The ultra-rare folk songs “Ichibiruna” and “Hocchicchi” that sing the true feelings of Kyoto locals

To begin with

When it comes to Kyoto’s representative children’s song, the famous one is “Marutake Ebisu,” where you sing about the east-west streets in order from north to south, right?

“It’s handy for remembering street names,” they say, and it seems to be well-known even among outsiders.

But even a true Kyoto native like me can’t help but admire how authentically Kyoto this children’s song is – it is not that “Marutake Ebisu”.

Here are two special Kyoto children’s songs I’d like to introduce: “Ichibiruna” and “Hocchicchi”.

I wonder how many of you know them.

“Don’t be silly” (Kyoto children’s song)

　　　　　　Don’t be silly.

　　　　　　Don’t be silly.

　　　　　　Such nonsense

　　　　　　Blah blah blah

　　　　　　Such rubbish

　　　　　　Don’t be silly

　　　　　　Shall I stick it on?

　　　　　　Damn brat!

　　　　　　Go away!

How do you think about this?

“Brilliant!” – it’s practically a parade of combat-ready insults, isn’t it?

When it comes to Kyoto dialect, many people probably imagine it as “refined, gentle, and laid-back,” but honestly, that’s not really the case.

Well then, let me translate the hard-to-understand Kyoto dialect in this children’s song for folks from out of town.

“Don’t get cocky” means “Don’t get too big for your britches and start showing off.”
“Getting cocky” is a Kansai dialect term that perfectly captures that annoying feeling of someone getting carried away and acting all high and mighty.

“Don’t get cocky” is a play on the “ichi” in “don’t get cocky,” you see. It doesn’t really mean much. Well, it’s just a pun, I suppose.

“Mere trifles” must be directly reflecting the sounds of the numbers “three” and “ four,” right?

“Blah, blah, blah” probably comes from the number “five,” but even so, I’m impressed such a dirty word was picked, I think.

“Such rubbish” and “Don’t be silly” – anyone can understand what those mean, right?

But still, this is some pretty harsh slander. — Maybe it’s meant to be a more vulgar version of “Don’t be a jerk,” but “Don’t be a shitty jerk”?

“I’ll stick it to,” “You little brat,” “Go away.” The numbers “eight,” “nine,” and “ten” come up in order, don’t they?
You can understand these three too, right?
The Kyoto-style word “bouzu” makesa proper appearance here. — Still, this ending is pretty harsh, isn’t it?

This nursery rhyme is perfect for defeating someone you dislike, and as you can see, it takes the form of a counting song.

I learned this nursery rhyme from my grandmother, who was born in the Meiji era.
The key is to sing it with even less rhythm than “Marutake Ebisu” or “Hocchicchi” – which I’ll introduce later – just spitting it out.

This nursery rhyme is perfect for a real fight, isn’t it?

Alright, next up is “Hocchicchi”.

“Hocchicchi” (Kyoto Nursery Rhyme)

　　　　　　Hocchicchi

　　　　　　Kamo Tenaya

　　　　　　Not your child, not your grandchildren

　　　　　　A complete stranger, Hocchicchi

　　　　　　Hocchicchi

　　　　　　Kamo Tenaya

　　　　　　Not your child, not your grandchild

　　　　　　If we become relatives, then be friendly

Well, what do you think of this song?

It’s a bit humorous than the previous one, I suppose.

As before, let me first translate the difficult Kyoto dialect.—

“Hocchicchi” means “Leave me alone”.

And, “kamo tenaya” is the Kyoto dialect for “don’t mind it.”

What Kyoto people tend to mind is having others just barge right into the personal space of their hearts.

They prefer to keep a moderate distance from others. — They don’t open their mind to people so easily, you know.

Even if they don’t say it outright, I reckon most Kyoto people feel that way.

My grandmother and my mother, who is her daughter, both said the same thing.
“Other people are other people”, and “I am I”.

The ending of this nursery rhyme goes, “If we become relatives, please be friendly,” meaning that from those considered kin, it’s perfectly fine to be friendly with me.”

As for everyone else – that is, complete strangers – they don’t let their guard down. That’s the Kyoto way, to put it simply.

This nursery rhyme, like the previous one, was something I learned from my grandmother and mother, but I also have vivid memories of singing it often with my playmates when I was little.

I suppose it was probably a familiar nursery rhyme around the upper districts of Kyoto.
When I was a child, that quintessential Kyoto mindset – accepting that “others are others, and I am I” – somehow seeped into every corner of my heart through this song. — Looking back now.

The Osaka version of “Hocchicchi”

Interestingly enough, there’s also an Osaka version of this “Hocchicchi,” you know.

Just for reference, let me share what the lyrics are like.

　　　　　　Hocchicchi, Kamo Tenaya

　　　　　　Kamo-tara, Toko-ton Kamo-ten-ka

　　　　　　Making me your child, making me your grandchild

　　　　　　Dressing me in fine clothes and bringing me up

　　　　　　If you don’t want to do that, Kamo tenaya

　　　　　　Mind your own business, Hocchicchi

How about it?

It’s pretty different from Kyoto’s “Hocchicchi”, right?

As for Osaka version, feeling about it is of mine who am native Kyoto person is just one word “Brazen!”

Do you really want me to “leave you alone”? Or do you actually want me to pay attention to you? Do you want to me to take care of you completely? I just don’t get it.

Still, the difference in temperament between Kyoto and Osaka really stand out – it’s quite interesting, isn’t it?

The references

1: “Kyoto Nursery Rhymes” by Masafumi Nakagawa, published by Shinshindo Publishing Co.
2: “Kyoto Nursery Songs” by Minoru Umegaki, published by Kanshoin, 1947.

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Author

つばくろ(Tsubakuro)
I was born and raised in Kyoto and am a native Kyotoite.
When I was young, I longed to visit Tokyo and Osaka, which are more bustling than Kyoto, but as I have gotten older, I have come to appreciate Kyoto a little more.
In this site, I will introduce you to some of the best places to explore Kyoto's food that you might otherwise miss at first glance.