"Kimigayo, 
" is said to Japan's
National Anthem.
kimi ga yo wa
chiyo ni yachiyo ni
sazareishi no
iwao to narite
koke no musu made
The thousands of years of happy reign be thine;
Rule on, my Lord, till what are pebbles now
By age united to mighty rocks shall grow
Whose venerable sides the moth doth line
(Translated by Basil.H.Chambaerlain)
The words for the song is said to come from a poem in the Kokin
Wakasyu
or in the Wakan Roeishu
edited in
the early 10th century. But there is no written word "Kimigayo" in
original. This poem made a change in first word from "wa ga kimi wa,
, our
lord, " to "kimigayo, rule
on, my lord, " for a popular book of Wakan Roeishu
in the early 12th century. But
the change of first word is falsified. The interpretation of the poem, its problem
remains unsolved.
There are the lyrics to "Kokin Wakasyu," as follows.
343. Anonymous Topic unknown
wa ga kimi wa
chiyo ni yachiyo ni
sazareishi no
iwao to narite
koke no musu made
May our lord endure
for a thousand, eight thousand
long generations-
may he live until pebbles
grow into mossy boulders.
(Translated by Helen Craig McCullough)
This poem is head of Felicitation poem of Kokin
Wakashu. It is singing that we wish our Lord endure with other
felicitation poems(344-347) in it for ceremonies. By ancient "Kimi,
" is word of "Lord"
which can means "King, Great King, Emperor" before 9th
century. From a theoretical point of view, it is unable to be
written for "Anonymous Topic unknown". I suppose that
if the author of Kokin Wakashu had known the author of this poem,
but would have written to "Anonymous Topic unknown"
for their profit. I come to decision that this poem is none composed
in Yamato Dynasty.
 |
| F.4-1. Chiyo |  |
| F.4-2. Yachiyo |  |
| F.4-3. Iwara Mountain |  |
| F.4-4. Sazareishi Shrine |  |
| F.4-5. Koke-musu Goddess |  |
On the other hand, the poem of "Kimigayo," with Negi
was told in the end Ritual of a Yama-home Festival 
at Shikaumi Shrine in Shikashima Island.
Rituals are performed by priests 
and by Negis who are the persons
living in the group of houses.
May my Lord (our lord) endure for a thousand,
eight thousand, long generations-
may he live until pebbles grow into mossy boulders, more should
be mossy boulders.
...
Oh! from then on
may our lord on the ship coming this away
...
may seen to be a very long beach of Shika, long generations.-
look forword to Kashii coast line at Fukiage beach to Chiyo in
Yachiyo
a thousand, eight thousand
...
may come forward the ship this midnight, will be our lord on the
ship
Oh! from then on, Azumi Lord may be come by ship
...
These words was told for scene that Negi get working into the
form with oar like on board for Ritual. According to this Ritual,
it is difficult to explain to the first form of "Kimigayo
(rule on, my lord)". Because it was cited "wa ga kimi,
our lord" the next sentence. In addition as this festival,
our lord was coming this way from Chiyo. As "Kimi" can
mean "Lord". I suppose that this poem may make an offering
of Azumi Lord. A person that called on Azumi Lord for most of
the time, was the Great King of Kyushu Dynasty.
I suppose that this poem were replaced in first word from "wa
ga kimi wa" to "kimigayo" for the use of word for
sometime.
By concept I come to decision that it is the
first form of "wa ga Kimi wa, our lord", and composed
in Kyushu Dynasty with what comes before Yamato Dynasty. This
poem was singing that we make a request our lord to go on living
for a long time to a Higher Power. And this poem itself was the
important looking way from place of Cyiyo to be Goddess Koke-musu-Hime.
As it goes back in through to "wa ga kimi wa" poem,
it is a first form of this poem for Jyomon period. Because this
poem consists of non-artificial matters at all, stone, pebbles,
boulders, and rocks except "wa ga kimi, our lord." As
this poem is scene that it grows into mossy boulders from pebbles.
Specifically a Higher Power that our lord may pray are Stone Goddess.
This idea accords quite well with the available evidence.
The character in this poem changed over the
years, but the point was always same.
(Translated Yukio Yokota)
------------------------------------
Helen Craig McCullough "Kokin Wakasyu" Book Seven Felicitations P83
BOOK SEVEN
FELICITATIONS
343. Anonymous Topic unknown
wa ga kimi wa
chiyo ni yachiyo ni
sazareishi no
iwao to narite
koke no musu made
May our lord endure
for a thousand, eight thousand
long generations-
may he live until pebbles
grow into mossy boulders.
344. [Anonymous Topic unknown]
watatsuumino
hana no masago no
kazoetsutsu
kimi ga chitose no
arikazu ni semu
By counting the grains
of fair sand on the seashore,
I will find the sum
of the great number of years
you are destined to enjoy.
345. [Anonymous Topic unknown]
shio no yama
sashide no iso ni
sumu chidori
kimi ga miyo o ba
yachiyo to zo naku
The plovers dwelling
at Sashide-no-iso
by Shio no yama
cry yachiyo,wishing our lord
a reign of eight thousand years.
*345 The usual plover's cry ,chiyo,homophonous with chiyo("a thousand years"),is changed by the poet to yachiyo("eight thousand years"; by extension, an idefinitely long time)
346. [Anonymous Topic unknown]
wa ga yowai
kimi ga yachiyo ni
torisoete
todome okiteba
omoiide ni se yo
We will add my years
to your span of eight thousand
and set them aside.
Let them remind you of me
when the time comes to use them.
347. A poem composed by the Ninna Emperor [KoKo] for His Majesty's celebration in honor of Archbishop Henjo's seventieth year
kaku shitsutsu
to ni mo kaku ni mo
nagaraete
kimi ga yachiyo ni
au yoshi mo ga na
If only I might
manage somehow to survive,
savoring pleasures
such as these, to witness your
eight thousand generations!
We want several opinions for it, please send E-mail to Yukio
Yokota.
E-mail sinkodai@furutasigaku.jp
Created & Maintaince by" Yukio Yokota"