Be Fated Nakamaro

KKS406 amanohara
       This is a well-known poem of Hyakunin Issyu Hyakunin Issyucollected popular poems in Japan. It is a poem in Kokin Wakasyu Kokin Wakasyu that KI Tsurayuki KI Tsurayuki was made a book for Imperial anthologies of Japanese poetry in the early 10th century. The author of this poem is ABE nakamaro ABE nakamaro who was sent to study in China in the early 8th century.
ama no hara
furisake mireba
kasuga naru
mikasa no yama ni
ideshi tsuki kamo

When I gaze far out
across the plain of heaven,
I see the same moon
that came up over the hill
of Mikasa at Kasuga.
(Translated by Helen Craig McCullough)


    On the other hand, Tosa Nikki (Tosa Diary, Tosa Journal), a book created with idea of how Tsurayuki traveled from Tosa to Kyo, made a change in first word in Japanese. ( Similarly, it is a change of second verse in English.)

aounahara
furisake mireba
kasuga naru
mikasa no yama ni
ideshi tsuki kamo

When I gaze far out
across the blue-green sea plain,
I see the same moon
that came up over the hill
of Mikasa at Kasuga.
(Translated by Helen Craig McCullough)

      This poem is said to have been composed, when Nakamaro noticed that the moon had risen at Mingzhou in China. The subject of the poem is said to put in mind of his native-place for Nara.
      But there are several doubts to interpretation that Nakamaro composed this poem at Mingzhou to put in mind of his native-place.


fig.2. Nara (north Yamato Plasin
       First in general, it is impossible to interpret that he had always seen to rise the moon from the hill of Mikasa in Nara (North Yamato Plain). Because the moon does not rise from the hill of Mikasa at the view with Ruins of Heijo Palace, evidently it rise from a range of Kasuga mountains or Mt.Takamado. It is not make a observation to rise the moon from the hill of Mikasa a wide range in Nara.
       At all strangely, there are two hills called on Mikasa. One is Mikasa-yama revered at the hill of Higher Power as home of spirits, another is Mikasa-yama (present name of Wakakusa-yama) in the form of three pyramids.
      In addition, what is the hill of Mikasa at Kasuga? The word of "Kasuga" has in a suggestion of "the sky is always clouding over as in the spring season". But two hills is too low and their top seldom covered with clouds. Thus it is no reason that the word of "Kasuga" is addition to this poem. (It is Mikasa-yama which is 293 meters high, Wakakusa-yama which is 342 meters high, and Ruins of Heijo Palace which is 65 meters high above sea level.)

      Third,It changed the prepositon word "Wo(from)" to "Ni(to)" from two most oldest hand written coppies to many popular books. None of moon rise from the hill of Mikasa with "Wo(from)" in Nara. Because of it,it changed the word "Ni(to)." Its fact showed two old hand written copies.
Two old hand written copies  

      Neither Mikasa-yama nor Wakakusa-yama proves to be of Mikasa in Nara. There is no record that Nakamaro lived in Yamato.
Fig.3. View Point A
Ruins of Heijo Palace
View Point A Ruins of Heijo Palace
Fig.4. View Point B
Nara Park Tobihino
View Point B<BR>Nara Park Tobihino

     Second, KI Tsurayuki made a change in first word from "ama no hara (the plain of heaven) " to "aounahara (the blue-green sea plain)" for Tosa Nikki. But a change of first word is falsified. The interpretation of poem, its problem remains unsolved.

    Tsurayuki give in Tosa Nikki, " with no mountain rim from which to emerge, it seemed to rise out of the sea. Just such a sight must have greeted the eyes of Abe no Nakamaro when he prepared to return home from China long ago."
    He has change at the poem back from Yamato to seaward. It is show that the change of first word is not agreement to idea, which Nakamaro noticed that the moon had risen out of sea at Mingzhou in China.

I come to decision that ABE Nakamaro is none composed this poem in China.

Fukuoka Provience,Tikushi     Where was he made in this poem ? I make a suggestion that he made up poem a verse in Kyushu where Nakamaro had got away from Wa. As there are two mountains of Mikasa at Tikushi in Kyushu, one is Mt.Mikasa of Shika island, another is Mt.Houman-zan which used to be called Mt.Mikasa. Accordingly this Mt.Mikasa(Houman-zan), which is 829.6 meters high near the seaside, is always clouding over. Moreover, it is a place name that used to be called Mikasa river, old village of Mikasa, and old village of Kasuga. It is possible to interpretation that he had always seen to rise the moon from the mountain of Mikasa around Dazaifu. I think that this poem made up poem a verse on board out of Amanohara of Iki island. There is no alternative it.

