Kimigayo
"Kimigayo" is the national anthem of Japan. The lyrics are from a poem written by an unnamed author in the Heian period, making the lyrics of "Kimigayo" the oldest lyrics out of any national anthem, and the current melody was chosen in 1880, replacing an unpopular melody composed by John William Fenton in 1869. While the title "Kimigayo" is usually translated as "His Majesty's Reign", no official translation of the title or lyrics have been established in law.
From 1888 to 1945, "Kimigayo" served as the national anthem of the Empire of Japan. When the Empire accepted the Potsdam Declaration and came under Allied occupation, Emperor Shōwa retained the throne, and "Kimigayo" remained the de facto national anthem to preserve the Japanese monarchy. The passage of the Act on National Flag and Anthem in 1999 officially recognized it as both the national and imperial anthem.
Etymology
'Kimi' has been used to indicate the Emperor of Japan or one's lord since at least the Heian period. For example, the protagonist Hikaru Genji of the Tale of Genji is also called 'Hikaru no Kimi' or 'Hikaru-gimi'. Before the Nara period, the emperor was often called 'ohkimi' ; so it is controversial whether or not the word 'kimi' in 'kimigayo' had meant 'emperor' originally. 'Kimi' also means 'my dear' as female emperor Genmei wrote about her lover in a poem in Man'yōshū.In the Kamakura period, "Kimigayo" was used as a festive song among samurai, and then became popular among the people in the Edo period. In the later part of the Edo period, "Kimigayo" was used in the Ōoku and Satsuma-han as a common festive new year song. In those contexts, 'kimi' never meant the emperor, but only the Tokugawa shōgun, the Shimazu clan as rulers of the Satsuma-han, guests of honour, or all members of a festive drinking party. After the Meiji Restoration, samurai from Satsuma-han controlled the Imperial Japanese government, and they adopted "Kimigayo" as the national anthem of Japan. From this time until the Japanese defeat at the end of World War II, "Kimigayo" was understood to mean the long reign of the Emperor. With the adoption of the Constitution of Japan in 1947, the Emperor became no longer a sovereign who ruled by divine right, but a human who is a symbol of the state and of the unity of the people as a constitutional monarch. The Ministry of Education did not give any new meanings for "Kimigayo" after the war; this allowed the song to mean the Japanese people. The Ministry also did not formally renounce the pre-war meaning of "Kimigayo".
In 1999, during the deliberations of the Act on National Flag and Anthem, the official definition of 'Kimi' or 'Kimi-ga-yo' was questioned repeatedly. The first suggestion, which was given by Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiromu Nonaka, stated that 'kimi' meant the "Emperor as the symbol of Japan", and that the entire lyrics wish for the peace and prosperity of Japan. He referred to the new status of emperor as established in article 1 of the constitution of Japan as the main reason for these suggestions. During the same session, Prime Minister Keizō Obuchi confirmed this meaning with a statement on 29 June 1999:
'Kimi' indicates the Emperor, who is the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people, and whose position is derived from the consensus-based will of Japanese citizens, with whom sovereign power resides. And, the phrase 'Kimigayo' indicates our State, Japan, which has the Emperor enthroned as the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people by the consensus-based will of Japanese citizens. And it is reasonable to take the lyric of "Kimigayo" to mean the wish for the lasting prosperity and peace of such country of ours.
Parties opposed to the Liberal Democratic Party, which was in control of the government during Obuchi administration, strongly objected to the government's meaning of 'kimi' and 'kimigayo'. Lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Japan objected on the grounds that there was a lack of any historical ties to the meaning. The strongest critic was Kazuo Shii, the chairman of the Communist Party of Japan, who strongly claimed that "Japan" could not be derived from "Kimigayo", because the lyrics only mention wishing for the emperor to have a long reign. Shii also objected to the use of the song as the national anthem, saying that for a democratic nation, an anthem about the emperor was not appropriate.
History
Empire of Japan (1868–1945)
The lyrics first appeared in the Kokin Wakashū, a poetry anthology published in ca.920, as an anonymous poem. The poem was included in many anthologies, and was used in a later period as a celebration song of a long life by people of all social statures. Unlike the form used for the current national anthem, the poem originally began with Waga Kimi wa instead of Kimiga yo wa. The first lyrics were changed during the Kamakura period, while the rest of the lyrics stayed the same. Because the lyrics were sung on informal occasions, such as birthdays, there was no sheet music for it until the 19th century.In 1869, John William Fenton, a visiting British military band leader, realized that there was no national anthem in Japan, and suggested to Iwao Ōyama, an officer of the Satsuma clan, that one be created. Ōyama agreed, and selected the lyrics. The lyrics may have been chosen for their similarity to the British national anthem, due to Fenton's influence. After selecting the anthem's lyrics, Ōyama then asked Fenton to create the melody. After being given just two to three weeks to compose the melody, and only a few days to rehearse, Fenton debuted the anthem before the Japanese Emperor in 1870. This was the first version of "Kimigayo". This was discarded because the melody "lacked solemnity", according to the Japanese government, although others believe it is because the melody was actually "unsingable" for the Japanese. However, this version is still performed annually at the Myōkōji temple in Yokohama, where Fenton served as a military band leader. Myōkōji serves as a memorial to him.
