When we think of Obon in Hokkaido, we remember the "Children's Obon Dance" held in the neighborhood park when we were little. Many of us probably danced around a tower for sweets. Here's a question. What is the memorable phrase in the chorus of the "Children's Obon Dance"? Is it chanko or shanko? Which is the correct answer?

The correct lyrics for the children's Bon dance song are "Shanko"

The "shanko" in the lyrics is said to represent the "shanshan" sound of the bells attached to horses, but I'm sure there are many people who have mistaken this part for "chanko." One reason may have been that the pronunciation is similar, making it easy to confuse the two, but there was actually another reason.

This song was released in 1952 (Showa 27). Then, in 1995 (Heisei 7), a new recording by the Tanpopo Children's Choir was produced that was different from the original version. At this point, the original recording had been in use for over 40 years, so it's not surprising that there was talk of making a new one.

However, in this version, without permission from the original author, the "shanko" part of the lyrics was changed to "chanko", and the lyrics, which were originally three verses, were increased to a whopping eight verses.

Naturally, this caused copyright issues, and the song was eventually discontinued in 2002. However, it was still used in many venues for about seven years, so it seems likely that "chanko" had become somewhat established during that time.

The official lyrics inscribed on the monument

Despite these incidents, the original recording is still used in most venues today. It's amazing to see something that was made over 70 years ago still being played in its original form.

Until a few years ago, it was possible to purchase the cassette tape on Amazon, but at the time of writing (June 2023), it was out of stock.

Cassette tape of children's Bon dance songs

The paper inside the tape explains the choreography.

Surprisingly, this tape has never been released on CD, and the version recorded on this CD is said to be the only CD version available today.

[Buddhist Hymn] Buddhist Children's Songs - Children of the Buddha - Flower Festival March (CD)