“Hoiku shoka” (Meiji 10-13) is the collectioa of songs meant for education, which were composed by Gagaku composers who belonged to Shikibu section. That is the first attempt in Japan. My study consists of three parts. On the process of the composition; How the evaluation on Hoiku shoka has changed ; On the musical structure. The songs are classified according to seven subjects (use, poet or source, tune, mode, time, composer and accompanying instrument). Then two contrasting models are set. They are “A. L. Howe: Songs for kindergartener” and Gagaku songs (kagura-uta, kume-uta and saibara compiled by Sukehiro Shiba). Both of them are analyzed in terms of the transitory probability and the appearance frequency. The outcome is compared with that of Hoiku shoka's analysis.

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When the project of “Scientific Research of Folk Music in Cheju Island”.d.dmembers were Tetsuo SAKURAI (leader) and the present writer.d.dwas achieved from January to February 1976, we tried a field survey of various folk musics including children's game songs. Visiting several elementary schools and alleyways in Cheju city, we gathered (1) picture drawing songs (2) jump rope songs (3) ball bouncing songs (4) hand clapping songs (5) game songs with body movements (note 1).
A general survey of these songs' musical construction shows a certain conjecture, i.e. there might be a relationship between the tension of games and songs.
1) If the tension of games is high, musical construction of songs is rather simple ...difficulty or facilityofthe playing technique is not concerned(picture drawing songs, jump rope songs)
2) The tension in personal play .d.deven if playing technique is complicated. d.dis rather low. So, children can enjoy both games and singing songs. (ball bouncing songs)
3) In hand clapping songs especially, children play this hand clapping game enjoying themselves by singing songs.
In conclusion, a research of game songs in old times seems to be essential to systematize children's game songs.
(note 1) names of these games were cited from “Game Songs of Japanese Children” edited by Fumio KOIZUMI, 1969.

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