File:Curt-Netto-Japanese-National-Hymn-Coverdesign-1880.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Franz Eckert's notes, presented to the Emperor Meiji in 1880
In 1880, the Ministry of the Imperial Household 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. Akimori was also one of Fenton's pupils. Although the melody is based on a traditional mode of Japanese court music, it is composed in a mixed style influenced by Western hymns, and uses some elements of the Fenton arrangement. The German musician Franz Eckert applied the melody with Western style harmony, creating the second and current version of "Kimigayo". The government formally adopted "Kimigayo" as the national anthem in 1888 and had copies of the music and lyrics sent overseas for diplomatic ceremonies. By 1893, "Kimigayo" was included in public school ceremonies due to the efforts of the then Ministry of Education.
composed the based on the anthem and another composition called "Defense of the Japanese Empire" by Isawa Shūji. The march is still performed by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force band.
At the turn of the 20th century, "Kimigayo" was beginning to be closely associated with the idea of honouring the Emperor. It was also associated as a part of Japanese education. However, opinions expressed in an Osaka paper in 1904 calls "Kimigayo" a song for the imperial family and not the state as a whole. Uchimura Kanzō, a Christian leader in Japan, stated at the turn of the 20th century that "Kimigayo" is not the anthem of Japan by saying the song's purpose is to praise the emperor. According to Kanzo, a national anthem should express the feelings of the people, and not of the divine emperor. The Japanese were not familiar with "Kimigayo" as the anthem until there was a surge of celebrations after victories in the First Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars. Previously, papers were critical of fellow Japanese who could not sing "Kimigayo" properly at ceremonies overseas.
During World War II, the Japanese Empire ordered that schoolchildren, both from its homeland and its colonies, were to sing the "Kimigayo" anthem and salute Emperor Hirohito every morning.
Postwar Japan (1945–present)
1945 to 1999
During the Allied occupation of Japan, there were no directives by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers to restrict the use of "Kimigayo" by the Japanese government. This was different from the regulations issued that restricted the use of the Hinomaru flag. Along with the encouragement to use "Kimigayo" in the schools to promote defence education and patriotism, the national broadcaster NHK began to use the song to announce the start and ending of its programming.Since 1999
The "Act on National Flag and Anthem" was passed on 13 August 1999, choosing both the Hinomaru and "Kimigayo" as Japan's national symbols. The passage of the law stemmed from a suicide of a school principal in Hiroshima who could not resolve a dispute between his school board and his teachers over the use of the Hinomaru and "Kimigayo".Prime Minister Keizō Obuchi, President of the Liberal Democratic Party decided to draft legislation to make the Hinomaru and "Kimigayo" official symbols of Japan in 2000. His Chief Cabinet Secretary, Hiromu Nonaka, wanted the legislation to be completed by the 10th anniversary of the coronation of Akihito as Emperor. This is not the first time legislation was considered for establishing both symbols as official. In 1974, with the backdrop of the 1972 return of Okinawa Prefecture to Japan from the U.S. and the 1973 oil crisis, Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka hinted at a law being passed legalizing both symbols.
The main supporters of the bill were governing parties, the LDP and the Komeito, while the opposition included the Social Democratic Party and Communist Party, who cited the connotations both symbols had with the war era. The JCP was further opposed for not allowing the issue to be decided by the public. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Japan could not develop party consensus on it. President of the DPJ and future prime minister, Naoto Kan stated that the DPJ must support the bill because the party already recognized both symbols as the symbols of Japan. Deputy Secretary General and future prime minister Yukio Hatoyama thought that this bill would cause further divisions among society and the public schools.
Before the vote, there were calls for the bills to be separated at the National Diet. Waseda University professor Norihiro Kato stated that "Kimigayo" is a separate issue more complex than the Hinomaru flag. Attempts to designate only the Hinomaru as the national flag by the DPJ and other parties during the vote of the bill were rejected by the Diet. The House of Representatives passed the bill on 22 July 1999, by a 403 to 86 vote. The legislation was sent to the House of Councilors on 28 July and was passed on 9 August. It was enacted into law on 13 August.