Akatombo
| Akatombo | |
|---|---|
Monument to the song in the hometown of the poet Rofū Miki (Tatsuno, Hyōgo) | |
| English |
|
| Native name | 赤とんぼ |
| Written | 1921 |
| Text | by Rofū Miki |
| Language | Japanese |
| Melody | by Kōsaku Yamada |
| Composed | 1927 |
"Red Dragonfly" (Japanese: 赤とんぼ, Hepburn: Akatonbo) (also transliterated as Akatombo, Aka Tombo, Aka Tonbo, or Aka Tomba) is a famous Japanese children's song (dōyō) composed by Kōsaku Yamada in 1927, with lyrics from a 1921 poem by Rofū Miki. It is a nostalgic depiction of a Japanese red dragonfly seen at sunset by an infant being carried on an older sister's shoulder.