# Nihon no Uta Hyakusen

Nihon no Uta Hyakusen (日本の歌百選, "collection of 100 Japanese songs") is a selection of songs and nursery rhymes widely beloved in Japan, sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Parents-Teachers Association of Japan. A poll was held in 2006 choosing the songs from a list of 895. The results were announced in 2007. Although it is called a compilation of 100 songs, the list includes 101 songs.
The idea for the compilation came from famed psychologist and agency chief Hayao Kawai, to prevent juvenile delinquency and to combat the "weakening" of Japan's shared cultural heritage. The agency released a CD and a songbook with printed melodies for all 101 songs to be used in public schools. The Asahi Shimbun used this list to compile a list of 15 most endangered children's songs.
The composer and lyricist for several songs published by the Japanese Ministry of Education in the early 1900s are unknown.

## The songs

The songs are numbered by the Japanese syllabary in gojūon ordering.
| No. | Japanese title | English title (rōmaji) | Date | Lyricist/translator | Composer | Notes |
| 1 | 仰げば尊し | Aogeba tōtoshi | 1884 | Fumihiko Ōtsuki, Satomi Tadashi, Kabe Iwao | H.N.D. | |
| 2 | 赤い靴 | Akai Kutsu | 1922 | Ujō Noguchi | Nagayo Motoori | |
| 3 | 赤とんぼ | Akatombo | 1927 | Rofū Miki | Kōsaku Yamada | |
| 4 | 朝はどこから | Asa wa doko kara | 1946 | Masaru Mori (森まさる) | Kunihiko Hashimoto | |
| 5 | あの町この町 | Ano machi kono machi | 1924 | Ujō Noguchi | Shinpei Nakayama | |
| 6 | あめふり | Amefuri | 1925 | Hakushū Kitahara | Shinpei Nakayama | |
| 7 | 雨降りお月さん | Amefuri otsukisan | 1925 | Ujō Noguchi | Shinpei Nakayama | |
| 8 | あめふりくまのこ | Amefuri kuma no ko | 1962 | Masao Tsurumi (鶴見正夫) | Akira Yuyama (湯山昭) | |
| 9 | いい日旅立ち | Ii Hi Tabidachi | 1978 | Shinji Tanimura | Shinji Tanimura | |
| 10 | いつでも夢を | Itsudemo yume o | 1962 | Takao Saeki (佐伯孝夫) | Tadashi Yoshida (吉田正) | |
| 11 | 犬のおまわりさん | Inu no omawarisan | 1960 | Yoshimi Satō (佐藤義美) | Megumi Ohnaka | |
| 12 | 上を向いて歩こう | Ue o muite arukō | 1961 | Rokusuke Ei | Hachidai Nakamura | also known as "Sukiyaki" originally sung by Kyu Sakamoto |
| 13 | 海 | Umi | 1941 | Ryūha Hayashi (林柳波) | Takeshi Inoue (井上武士) | |
| 14 | うれしいひなまつり | Ureshii hinamatsuri | 1935 | Hachirō Satō (サトウハチロー) | Kōyō Kawamura (河村光陽) | |
| 15 | 江戸子守唄 | Edo Lullaby | Edo period | | | traditional; lyricist and composer unknown |
| 16 | おうま | Ouma | 1941 | Ryūha Hayashi (林柳波) | Tsune Matsushima (松島つね) | |
| 17 | 大きな栗の木の下で | Ōkina kurinoki no shita de | | | | melody "Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree", traditional English folk song lyricist unknown Jaromír Weinberger composed an orchestral work based on the tune in 1939. |
