Hamasuki, or turning over ground at salt farms that has become firm, was one of the tasks carried out by the hamaotoko (male salt farm workers). As they did hamasuki, the hamaotoko sang the hamasuki uta (“hamasuki song”), and the hamasuki uta was passed down from one generation of hamaotoko to the next. It is said that, in the past, similar work songs were sung at salt farms in the Seto Inland Sea area. Although the origin of the hamasuki uta and the exact means by which it was passed down are not known, it is believed to have been sung in Ako since a very long time ago. Currently, the song continues to be passed down thanks to the Ako Hamasuki Uta Preservation Society, and it has been designated as an Intangible Folk Property of Ako City. In recent years, new versions have come out with folk style arrangements in which the vocals are accompanied by the shamisen and shakuhachi,