Photograph1 View of Mt. Mikasa(Mt.Houman-zan) from Shitennou-zan Photograph2 View of Hakata Bay from Mt.Mikasa Photograph3 View of Mt. Mikasa(Mt.Houman-zan) from Aoyama of Dazaifu City


giving a look back for
on board out of Amanohara
I see
the moon appear;
didn't it shine
on Mikasa Mountain in
my old village of Kasuga.

or:

When I were giving a look back for
on board out of Amanohara,
I see the same moon
that came up over the mountain
of Mikasa at Kasuga.

     It is agreement to interpretation of Chinese poem this idea. This will be explained in detail in next paper. (Now construction.)
    The resultant interpretation showed better performance than expected, has revealed the following information.
 1.   A interpretation of poem is made at poem itself, because the poem itself has the first form of a writing.
 2.  "Tyusyaku, 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".
    I come to decision understanding it.

(Translated by Yukio Yokota)


References

1. HYAKUNIN ISSHU JAPAN'S BEST LOVED POETRY CLASSIC
   Translated and Described by Howard S.Levy,   January 1, 1984
2. Helen Craig McCullough "Kokin Wakasyu"
3. Brocade by Night "Kokin Wakasyu"

Back to Home Page



Helen Craig McCullough "Kokin Wakasyu" Book Nine Travel p97

406. Abe no Nakamaro.

ama no hara
furisakemireba
kasuganaru
mikasa no yama ni
ideshi tsuki ka mo

When I gaze far out
across the plain of heaven,
I see the same moon
that came up over the hill
of Mikasa at Kasuga.

Long ago, Nakamaro was send to study in China. After he had to stay for many years, there was an opportunity for him to take passage home with a returning Japanese embassy. He set out, and a group of Chinese held a farewell party for him on the beach at a place called Mingzhou. This poem is said to have been composed after nightfall, when Nakamaro noticed that an extraordinarily beautiful moon had risen.



Helen Craig McCullough "Kokin Wakasyu"
"Tosa Nikki" P276-277

Tosa Nikki
A Tosa Journal

[i] TWENTIETH DAY

    Same as the preceding day; the boat did not leave. Everyone was worried and gloomy. The passengers' nervousness and depression made them count the days until their fingers almost cramped. "How many has it been today?" "Twenty...." "Thirty...." They were too miserable to sleep at night.

    The Twentieth-night moon appeared. With no mountain rim from which to emerge, it seemed to rise out of the sea. Just such a sight must have greeted the eyes of Abe no Nakamaro when he prepared to return home from China long ago. At the place where he was to board ship, the Chinese gave him a farewell party, lamenting the separation and composition poems in their language. As they lingered there, seemingly reluctant to let him go, the Twentieth-night moon rose from the sea. Nakamaro recited a composition in Japanese, remarking, "Such poems have been composed by the gods in our country ever since the divine age. Nowadays people of all classes compose them when they regret the necessity of parting, as we are doing, or when they feel joy or sorrow":

aounahara
furisakemireba
kasuganaru
mikasa no yama ni
ideshi tsuki kamo

When I gaze far out
across the blue-green sea plain,
I see the same moon
that came up over the hill
of Mikasa at Kasuga.

    Although Nakamaro had feared that the poem would be unintelligible to the Chinese, he wrote down the gist in characters and explained it to someone who understood our language, and then it received unexpectedly warm praise. They have been able to appreciate his emotion, after all. Although China and this country use different languages, moonlight must look the same in both places, evoking the same human feelings.
...


Brocade by Night "Kokin Wakasyu" as Literary Entity P451-452

    Nostalgia for home, the preeminent courtly travel sentiment, constitutes the theme of the first Travel waka, KKS 406, the author of which, Abe no Nakamaro(698-770), is the earliest known Kokinsyu poet and the only one to write from a foreign land. Typical in one sense and unique in another, the poem was a suitable choice to lead off the minuscule Book Nine, which contains only sixteen poems. With it the compilers paired a similar expression of homesickness by the Period One poet Ono no Takamura, who must have seemed to them almost equally remote in time and space. Nakamaro wrote at the beginning of a long sea voyage home, Takamura at the beginning of a long sea voyage into exile.

KKS406 Abe no Nakamaro. Composed on seeing the moon in China


ama no hara
furisakemireba
kasuganaru
mikasa no yama ni
ideshi tsuki kamo

When I gaze far out
across the plain of heaven,
I see the same moon
that came up over the hill
of Mikasa at Kasuga.
....

please send E-mail to Yukio Yokota.
E-mail sinkodai@furutasigaku.jp

AN ODE TO STUDENTS OF HISTORY

Back to Home Page



Created & Maintains by " Yukio Yokota"