| 18 | 大きな古時計 | Ōkina furudokei | 1940 | Kōgo Hotomi (保富康午) after Henry Clay Work | Henry Clay Work | melody "My Grandfather's Clock" (1876), American popular song |
| 19 | おかあさん | Okaasan | 1954 | Nana Tanaka (田中ナナ) | Yoshinao Nakada | |
| 20 | お正月 | Oshōgatsu | 1901 | Kume Higashi (東くめ) | Rentarō Taki | |
| 21 | おはなしゆびさん | Ohanashiyubisan | 1962 | Yoshiko Kōyama (香山美子) | Akira Yuyama (湯山昭) | |
| 22 | 朧月夜 | Oborozuki yo | 1914 | Tatsuyuki Takano (高野辰之 [ja]) | Teiichi Okano | |
| 23 | 思い出のアルバム | Omoide no album | 1981 | Masuko Toshi (増子とし) | Tetsuma Honda (本多鉄麿) | |
| 24 | おもちゃのチャチャチャ | Omocha no chachacha | 1962 | Akiyuki Nosaka, Osamu Yoshioka | Nobuyoshi Koshibe (越部信義) | |
| 25 | かあさんの歌 | Kaasan no uta | 1954 | Satoshi Kubota (窪田聡) | Satoshi Kubota (窪田聡) | |
| 26 | 風 | Kaze | 1921 | Yaso Saijō (西條八十) after Christina Rossetti | Shin Kusakawa | |
| 27 | 肩たたき | Kata tataki | 1923 | Yaso Saijō (西條八十) | Shinpei Nakayama | |
| 28 | かもめの水兵さん | Kamome no Suihei-san | 1937 | Toshiko Takeuchi (武内俊子) | Kōyō Kawamura (河村光陽) | |
| 29 | からたちの花 | Karatachi no hana | 1925 | Hakushū Kitahara | Kōsaku Yamada | |
| 30 | 川の流れのように | Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni | 1989 | Yasushi Akimoto | Akira Mitake | |
| 31 | 汽車 | Kisha | 1912 | Ministry of Education | Aira Ōwada (大和田愛羅) | |
| 32 | 汽車ポッポ | Kisha poppo | 1938 | Kaoru Fuhara (富原薫) | Shin Kusakawa | |
| 33 | 今日の日はさようなら | Kyō no hi wa sayōnara | 1966 | Shōichi Kaneko (金子詔一) | Shōichi Kaneko (金子詔一) | |
| 34 | 靴が鳴る | Kutsu ga naru | 1919 | Katsura Shimizu (清水かつら) | Ryūtarō Hirota | |
| 35 | こいのぼり | Koinobori | 1931 | Miyako Kondō (近藤宮子) | | composer unknown |
| 36 | 高校三年生 | Koko sannensei | 1963 | Toshio Oka (丘灯至夫) | Minoru Endo (遠藤実) | |
| 37 | 荒城の月 | Kōjō no tsuki | 1901 | Bansui Doi (土井晩翠) | Rentarō Taki | |
| 38 | 秋桜 | Cosmos | 1977 | Masashi Sada | Masashi Sada | sung by Momoe Yamaguchi |
| 39 | この道 | Kono michi | 1927 | Hakushū Kitahara | Kōsaku Yamada | |
| 40 | こんにちは赤ちゃん | Konnichiwa akachan | 1963 | Rokusuke Ei | Hachidai Nakamura | |
| 41 | さくら貝の歌 | Sakuragai no uta | 1949 | Kajō Tsuchiya (土屋花情) | Hideaki Yashima (八洲秀章) | |
| 42 | さくらさくら | Sakura Sakura | 1888 | | | traditional; lyricist and composer unknown |
| 43 | サッちゃん | Satchan | 1959 | Hiroo Sakata (阪田寛夫) | Megumi Ohnaka | |
| 44 | 里の秋 | Sato no aki | 1945 | Nomuo Saito (斎藤信夫) | Minoru Kainuma (海沼實) | |
| 45 | 幸せなら手をたたこう | Shiawase nara te o tatakō | 1964 | Rihito Kimura (木村利人) | | melody "If You're Happy and You Know It", traditional Spanish (or Latvian, or American) folk song |
