Praised by the famous poet Matsuo Basho as one of the three best hotsprings in Japan, Yamanaka Onsen has always been a bustling place, with visitors coming from various parts of Japan.
Especially during autumn season, crew members of the Kitamaebune Ships from Shioya and Hashidate would take a dip at the traditional public bath while singing Oiwake Folk Songs that they learned in Matsumae and Esashi of Hokkaido.
At the time, female ryokan assistants called "Yutakabe" would take their customers to the public bath and wait for the customers to get out of the bath with a Yukata (Japanese clothing) in their hands.
Soon, the crew members and the female ryokan assistants started exchanging songs between each other and those Oiwake Folk Songs later turned into the current Yamanaka-bushi Folk Song.