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Kimi ga Yo (君が代) (often translated as "Imperial Reign") is Japan's National Anthem, and is also one of the world's shortest national anthems in current use. The lyrics are based on a Waka poem written in the Heian Period, sung to a melody written in the later Meiji Era.

Although Kimi ga Yo has long been Japan's de facto national anthem, it was only legally recognized as such in 1999 with the passing of the Law Concerning the National Flag and Anthem.

Lyrics

The term kimi is an ancient one roughly meaning "our lord," and referring to the Emperor of Japan. The idea that pebbles can grow into boulders was popular in Heian Japan. But during the Heian Period when this poem was written, kimi meant "My sweetheart" or simply "You".

Origin

The lyrics first appeared in a poem anthology, Kokin-wakashu, as an anonymous poem. While anonymous poems were not uncommon at that time, and the author can be actually at that time unknown, the anonymity might be because the author belonged to one of the lower classes. The poem was also included in a lot of anthologies, and in a later period used as a celebration song by people of all walks of life.

In 1869, John William Fenton, a visiting Irish military band leader, realized that there was no national anthem in Japan, and recommended Iwao Oyama, an officer of the Satsuma Clan, to make the national anthem of Japan. Iwao agreed and selected the lyrics. The lyrics are said to have been chosen for their similarity to the British national anthem, which is understandable since at the time Japan's modernization was heavily influenced by European powers. Iwao then asked Fenton to make the melody for it. This was the first version of Kimi ga Yo, which was discarded in 1876 because of its poor popularity.

In 1880, the Imperial Household Agency adopted a new melody composed by Yoshiisa Oku and Akimori Hayashi. The composer is often listed as Hiromori Hayashi, who was their supervisor and Akimori's father. A German musician Franz von Eckert applied the melody with western style harmony. This is the second and current version of Kimi ga Yo.

Controversy

Since the end of World War II, there has been criticism of the anthem for its association with militarism and the virtual worship of the emperor as a deity, which some see as incompatible with a democratic society. Similar objections have been raised to Japan's current national flag, and demonstrations are sometimes held against both.

In 1999, the Japanese government passed the Law Concerning the National Flag and Anthem, which designated Kimi ga Yo as the official anthem and the Hinomaru as the national flag.

Schools have seen conflict over both the anthem and the flag, as the Ministry of Education requires the anthem to be sung and the flag to be flown at events at Japanese public schools, and school teachers to respect both (by, for example, standing for the singing of the anthem) or risk losing their jobs. Some have protested that such rules violate the Japanese constitution, while the Ministry, for its part, has argued that since schools are government agencies, their employees have an obligation to teach their students how to be good Japanese citizens.

Opponents respond that as Japan is a democratic country, a national anthem praising a monarch is not appropriate and that forced participation in a ceremony involving the singing of an anthem is against the free thought clause in the Japanese Constitution. Supporters of the anthem argue that Kimi ga Yo has been the de-facto national anthem of Japan since the Meiji Era and is an important way to foster patriotism and loyalty to the emperor, which is an important national characteristic of Japan. They also suggest that Kimi ga Yo is comparable to the anthems of other democratic countries, for example the United Kingdom's (another democracy) God Save The Queen. A counter-argument to this would compare it not to God Save the Queen, but to I Vow to Thee, My Country, which some people do indeed see as unconstitutional in the UK.

In 2006 Katsuhisa Fujita, a retired teacher in Tokyo, was threatened with imprisonment, and fined 200,000 yen (about 2,000 dollars), after he was accused of disturbing a graduation ceremony at Itabashi High School by urging the attendees to remain seated during the playing of the anthem.

Since 2003, 340 teachers have been punished for refusing to take part in anthem related events, though Fujita is the only man to have been convicted in relation to it. His case provoked criticism from the Japanese press and teachers.

Various English-language parody versions have principally spread in teachers who are compeled to sing the song across Japan and the internet, as a response to the punishment of those opposed to singing the original. The parodies take the Japanese syllables and replace them with English phonetic equivalents (for example, in one of the more popular versions, 'Kimi ga yo wa' becomes 'Kiss me girl, your old one'), allowing those who sing the new version to remain undetected in a crowd. Japanese conservatives deride what they describe as 'sabotage'. There is also a political significance to some of the alternative English lyrics as they can allude to comfort women

See also

• Japan
• Flag of Japan

References

1. See A touchy subject , The Guardian, June 5, 2006. Accessed July 29, 2006.
2. See Tokyo: Students must sing 'Kimigayo', Asahi Shimbun, March 15, 2006. Accessed July 29, 2006.
3. See FEATURE: Upcoming verdict on retired teacher draws attention, Kyodo News, May 24, 2006. Accessed July 29, 2006.
4. See Japan's rebels sing out with English parody of anthem, The Guardian, May 30, 2006. Accessed July 29, 2006.
5. See Satirized Anthem Spreads in Japan, The Korea Times, May 30, 2006. Accessed July 29, 2006.
6. Parody of Japan anthem spreading as protest, Independent Online, May 29, 2006. Accessed July 29, 2006.
7. Nipponese National Nthem Nobbled!, The Chefelf Night Life Times, May 29, 2006. Accessed July 29, 2006.
8. The original article of the content, Sankei Shinbun (in Japnese).

External links

• Listen to Kimi ga yo (.ra format)
• web-japan.org
• Easybyte - free easy piano arrangement of Kimi ga Yo

• Asian anthems
• National emblems of Japan
• Japanese poetry
• Japanese songs
• National anthems