| 46 | 叱られて | Shikararete | 1972 | Katsura Shimizu (清水かつら) | Ryūtarō Hirota | |
| 47 | 四季の歌 | Shiki no uta | 1970? | Toyohisa Araki (荒木とよひさ) | Toyohisa Araki (荒木とよひさ) | |
| 48 | 時代 | Jidai | 1975 | Miyuki Nakajima | Miyuki Nakajima | |
| 49 | シャボン玉 | Shabondama | 1922 | Ujō Noguchi | Shinpei Nakayama | |
| 50 | ずいずいずっころばし | Zuizui zukkorobashi | | | | Warabe uta; lyricist and composer unknown |
| 51 | スキー | Sukī (Skiing) | 1942 | Otowa Shigure (時雨音羽) | Kōzaburō Hirai | |
| 52 | 背くらべ | Seikurabe | 1923 | Atsushi Unno (海野厚) | Shinpei Nakayama | |
| 53 | 世界に一つだけの花 | Sekai ni hitotsu dake no hana | 2003 | Noriyuki Makihara | Noriyuki Makihara | |
| 54 | ぞうさん | Zō-san | 1953 | Michio Mado | Ikuma Dan | |
| 55 | 早春賦 | Sōshunfu | 1913 | Kazumasa Yoshimaru (吉丸一昌) | Akira Nakada (中田章) | |
| 56 | たきび | Takibi | 1941 | Seika Tatsumi (巽聖歌) | Shigeru Watanabe (渡辺茂) | |
| 57 | ちいさい秋みつけた | Chiisai Aki Mitsuketa | 1955 | Hachirō Satō (サトウハチロー) | Yoshinao Nakada | |
| 58 | 茶摘み | Chatsumi | 1912 | Ministry of Education | Ministry of Education | |
| 59 | チューリップ | Chūrippu (Tulip) | 1932 | Miyako Kondō (近藤宮子) | Takeshi Inoue (井上武士) | |
| 60 | 月の沙漠 | Tsuki no sabaku | 1923 | Masao Katō (加藤まさを) | Suguru Sasaki (佐々木すぐる) | |
| 61 | 翼をください | Tsubasa o Kudasai | 1971 | Michio Yamagami (山上路夫) | Kunihiko Murai (村井邦彦) | |
| 62 | 手のひらを太陽に | Te no hira o taiyō ni | 1961 | Takashi Yanase (やなせたかし) | Taku Izumi (いずみたく) | |
| 63 | 通りゃんせ | Tōryanse | Edo period | | | Warabe uta; lyricist and composer unknown |
| 64 | どこかで春が | Doko ka de haru ga | 1923 | Sōji Momota (百田宗治) | Shin Kusakawa | |
| 65 | ドレミのうた | Do-Re-Mi | 1959 | Peggy Hayama after Oscar Hammerstein II | Richard Rodgers | from the musical The Sound of Music |
| 66 | どんぐりころころ | Donguri korokoro | Taishō period | Nagayoshi Aoki (青木存義) | Tadashi Yanada | |
| 67 | とんぼのめがね | Tonbo no megane | 1949 | Seishi Nukaga (額賀誠志) | Kōzaburo Hirai | |
| 68 | ないしょ話 | Naisho banashi | 1939 | Yoshio Yūki (結城よしを) | Yasuharu Yamaguchi (山口保治) | |
| 69 | 涙そうそう | Nada Sōsō | 1998 | Ryōko Moriyama | BEGIN | original Okinawan language lyrics by BEGIN |
| 70 | 夏の思い出 | Natsu no omoide | 1949 | Shōko Ema (江間章子) | Yoshinao Nakada | |
| 71 | 夏は来ぬ | Natsu wa kinu | 1896 | Nobutsuna Sasaki | Sakunosuke Koyama | |
| 72 | 七つの子 | Nanatsu no Ko | 1921 | Ujō Noguchi | Nagayo Motoori | |
| 73 | 花〜すべての人の心に花を〜 | Hana: Subete no hito no kokoro ni hana o | 1980 | Shoukichi Kina | Shoukichi Kina | |
| 74 | 花 | Hana | 1900 | Hagoromo Takeshima (武島羽衣) | Rentarō Taki | |
| 75 | 花の街 | Hana no machi | 1947 | Shōko Ema (江間章子) | Ikuma Dan | |
