What traditional song is ソーラン☆節 based on?

It is an arrangement of Sōran Bushi (ソーラン節), a traditional Japanese folk song (min'yō) originating from the fishing villages of Hokkaido, used historically to coordinate herring net-pulling.

When was ソーラン☆節 added to maimai?

The song was added on April 23, 2013, as part of the maimai PLUS update.

What BPM is ソーラン☆節?

The song has a tempo of 145 BPM.

What difficulty levels do the charts have?

In the current version, the Standard charts are: Basic Lv6, Advanced Lv8, Expert Lv11, and Master Lv13 (constant 13.4). The Master chart has been re-evaluated upward many times since its original Lv9 debut.

Who designed the Expert and Master charts for ソーラン☆節?

The Expert chart was designed by ニャイン (Nyain), and the Master chart was designed by mai-Star.

What instruments are featured in Mitsuyoshi's arrangement?

The arrangement prominently features tsugaru shamisen and shakuhachi, with a dynamic call-and-response solo section in the instrumental break.

Is ソーラン☆節 available in English arcades?

Yes. In international and Chinese releases (舞萌), the title is localized as 'Soran☆Bushi' and the artist is credited as Takenobu Mitsuyoshi.

ソーラン☆節 (Soran☆Bushi), maimai PLUS Original Song

All songs

Overview

ソーラン☆節 (Soran☆Bushi) is an arrangement of the centuries-old Hokkaido fishing folk song Sōran Bushi (ソーラン節), reimagined for the maimai arcade rhythm game. The recording and arrangement were handled entirely by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi (光吉猛修), a longtime Sega sound creator known for the Daytona USA theme and numerous maimai original tracks. Mitsuyoshi described his concept for the piece as "folk song but super stylish & groovy," loading the arrangement with unorthodox chord progressions while preserving the call-and-response structure and iconic "Yāren sōran" chant of the original. The instrumental track foregrounds tsugaru shamisen and shakuhachi, trading virtuosic solos in the interlude that mimic the energy of a live session. In-game, the Master chart (designed by mai-Star) has climbed significantly in difficulty across maimai versions, starting at Level 9 on launch and eventually settling at Level 13, a testament to how the maimai team has recalibrated the chart's demands as player skill has risen. The Expert chart was designed by ニャイン (Nyain). ソーラン☆節 belongs to a small family of Japanese folk arrangements that Mitsuyoshi contributed to the series, alongside 炭★坑★節 (Tan kou bushi), forming an unofficial folk-song trilogy within the maimai catalog. Outside Japan, the song is displayed as "Soran☆Bushi" with the artist credited as Takenobu Mitsuyoshi.

Videos

Master chart

Open

Expert chart

Open

Charts

STD

BASIC

6(6)

133 notesDesigner: -|Tap 106Hold 9Slide 10Break 8

YouTube

ADVANCED

8(8)

205 notesDesigner: -|Tap 160Hold 23Slide 6Break 16

YouTube

EXPERT

11(11)

314 notesDesigner: ニャイン|Tap 212Hold 43Slide 39Break 20

YouTube

MASTER

13(13.4)

414 notesDesigner: mai-Star|Tap 314Hold 34Slide 46Break 20

YouTube

Trivia

ソーラン☆節 is an arrangement of Sōran Bushi, a traditional work song (min'yō) from the Hokkaido fishing villages used to coordinate net-pulling during herring fishing. Its lyrics date back to the Edo period.
Like its sister arrangement 炭★坑★節 (Tan kou bushi), this song was arranged, performed, and sung by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi as a one-man act, he handled both the vocal and the instrumental arrangement.
Mitsuyoshi himself joked in the soundtrack booklet that he had barely finished 炭★坑★節 before he was asked to take on another famous folk tune, apologizing to 'the professionals' (pro shamisen/shakuhachi players) while admitting there might be a third installment.
The Master chart was originally Level 9 when ソーラン☆節 debuted in maimai PLUS. Over a decade of version updates, it was re-evaluated upward through 10, 10+, 11, 11+, 12, and eventually 13, one of the largest level-inflation trajectories among maimai originals.
The Expert chart was designed by ニャイン (Nyain) and the Master chart by mai-Star, both veteran maimai note designers.
In the maimai でらっくす (DX) update, ソーラン☆節 received a completely new jacket illustration and its gameplay video was replaced with a static image of the new jacket.
The song's original maimai PLUS jacket depicted a fisherman and a large fish against a stylized wave, consistent with the folk song's sea-faring theme. The DX jacket modernized the illustration with a brighter, more colorful aesthetic.
In international and Chinese arcade releases (舞萌), the title is localized as 'Soran☆Bushi' and the artist is credited under the romanized name Takenobu Mitsuyoshi.
The arrangement prominently features tsugaru shamisen (a percussive, heavy-gauge style from Aomori) and shakuhachi (bamboo flute), with a call-and-response solo section in the instrumental break.
ソーラン☆節 has undergone several genre reclassifications across maimai versions: it began as ORIGINAL, later moved to VARIETY, then ORIGINAL & JOYPOLIS, and finally settled under the maimai genre in the DX era.

FAQ

Who arranged and sang ソーラン☆節 for maimai?: Takenobu Mitsuyoshi (光吉猛修), the Sega composer known for the Daytona USA theme and numerous maimai original tracks, both arranged and sang ソーラン☆節 as a one-man performance.
What traditional song is ソーラン☆節 based on?: It is an arrangement of Sōran Bushi (ソーラン節), a traditional Japanese folk song (min'yō) originating from the fishing villages of Hokkaido, used historically to coordinate herring net-pulling.
When was ソーラン☆節 added to maimai?: The song was added on April 23, 2013, as part of the maimai PLUS update.
What BPM is ソーラン☆節?: The song has a tempo of 145 BPM.
What difficulty levels do the charts have?: In the current version, the Standard charts are: Basic Lv6, Advanced Lv8, Expert Lv11, and Master Lv13 (constant 13.4). The Master chart has been re-evaluated upward many times since its original Lv9 debut.
Who designed the Expert and Master charts for ソーラン☆節?: The Expert chart was designed by ニャイン (Nyain), and the Master chart was designed by mai-Star.
What instruments are featured in Mitsuyoshi's arrangement?: The arrangement prominently features tsugaru shamisen and shakuhachi, with a dynamic call-and-response solo section in the instrumental break.
Is ソーラン☆節 available in English arcades?: Yes. In international and Chinese releases (舞萌), the title is localized as 'Soran☆Bushi' and the artist is credited as Takenobu Mitsuyoshi.