Kono michi

Kono michi wa itsuka kita michi
Aa, sou da yo
Akashiya no hana ga saiteru

Ano oka wa itsuka mita oka
Aa, sou da yo
Hora, shiroi tokeidai da yo

Kono michi wa itsuka kita michi
Aa, sou da yo
Okaasama to basha de itta yo

Ano kumo wa itsuka mita kumo
Aa, sou da yo
Sanzashi no eda mo tareteru

Lyricist：KITAHARA Hakusyuu
Composer：YAMADA Kousaku
in 1927

This road

This road is the one I once traveled
Ah, that’s right
Acacia flowers are blooming

That hill is the one I once saw
Ah, that’s right
Look, it’s the white clock tower

This road is the one I once traveled
Ah, that’s right
I went with Mother in a carriage

Those clouds are the ones I once saw
Ah, that’s right
Hawthorn branches are drooping

utasuky

Kono michi” is one of the representative songs of Japanese douyo-shouka, with lyrical lyrics by KITAHARA Hakusyuu and a beautiful melody by YAMADA Kousaku.

The lyrics are sung in the first and second verses about Sapporo, Hokkaido, where KITAHARA_Hakusyuu visited on a trip, and in the third and fourth verses about his hometown, Yanagawa City, Kumamoto Prefecture. It is said that he was inspired by Sapporo, where he stopped over for four days on his way home from a “Karafuto sightseeing tour” organized by the Ministry of Railways at the time.

 

The lyrics, which trace the memories of his childhood, give the impression of a thin haze. The color of this song is “white,” and the flower sung as “Acacia” in the first verse is actually a locust tree, the former having yellow flowers and the latter white. And the white of the clock tower. The carriage in which he is said to have ridden with his mother may not have been white, but the image of his mother in his childhood may have been white. In the fourth verse, the clouds are white. The flowers of the three terns are also white.

The composer, YAMADA Kousaku, was very fond of this song,

 

Kono michi” is a song that reminds me of my childhood days. I couldn’t help but recall the nostalgic paths I used to stroll down with my mother’s warm hand pulling me along, and the faint feelings I had back then.

 

He says, “I couldn’t help but recall the faint feelings of those days.

 

However, even such a famous song has been dropped from music textbooks, and more and more children say they have never heard of it.

100 Best Japanese Songs

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Kono michi MOVIE

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Ryoshuu

Fukeyuku aki no yo tabi no sora no
Wabishiki omoi ni hitori nayamu
Koishiya furusato natsukashi chichi haha
Yumeji ni tadoru wa sato no ieji
Fukeyuku aki no yo tabi no sora no
Wabishiki omoi ni hitori nayamu

Mado utsu arashi ni yume mo yabure
Harukeki kanata ni kokoro mayou
Koishiya furusato natsukashi chichi haha
Omoi ni ukabu wa mori no kozue
Mado utsu arashi ni yume mo yabure
Harukeki kanata ni kokoro mayou

Lyricist : INDOU Kyuukei
Composer : John P. Ordway
in 1907

Loneliness on a journey

On a drowsy autumn night, under the sky of travel,
I am alone with a lonely thought.
I miss my hometown and my nostalgic father and mother.
What I am following in my dream is the way home to my hometown.
On a drowsy autumn night, under the sky of travel,
I am alone with a lonely thought.

My dream was shattered by the window storm,
My heart is lost far away.
I miss my hometown and my nostalgic father and mother.
What comes to mind is the treetop of the forest.
My dream was shattered by the window storm,
My heart is lost far away.

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The song Ryoshuu, beginning with “Fukeyuku aki no yo, tabi no sora no” (“Autumn night deepens over the journeying sky”), was adapted into Japanese by lyricist INDOU Kyuukei in 1929 and remains a beloved classic in Japan.

 

John P. Ordway

The original song, Dreaming of Home and Mother, was composed in the 19th century by John P. Ordway, and its melancholic melody and lyrical lyrics evoke a unique sense of nostalgia and travel-worn longing that resonates deeply in the Japanese spirit.

 

INDOU is said to have first encountered the song while working as a music teacher at a girls’ school in Niigata. Far from his own hometown in Kumamoto Prefecture, he adapted the lyrics with his own feelings of homesickness in mind. This sense of longing for home weaves through the song’s melancholy melody, bringing to life universal themes that reflect the journey of life itself.

 

The opening line, “Fukeyuku aki no yo, tabi no sora no,” beautifully captures the heart of a traveler, reflecting on home as they journey through a quiet autumn night. Autumn, poised between summer’s vibrancy and winter’s calm, symbolizes a season of maturity and solitude. This seasonal mood, coupled with the loneliness of travel, enriches the song’s poignant, universal emotions of yearning and nostalgia.

Ryoshuu has long transcended its role as a simple “travel song.” It is beloved not only in Japan but also in China and Taiwan, where it is sung with unique local lyrics. Its themes—travel, homeland, and the passage of life—resonate across cultures, making the song widely cherished throughout East Asia.

Its popularity endures to this day, and it was selected as one of the “100 Best Japanese Songs.” Indō’s hometown in Kumamoto Prefecture has even built a memorial museum in his honor, celebrating his legacy and contribution to Japanese music.

犬童球渓記念館 | 人吉球磨ガイド

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▼This monument is located in front of the school building of Niigata Chuo High School, where INDOU was assigned.

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