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Kimigayo

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"Kimi Ga Yo" is the official national anthem of Japan as was unofficial until (year). It is in the form of a Waka, an ancient Japanese style of poem, from the Heian period. The author is unknown.

Lyrics

Kimi ga yo wa

Chiyo ni,
Yachiyo ni
Sazare ishi no,
Iwao to narite,
Koke no musu made.

May my Lord's reign,
Continue for a thousand,
Eight thousand generations,
Until pebbles
Grow into boulders,

Covered in moss.

There is a theory that this lyric was once a love poem. An Englishman, J.W. Fenton, urged Japan to adopt it as a national anthem, and wrote music for it in 1869. This music was revised by Japanese composers into its present form.

See also: Japan, Hinomaru