To promote Tokyo's first planetarium at the Tō Nichi Planetarium (Yurakuchō, Tokyo—in Tō Nichi Kaikan, building of Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun, predecessor of The Mainichi Newspapers), Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun held a nationwide contest about a month after opening in 1938 (Showa 13); the winning children's song announced on February 1 the following year was lyrics by Shimako Mezaki, fifth grade at Daita Elementary, Tokyo.
Like Kitazato's winning popular song, it has four verses:
１） 大きな大きなお月さま
ぢっとみてるとお父様の
まるいおかほを思ひ出す
強い良い子になるやうに
遠いお国でおたよりを
わたしに書いているのでせう
２） きれいなきれいな三日月を
見上げる度に母さまの
やさしいまゆを思ひ出す
でんでん太鼓の子守うた
きいて眠った遠い日の
三日月さまよどこにゐる
３） かはいゝかはいゝお星さま
お嫁に行った姉さまの
ちらちらかんざし思ひ出す
織姫様もあのやうな
花嫁すがたで天の河
渡って行かれたことでせう
４）ぽっかり浮かんだ白い雲
お月さんどこかへかくれんぼ
お目めパチパチお星さま
とろりとろりこおねむでせう
坊やもいっしょに、ゆめのくに
おやすみなさい、さやうなら
Kōsaku Yamada also composed the music; Fusaeda Iida sang the record, released in May 1939 (Showa 14) by Columbia Records.
Honorable mention in the popular song category went to Shigeo Kosugi of Tokyo; Koshirō Furukawa composed, sung by Miss Columbia.
The Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun of February 2, reporting the results, quoted judge Hachirō Satō: "Mezaki's work is truly innocent, full of charm and purity. It is valuable for not imitating great teachers but having originality."
In October 1939, the same year the record appeared, Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun's aircraft Nippon completed a round-the-world flight. The company heavily promoted this feat and the planetarium. Color postcards with Nippon and the planetarium centered on Tō Nichi Kaikan＝photo courtesy of Hoshi no Kai, Seiji Ogawa＝ were sold at the Tō Nichi Planetarium and elsewhere.