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Revision as of 04:42, 3 May 2003 by Thegline (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)"Kimi Ga Yo" (May 1,000 Years of Happy Reign Be Yours) (君が代は) 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, |
May my Lord's reign, |
君が代は |
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.