Let’s sing the song
and share it with the world!
Tendenko is a dialect from the Sanriku coastal region of Iwate Prefecture, meaning “each person” or “everyone individually”. The phrase Tsunami Tendenko or Life Tendenko convey a lesson, “When a tsunami comes, each person must flee to a higher ground by themselves” and “You must protect your own life yourself”.
Watch on YouTube
Karaoke VersionWatch on YouTube
Lyrics：Mihoko Murakami
Supplementary crop：Midori Terui
Composer＆Singer：Kafu Satoh
English translation：Kumi Kato
Now run away
After an earthquake comes tsunami
Run, Run, Run now
You are the one to save your life
Even if you want to wait for others
Start running just with your life
Now run away
To the high ground safe from tsunami
Now run away
In Tsunami Tendenko
Tsunami Tendenko Tsunami Tendenko
Life Tendenko Life Tendenko
Now run away
Tsunami comes so quickly
Run calling others to run
You are the one to save your life
Each saving own life
Helping hands will be warm
Now run away
To the place far and safe from tsunami
Now run away
In Tsunami Tendenko
※Repeat
Blight future is waiting
Make sure to get there
Don’t give in, Never give in
Run Run Run for your life
Now run away
Never go back once you run away
Till it is safe to go back
You are the one to save your life
Life given from your parents
Will help someone only if you survive
Now run away
To the place you can save your life
Now run away
In Tsunami Tendenko
※Repeat
Production Cooperation: G’s Corporation
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Mr. Kafu Satoh for his invaluable support
in the creation of this music.
Purpose of the Song
Carrying Lives into the Future
Tendenko is a dialect from the Sanriku coastal region of Iwate Prefecture, meaning “each person” or “everyone individually”. The phrase Tsunami Tendenko or Life Tendenko convey a lesson, “When a tsunami comes, each person must flee to a higher ground by themselves” and “You must protect your own life yourself”. The speed and destructive power of tsunamis is extraordinary - for example, if a Nankai Trough Earthquake hits, tsunami is expected to reach the coast in just five minutes, sweeping away cars and houses. If each person protects their own life, all lives will be saved. This is a lesson to minimise losses and ensure lives are carried forward into the future. This phrase also carries an important principle, “Even if you save yourself, and could not have saved others, never blame yourself”. We found however that the phrase is not known to many people. That is why we wrote this song and also made it into a video. We hope to promote this song nationally, and in tsunami-prone areas worldwide.