This is a well-known poem of Hyakunin Issyu collected popular poems in Japan. It is a poem
in Kokin Wakasyu that
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 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.
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 |
|
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Fig.4. View Point B Nara Park Tobihino |
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 |
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1. | A interpretation of poem is made at poem itself, because the poem itself has the first form of a writing. |
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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". |
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