They allegedly originated from dance music performed within a kabuki play, Kiyomoto (kiyomotobushi; a school of joruri recitation in which the voices are pitched slightly higher than usual) and the like, and gained popularity from the Bunka-Bunsei period (1803-1830).
歌舞伎のなかの舞踊曲や、清元などを起源として、文化・文政（1803-1830)のころから盛んになったといわれている。