This poem is the second poem in Man'yoshu 万葉集. It is said to be composed by Great King Jomei 大王舒明 in Yamato 大和. But it does not necessarily mean to the only interpretation.
高市岡本宮御宇天皇代 [息長足日廣額天皇]
天皇登香具山望國之時御製歌
山常庭 村山有等 取與呂布 天乃香具山 騰立 國見乎為者
國原波 煙立龍 海原波 加萬目立多都 怜Ａ國曽 蜻嶋 八間跡能國者
大和には 群山あれど とりよろふ 天の香具山 登り立ち 国見をすれば
国原は 煙立ち立つ 海原は 鴎立ち立つ うまし国ぞ 蜻蛉島 大和の国は
外字 Ａ 扁左[忙]旁[可]
MYS2. Emperor Jomei. Composed when be climbed Mount Kagu and viewed the land
yamato ni wa
murayama aredo
toriyorou
ama no kaguyama
noboritachi
kunimi o sureba
kunihara wa
keburi tachitatsu
unahara wa
kamame tachitatsu
umashi kuni so
akizushima
yamato no kuni wa
Many are the Hills,
the mountains of Yamato,
yet when I ascend
heavenly Kaguyama,
the peerless mountain,
when I look down on the land:
where the land stretches,
hearth smoke rises everywhere;
where the water stretches,
water bards fly everywhere.
Ah, a splendid country,
this land Yamato
of bounteous harvests!
(Translated by Helen Craig McCullough)
1) There are no scenery in Yamato at Asuka in general.
First, the word of "toriyorou, とりよろふ" is meant by peerless
which is standing out from the other mountains in Japanese. But
little attention will be given to Kaguyama hill. It appears less
than the other in the Three Hills of Asuka(Yamato) 飛鳥三山(大和三山).
Evidently it is the lower hill that we have no view on the top
of it.
Therefore, in no case should the sea watch from Kaguyama hill
in Yamato at Asuka. Similarly, seldom should gulls do seen at
Asuka. Specifically, none of the smoke does mean.
( It is Kaguyama-hill which is 152 meters high, and Ruins of Fujiwara
Palace which is 75 meters high ,and Mt.Nizyou which is 517 meters
high above sea level.)
Thus, the interpretation of this poem mistakes a fact.
Second, there are difficult, if not impossible, to read for
both "Yamato, 大和" with Man'yo-Kana 万葉かな.
First Yamato is writing in "山常" with it. But this "Yamato,
大和, 山常" is unprecedented. Normally "常, toko" is
no read with "常, to" with using method of Man'yo-Kana.
Commonly, it takes of last reading with "常, ko" by it.
But "yamako, 山常" has no mean. Another reading is "常,
tune" with it. If it would take of last reading of "常,
ne" by using the method of Man'yo-kana, this reading would
be "yamame 山常, 山根, 山嶺." It is suitable for natural,
for example, first name yamane 山根, and Shimame Province 島根県. If
it can be reading so, this interpretation is to standing out from
other mountains.
Second Yamato is writing in "八間跡" by it. But in no
case should "Yamato, 大和, 八間跡" have precedent with it.
Such condition will rarely arise. Another reading is "ha,
八." by using the method of Man'yo-kana. This reading is suitable
for "hamato, 八間跡, 浜跡" meaning of seaside.
As a result, neither of Yamato well be reading so. there is no
reason to suppose that this poem was composed in Yamato at Asuka
by Great King Jomei 大王舒明.
2) It is necessary for us to put new point of view provided that this poem was not composed in Yamato. This section seeks to address this problem.
First, it is the focus for "Akitsu-shima, 蜻島, 秋津島"
instead of Yamato. It is present with a record of "Oho-yamato
Toyo Aki-dzu(tsu)-shima, 大倭豊秋津島" in Kojiki (Records of Ancient
Matters, 古事記).
"Oho-yamato Toyo, 大倭 豊" is partly in the Oita Prefecture
大分県 of Kyushu 九州 at ancient. As "aki-tsu, 秋津" means
by a president name for Beppu Bay 別府湾. One of this sign is existence
of Aki-machi 安岐町 an inlet of Beppu Bay 別府湾. "Akitsu-shima,
秋津島" mean by "Kyushu, 九州" island to be seen from
sea.
Therefore, it is possible to think that this poem was composed
in Beppu 別府.
Second, it is the next focus for "Ama no Kaguyama, 天香具山."
Beppu Bay 別府湾 has been known a name place of "Ama 天, 安万,
海部" since ancient times, for example, of Wamyousho 和名抄(A.D.617).
One of this sign is existence of a place name for North or South
Ama-be Gun 北あるいは南海部郡.