| 76 | 埴生の宿 | Hanyū no yado | 1889 | Tadashi Satomi (里見義) after John Howard Payne | Henry Bishop | melody "Home! Sweet Home!" from the opera Clari, Maid of Milan (1823) |
| 77 | 浜千鳥 | Hamachidori | 1919 | Meishū Kashima (鹿島鳴秋) | Ryūtarō Hirota | |
| 78 | 浜辺の歌 | Hamabe no uta | 1916 | Kokei Hayashi (林古渓) | Tamezō Narita | |
| 79 | 春が来た | Haru ga kita | 1910 | Tatsuyuki Takano (高野辰之 [ja]) | Teiichi Okano | |
| 80 | 春の小川 | Haru no ogawa | 1912 | Tatsuyuki Takano (高野辰之 [ja]) | Teiichi Okano | |
| 81 | ふじの山 | Fuji no yama | 1911 | Sazanami Iwaya (巌谷小波) | Ministry of Education | |
| 82 | 冬景色 | Fuyugeshiki | 1913 | Ministry of Education | Ministry of Education | |
| 83 | 冬の星座 | Fuyu no seiza | 1947 | Keizō Horiuchi (堀内敬三) | William Shakespeare Hays | melody "Mollie Darling" (1871), American popular song |
| 84 | 故郷 | Furusato | 1914 | Tatsuyuki Takano (高野辰之 [ja]) | Teiichi Okano | |
| 85 | 蛍の光 | Hotaru no Hikari | 1881 | Chikai Inagaki (稲垣千穎) | | melody "Auld Lang Syne", traditional Scottish song |
| 86 | 牧場の朝 | Makiba no asa | 1932 | Sojinkan Sugimura (杉村楚人冠) | Eikichi Funabashi (船橋榮吉) | |
| 87 | 見上げてごらん夜の星を | Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi o | 1963 | Rokusuke Ei | Taku Izumi (いずみたく) | |
| 88 | みかんの花咲く丘 | Mikan no hana saku oka | 1946 | Shōgo Katō (加藤省吾) | Minoru Kainuma (海沼實) | |
| 89 | 蟲のこゑ | Mushi no koe | 1910 | Ministry of Education | Ministry of Education | |
| 90 | むすんでひらいて | Musunde hiraite | 1947 | Ministry of Education | Jean-Jacques Rousseau | melody "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" from the opera Le devin du village (1752) |
| 91 | 村祭 | Muramatsuri | 1942 | Shigeru Kuzuhara | Yoshie Minami (南能衛) | |
| 92 | めだかの学校 | Medaka no gakkō | 1950 | Shigeru Chaki (茶木滋) | Yoshinao Nakada | |
| 93 | もみじ | Momiji | 1911 | Tatsuyuki Takano (高野辰之 [ja]) | Teiichi Okano | |
| 94 | 椰子の実 | Yashinomi | 1936 | Tōson Shimazaki | Toraji Ōnaka (大中寅二) | |
| 95 | 夕日 | Yūhi | 1921 | Shigeru Kuzuhara | Kingetsu Murozaki (室崎琴月) | |
| 96 | 夕焼小焼 | Yūyake koyake | 1923 | Ukō Nakamura (中村雨紅) | Shin Kusakawa | |
| 97 | 雪 | Yuki | 1911 | Ministry of Education | Ministry of Education | |
| 98 | 揺籃のうた | Yurikago no uta | 1921 | Hakushū Kitahara | Shin Kusakawa | |
| 99 | 旅愁 | Ryoshū | 1907 | Kyūkei Indō (犬童球渓) after John P. Ordway | John P. Ordway | melody "Dreaming of Home and Mother" (1851), American popular song |
| 100 | リンゴの唄 | Ringo no uta | 1945 | Hachirō Satō (サトウハチロー) | Tadashi Manjōme (万城目正) | from the 1945 film Soyokaze (そよかぜ) directed by Yasushi Sasaki |
| 101 | われは海の子 | Ware wa umi no ko | 1910 | Kōichirō Miyahara (宮原晃一郎) | Ministry of Education | |