sawyer's song; woodcutters' work song
A traditional work song sung by sawyers (woodcutters) while sawing lumber, often in a call-and-response style. Historical term; not part of modern daily life.
The sawyer's song is one of the work songs sung by woodcutters in the old days.
Refers to the sawyer or the act of sawing wood; 木挽歌 is specifically the song they sang.
A broader term for work songs in general; 木挽歌 is a specific type of work song for sawyers.
Standard kanji spelling for this traditional work song.
Variant using 唄, a character often used for folk songs.
Spelling with okurigana き, making the reading clearer.
Combination of okurigana and 唄; all four forms are used.
Compound of 木挽き (kobiki, 'sawyer' or 'woodcutting') and 歌 (uta, 'song'). The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it belongs to the tradition of Japanese work songs (仕事歌).