The aim of the next investigation is intended to be subjected
"Kaguyama" which Mt.Tsurumi is standing out from the
other mountains in Beppu 別府. One sign is the Sacred God for Ho
no Kagu Tsuchi (Fire God, 火軻具土, 火香具津神) in Honowo-honome Shrines
火男火売神社 with being for the root, and for the plane. The other sign
is Lake Kagu-ra-me 神楽女湖. The main body of both words is "Kamu
香具" which means by Fire God with volcano. Therefore, it is
possible to think that Tsuchi-gumo people refer to Mt.Tsurumi
as "Kagu-yama" before controlled Ama people. It is a
sacred mountain as volcano for Tsuchigumo people 土蜘蛛人 of Jomon
period 縄文時代.
In fact, it is a historical eruption of A.D.867 for Mt.Tsurumi
with a record of Sandai-zituroku 三代実録. The violent eruption had
peak cut off Mt.Tsurumi near the 2000 meter high and it's pyroclastic
flow into the river killed fishes. It is said to high Mt.Tsurumi
rather than Mt.Yufu by the record of Honowo-honome Shrine. In
addition, this mountain is famous volcano that have had numerous
violent eruption for a record of Iyo-Fudoki 伊予風土記逸文.
(It is the Mt. Tsurumi which is 1375 meters high, Lake Kagurame
which is 600 meters high, Mt.Yufu which is 1583 meters high above
sea level.)
By contrast, Yamato's Kaguyama hill is called to "Ane no
Kaguyama, 雨の香具山" which revered at the hill of Higher Power
as get rained on for forming. It is no existence of a name place
of "Ama 天, 安万, 海部" in Yamato. Indeed there is no volcano
at Aska.
Such a comparison made it clear that this poem is difference to
two interpretation. Furthermore, it become clear that we can refer
to Mt.Tsurumi as "Ama no Kaguyama, 天香具山."
3) Compared to conventional interpritation, the new interpretation is claimed to be more efficient. All scenery is suitabl provided that this poem was composed in Beppu.
First, Mt.Tsurumi is surround by other mountains. By the time
violent eruption began, it must be more the peerless mountain.
Second, in Beppu, steam smoke of Hot Spring always rises stretch,
which is seems to see it well in winter. Beppu Hot Spring in Oita
Prefecture is reputedly. In addition, we can watch to gulls as
near the sea always in winter.
Third, with every step, the interpretation of this poem is involved
old place name in Beppu with Ama 天, Noboritate 登り立, Hara 原 and
Akitsu 秋津. I decide that this poem is, in this case, not composed
in Yamato, but composed in Beppu, for the present of the old place
name expecially "Noboritate, 登り立." In addition, the
common place name, or first name, or both in this poem include
Yamane 山嶺, Murayama 村山, Kunimi 国見, Kunihara 国原, Unabara 海原, and
Hamato 浜戸.
Finally, for these reasons, the authour of this poem come from
the sea to Beppu, if he would be stayed in hot spring, in turn,
and went out for land-view to the highest point.
山常庭 村山有等 取與呂布 天乃香具山 騰立 國見乎為者
國原波 煙立龍 海原波 加萬目立龍 怜Ａ國曽 蜻嶋 八間跡能國者
山嶺には 群山あれど とりよろふ 天の香具山 登り立ち 国見をすれば
国原は 煙立ち立つ 海原は 鴎立ち立つ うまし国ぞ 蜻蛉島 浜跡の国は
外字 Ａ 扁左[忙]旁[可]
yamane ni wa
murayama aredo
toriyorou
Ama no Kaguyama
Noboritachi
kunimi o sureba
kunihara wa
keburi tachitatsu
unahara wa
kamame tachitatsu
umashi kuni so
Akizushima
Hamato no kuni wa
The peerless mountain,
in many ridge of mountains,
Volcano of Ama no Kaguyama.
yet I ascend to Noboritate,
Look down on the land:
where the land stretches,
smoke rise everywhere;
where the marine stretches,
gulls fly everywhere.
Ah, a splendid country,
Akitsu-Shima
this land Hamato
The place to called "Noboritate 登り立" is one sample of many old place name which we have a fine view by the side of criff.
4) Similarly as other poems, the interpretation of this poem allows us to make clear as follows.
1 The interpretation of a poem is made at poem itself, because
the poem itself has the first form of a writing.
2. "Tyusyaku, 注釈, notes of the poem" is not the first
form of a writing, has in a suggestion of "interpretation
of when make up a book by the author."
We recommend that this poem was composed for period of Great
King Jomei 大王舒明(A.D 593-641). If this poem are thought to land-view
songs ("Kunimi uta, 国見歌"), it was composed by Ama tarishihoko,
阿毎 多利思北孤 in Sui shu 隋書.
Such a interpretation give us this poem much larger recognize.
(Translated Yukio Yokota)
Works Cited
Brocade by Night
"Kokin Wakasyu" and the Court Style in
Japanese Classical Poetry
Helen Craig McCullough
Stanford University Press
Stanford,California
1985
TWO
Pre-Heian Song and Poetry
EARLY SONG
P76-77
Man'yoshu
Ian Hideo Levy,
A Translation of Japan's Premier Anthology of Classical Poetry
Volume one
University of Tokyo Press
Princeton University Press
Vol.1,Book1,pp.38