The Essay of Kumamoto

The Traditional Folk Songs of Kumamoto
I have been living in Kumamoto, and I was brought up with these songs.
If you have been living in Kumamoto, you must have listened these songs.
Although I have listened these, I don't know these well, so I'll write about the traditional folk
songs of Kumamoto.

1. Otemoyan(おてもやん)

Otemoyan is a traditional folk song of Kumamoto.
She is called Otemo (←). She is a young lady in the Meiji (明治).
This song, Otemoyan is a song for her marriage.
This is very comical and rhythmical.
Then, I translated Japanese, Otemoyan into English.

Otemoyan
"I heard that you have been married recently."
"Yes, I have been married. But my husband is a too plain-looking, so we haven't held our wedding ceremony yet. We'll be all right because there are many people, a public official of a village, a manager, ago-between. "

This is the words of Otemoyan. Although Otemo tells her husband is plain-looking, I don't think she is discouraged for her marriage. I think this song is a interesting song rather than a sad song, and I think Otemo is so comical girl!!

This picture is Otemoyan in front of a traffic center in Kumamoto.

2. Senba-Tanuki （せんば狸）


Senba-Tanuki is one of traditional folk songs of Kumamoto. ( Tanuki means a racoon dog.)
This song is a Kemari-song. The Kemari is a sort of football by nobles in ancient Japan, so Kemari-song is sung when we play Kemari.
Senba-Tanuki songs about Kumamoto.
I think there are two people in this song, and they are talking.

"Where are you from?"
"I'm from Higo. (肥後)" ( Higo means old Kumamoto.)
"Where is Higo?" " There is Kumamoto." " Where is Kumamoto?" "There is Senba!! There are many racoon dogs in the Senba mountain."

We sing this talking on the rhythm. This is very rhythmical.
In the old days, people eat racoon dogs. Of course, some people eat them now.
I think this song means the old days. The Senba mountain actually exist, but the Senba mountain is actually a hill. This hill is in Kumamoto Daiichi high school. There are some racoon dogs now.

3. Itsuki-no-komoriuta（五木の子守唄）


Itsuki-no-komoriuta is also one of traditional folk songs of Kumamoto. Itsuki means Itsuki village in Kumamoto.
But This song is a sad lullaby.
In the past, the girl who is poor must go to find the work, so many girl works as babysitter.
This Itsuki-no-komoriuta is a sad song of girls when they works very hard.
Although this song called a lullaby, this song isn't for babies, I think.
This song is the poor girls song for herselves. This song sings her sadness and pain.



This time, I knew about traditional folk songs of Kumamoto.
I have often listened these songs, but I didn't know about these.
I studied these songs this time, I thought we must hand down from us to our sons and daughters.


(500words)