once said things like “I was sold to the red-light district, zoe” were revised to express a man’s feelings instead, as in “I came to see you, zoe.”

Sakata PortŌizumi Itsurō

Itsuro Oizumi / Sakata Port

I believe it was during the Edo period.

Ships laden with safflower traveled the Mogami River, and their route is described as the long western circuit from Sakata Port.

The Kitamaebune were not carriers transporting goods on consignment; rather, the shipowners themselves took the lead in buying and selling to turn a profit.

It was a kind of seafaring work that did not allow for an easy return, sailing from various ports along the Sea of Japan, through Shimonoseki, and on to Osaka in the Seto Inland Sea.

This has become a song about one chapter of Yamagata Prefecture’s history and the story of women who waited, praying for the safety of the men at sea.

Uetsu Main LineOka Yuuko

Uetsu Main Line

The Uetsu Main Line starts at Niitsu Station in Niigata, passes through Yamagata, and ends at Akita Station.

The entire line runs along the Sea of Japan, and this song expresses a woman’s desire to have the strength of the Sea of Japan.

Yuko Oka has continued to sing songs set in all 47 prefectures, and with over 450 songs to date, she is known as the “Singing Map of Japan.”

Omoshiyama FallsKumi Iwamoto

Omoshiyama Falls

Omoshiro-yama is part of the Ou Mountains located on the prefectural border between Yamagata City in Yamagata Prefecture and Taihaku Ward in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture.

In the lyrics, there is a line that says, “the imoni train goes by,” and imoni—well-known as a cultural staple of Yamagata—gives a tranquil impression, which contrasts with the song’s theme of being betrayed by someone who promised to return but never did.

Mamurogawa BoogieHayashi Isao

Mamurogawa Boogie / Isao Hayashi

The Mamurogawa Ondo, created by Haru Sato, proprietress of the Mamurogawa restaurant BeniyA, drew on two versions of the work song Nattu-bushi: one sung by migrant workers in the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin, and another learned in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, by Nakue Chikaoka—who had worked at a restaurant there and later returned to Mamurogawa.

The Mamurogawa Ondo became famous nationwide, and in 1954 a boogie-style arrangement of it became a hit.

Mom’s MonologueKobayashi Sachiko

A Mother's Soliloquy (Sachiko Kobayashi) by tetsuro

“When you want to be filial, your parents are gone.” That’s the phrase that comes to mind with this song.

Strictly speaking, the lyrics alone don’t make it clear whether the mother is alive or not, but since “I’m sorry” and “I want to see you again” are repeated, that’s how I interpreted it.

The memories that come back—simple, everyday conversations and exchanges with my mother—are heartwarming.

Saya Asakura began studying folk music from a young age and is talented enough to have won national competitions in both elementary and junior high school.

I also think the songs that make full use of her dialect are something only Asakura can uniquely deliver.