The Kuma River Boat Song is a folk song about the spirit of the sailors who sailed from Hitoyoshi to Yatsushiro on the Kuma River. The Kuma River Boat Song National Championship has been held every year in order to preserve the traditions of Hitoyoshi Kuma and show them off to the rest of the country. The event had been held as the "Japan Heritage Hitoyoshi Kuma's Folk Song National Championships" since 2016, but was discontinued in 2018.