The Praise Song “Hanamo” and the Road It Opened to Mission in Japan

The Birth of “Hanamo” and Its Release by NCM2

“Hanamo” is a Japanese children’s praise song written by Pastor Tsutomu Uchikoshi of MEBIG Church in Sapporo, Hokkaido.

With Pastor Uchikoshi’s permission, NCM2 released the mini-album “Hanamo” in 2013, produced by the leader of NCM2 (Yoshio Maki). By the grace of the Lord, the video we posted on YouTube at the time of its release has now been viewed roughly 1.8 million times, and the song has come to be loved by many.

In the autumn of 2012, I became a member of the NCM2 Choir. I was given the opportunity to join the ministry of bringing praise to places all across Japan, and the following year, in 2013, I was blessed to sing the lead vocal on “Hanamo,” the title track of the very first album I ever took part in.

“Hanamo” Is the Origin of My Mission in Japan

Today I live in Japan, engaged in the work of sharing the Gospel. And when I trace that path back to where it began, I find myself arriving at my very first encounter with “Hanamo.”

For me, this song “Hanamo” is far more than just one piece of music. It is a precious praise song through which God gave me a vision for mission in Japan and confirmed His calling in my heart. The first time I heard “Hanamo” was in the summer of 2007. I was helping prepare an MK camp for missionaries’ children when someone introduced it to me, saying, “This is a Japanese children’s praise song.”

The moment I heard it, my heart was captured. The melody was beautiful and the words were wonderful, and I fell in love with the song right away. As I sang it together with the missionaries’ children at the camp, I was greatly blessed.

What moved me most of all was the message of hope woven into this song.

As they pass through the Valley of Weeping, they make it a place of springs.
Psalm 84:6

Even when we are walking through the valley of tears, God causes a spring to well up beneath our feet. And the flowers, the clouds, the sea—everything in this world—is praising God.

I was deeply encouraged by such a magnificent confession of faith. And every time I sang “Hanamo,” I began to pray one prayer: “Lord, please use me so that one day I may sing this praise together with many more people in Japan.” At the time, I had no idea how that prayer might ever be answered. Yet God remembered that small prayer.

What I had prayed alone in 2007 became reality just a few years later. And as I traveled throughout Japan singing “Hanamo,” I came to feel strongly that God was leading me to Japan.

“Hanamo” Connected and United Christians in Japan and Korea

Over the more than ten years that have passed since then, this song “Hanamo” has spread not only through Japan but into Korea as well. I introduced the song to Korea through my 2012 solo album “Ijenna (이제 나)” and through the 2013 NCM2 Choir album.

Later, in 2017, J-Worship released a Korean-language version, “벁들도 (Kkotdeuldo),” and in 2018 Markers Worship released the same song as well. I myself also released my own Korean version, “벁도 (Kkotdo),” on my 2018 album “Because Jesus Is Beside Me,” with lyrics I translated myself.

Praying and reflecting throughout my ministry in Japan since 2007, I translated the lyrics with the greatest possible care to honor the heart of the original author. Honestly, I never imagined that a children’s praise song born in Japan would come to be sung so widely in Korean churches.

Through this single praise song “Hanamo,” God connected Christians in Japan and Korea, gave hope, gave vision, and bound people together, one to another.

Even now, every time I sing “Hanamo,” my heart overflows with gratitude and I am moved to tears. Jesus is the One who can guide a person’s whole life through just a single song of praise.

And my prayer is that even now, through this song, someone walking through their own valley of tears may find hope and discover the spring that God has prepared for them. Just as the flowers, the clouds, and the sea—all of creation—praise God, may our very lives become praise to Him as well. To our Lord Jesus Christ I return all the glory.

If you have never heard “Hanamo,” or if you feel like listening to it again after a long while, I would be so glad if you would join in praise through the video below.

Junseok Lee (NCM2)

【YouTube】Hanamo – Even In Flowers (「花も」英語バージョン) – NCM2 CHOIR