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.Yomiuri Shimbun, 「『荒城の月』から『涙そうそう』、日本の歌に101曲」 January 14, 2007. The Asahi Shimbun used this list to compile a list of 15 most endangered children's songs.Asahi Shimbun. 「歌い継いでいきたい童謡・唱歌ランキング」 March 20, 2010.
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 Notes1 仰げば尊し Aogeba tōtoshi 1884 Fumihiko Ōtsuki, Satomi Tadashi, Kabe Iwao H.N.D. 2 赤い靴 Akai Kutsu 1922 3 赤とんぼ Akatombo 1927 4 朝はどこから Asa wa doko kara 1946 (森まさる) 5 あの町この町 Ano machi kono machi 1924 6 あめふり Amefuri 1925 7 雨降りお月さん Amefuri otsukisan 1925 8 あめふりくまのこ Amefuri kuma no ko 1962 (鶴見正夫) (湯山昭) 9 いい日旅立ち Ii Hi Tabidachi 1978 10 いつでも夢を Itsudemo yume o 1962 (佐伯孝夫) (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 also known as "Sukiyaki" originally sung by Kyu Sakamoto13 海 Umi 1941 (林柳波) (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) (河村光陽) 15 江戸子守唄 Edo Lullaby Edo period traditional; lyricist and composer unknown16 おうま Ouma 1941 (林柳波) (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 (保富康午) after Henry Clay Work melody "My Grandfather's Clock" (1876), American popular song19 おかあさん Okaasan 1954 (田中ナナ) 20 お正月 Oshōgatsu 1901 (東くめ) 21 おはなしゆびさん Ohanashiyubisan 1962 Yoshiko Kōyama (香山美子) (湯山昭) 22 朧月夜 Oborozuki yo 1914 () 23 思い出のアルバム Omoide no album 1981 (増子とし) (本多鉄麿) 24 おもちゃのチャチャチャ Omocha no chachacha 1962 , Osamu Yoshioka (越部信義) 25 かあさんの歌 Kaasan no uta 1954 (窪田聡) (窪田聡) 26 風 Kaze 1921 (西條八十) after Christina Rossetti 27 肩たたき Kata tataki 1923 (西條八十) 28 かもめの水兵さん Kamome no Suihei-san 1937 (武内俊子) (河村光陽) 29 からたちの花 Karatachi no hana 1925 30 川の流れのように Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni 1989 31 汽車 Kisha 1912 Ministry of Education Aira Ōwada (大和田愛羅) 32 汽車ポッポ Kisha poppo 1938 (富原薫) 33 今日の日はさようなら Kyō no hi wa sayōnara 1966 (金子詔一) (金子詔一) 34 靴が鳴る Kutsu ga naru 1919 (清水かつら) 35 こいのぼり Koinobori 1931 (近藤宮子) composer unknown36 高校三年生 Koko sannensei 1963 (丘灯至夫) (遠藤実) 37 荒城の月 Kōjō no tsuki 1901 (土井晩翠) 38 秋桜 Cosmos 1977 sung by Momoe Yamaguchi39 この道 Kono michi 1927 40 こんにちは赤ちゃん Konnichiwa akachan 1963 41 さくら貝の歌 Sakuragai no uta 1949 (土屋花情) (八洲秀章) 42 さくらさくら Sakura Sakura 1888 traditional; lyricist and composer unknown43 サッちゃん Satchan 1959 (阪田寛夫) Megumi Ohnaka 44 里の秋 Sato no aki 1945 (斎藤信夫) (海沼實) 45 幸せなら手をたたこう Shiawase nara te o tatakō 1964 (木村利人) melody "If You're Happy and You Know It", traditional Spanish (or Latvian, or American) folk song46 叱られて Shikararete 1972 (清水かつら) 47 四季の歌 Shiki no uta 1970? (荒木とよひさ) (荒木とよひさ) 48 時代 Jidai 1975 49 シャボン玉 Shabondama 1922 50 ずいずいずっころばし Zuizui zukkorobashi Warabe uta; lyricist and composer unknown51 スキー Sukī (Skiing) 1942 (時雨音羽) 52 背くらべ Seikurabe 1923 (海野厚) 53 世界に一つだけの花 Sekai ni hitotsu dake no hana 2003 54 ぞうさん Zō-san 1953 55 早春賦 Sōshunfu 1913 (吉丸一昌) (中田章) 56 たきび Takibi 1941 (巽聖歌) (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) 58 茶摘み Chatsumi 1912 Ministry of Education Ministry of Education 59 チューリップ Chūrippu (Tulip) 1932 (近藤宮子) (井上武士) 60 月の沙漠 Tsuki no sabaku 1923 (加藤まさを) (佐々木すぐる) 61 翼をください Tsubasa o Kudasai 1971 (山上路夫) (村井邦彦) 62 手のひらを太陽に Te no hira o taiyō ni 1961 (やなせたかし) (いずみたく) 63 通りゃんせ Tōryanse Edo period Warabe uta; lyricist and composer unknown64 どこかで春が Doko ka de haru ga 1923 (百田宗治) 65 ドレミのうた Do-Re-Mi 1959 after Oscar Hammerstein II Richard Rodgers from the musical The Sound of Music66 どんぐりころころ Donguri korokoro Taishō period (青木存義) 67 とんぼのめがね Tonbo no megane 1949 (額賀誠志) 68 ないしょ話 Naisho banashi 1939 (結城よしを) (山口保治) 69 涙そうそう Nada Sōsō 1998 BEGIN original Okinawan language lyrics by BEGIN70 夏の思い出 Natsu no omoide 1949 (江間章子) 71 夏は来ぬ Natsu wa kinu 1896 72 七つの子 Nanatsu no Ko 1921 73 花〜すべての人の心に花を〜 Hana: Subete no hito no kokoro ni hana o 1980 74 花 Hana 1900 (武島羽衣) 75 花の街 Hana no machi 1947 (江間章子) 76 埴生の宿 Hanyū no yado 1889 (里見義) after John Howard Payne melody "Home! Sweet Home!" from the opera Clari, Maid of Milan (1823)77 浜千鳥 Hamachidori 1919 (鹿島鳴秋) 78 浜辺の歌 Hamabe no uta 1916 (林古渓) 79 春が来た Haru ga kita 1910 () 80 春の小川 Haru no ogawa 1912 () 81 ふじの山 Fuji no yama 1911 Ministry of Education 82 冬景色 Fuyugeshiki 1913 Ministry of Education Ministry of Education 83 冬の星座 Fuyu no seiza 1947 (堀内敬三) melody "Mollie Darling" (1871), American popular song84 故郷 Furusato 1914 () 85 蛍の光 Hotaru no Hikari 1881 (稲垣千穎) melody "Auld Lang Syne", traditional Scottish song86 牧場の朝 Makiba no asa 1932 (杉村楚人冠) (船橋榮吉) 87 見上げてごらん夜の星を Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi o 1963 (いずみたく) 88 みかんの花咲く丘 Mikan no hana saku oka 1946 (加藤省吾) (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 melody "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" from the opera Le devin du village (1752)91 村祭 Muramatsuri 1942 (南能衛) 92 めだかの学校 Medaka no gakkō 1950 (茶木滋) 93 もみじ Momiji 1911 () 94 椰子の実 Yashinomi 1936 Toraji Ōnaka (大中寅二) 95 夕日 Yūhi 1921 (室崎琴月) 96 夕焼小焼 Yūyake koyake 1923 (中村雨紅) 97 雪 Yuki 1911 Ministry of Education Ministry of Education 98 揺籃のうた Yurikago no uta 1921 99 旅愁 Ryoshū 1907 (犬童球渓) after John P. Ordway melody "Dreaming of Home and Mother" (1851), American popular song100 リンゴの唄 Ringo no uta1945 Hachirō Satō (サトウハチロー) (万城目正) from the 1945 film directed by Yasushi Sasaki101 われは海の子 Ware wa umi no ko 1910 (宮原晃一郎) Ministry of Education
References
External links Agency for Cultural Affairs. "親子で歌いつごう 日本の歌百選". Retrieved 2 July 2008.