| It was first decided that Nagano should have a prefectural song in 1947. In
commemoration of the enactment of the present constitution, the public was invited to
submit entries, but none of the songs submitted became popular and most were forgotten. The
present lyrics of "Shinano no Kuni" were composed in 1899 by Kiyoshi Asai and it was set to music
by Sueharu Kitamura in 1900. It was sung at events held by teacher training schools of the
time. Students at that time went out to schools all over the prefecture as teachers and
taught "Shinano no Kuni" to elementary school children.
The song has been handed down from parents to children and from children to
grandchildren, and in effect, it came to be sung as the defacto prefectural song. The prefectural logo and
symbols were chosen in 1966, and there was a growing view that "Shinano no Kuni"
should be made the official prefectural song to heighten citizens' awareness of the prefecture in
which they lived. As a result, it was designated as the prefectural song on May 20, 1968,
becoming one of the few prefectural songs that virtually all the citizens can sing.
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