is a popular Japanese folk song written by and composed by .
The song was composed for the that took place in Shima, Mie in 1970. The song appeared on the popular single record released by the folk group on February 5, 1971, becoming nationally known. In September 1973, Sumiko Yamagata released a reprise of the song in the album .
Shoji Hashimoto, the editor of the publishing house, decided to include the song in a choir textbook, causing it to be sung by choirs across Japan. By the second half of the 1970s, most people in Japan were familiar with the song.
Megumi Yokota once sang this song at a school competition.
The song was chosen as the official theme of the national team of Japan during the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
The song was used in the popular manga Goodnight Punpun.
A version of this song performed by Megumi Hayashibara is part of the soundtrack for the 2009 anime film by Hideaki Anno.
Many Japanese artists have released a cover version of this song:
This song has also been covered by several non-Japanese artists: