Hello, Everyone!
Here’s Sachi!
National Anthem of Japan
I’d like the lyrics’ special meaning to be more known to people who come from all over the world.
When I was young, I didn’t realize how lucky I was about being Japanese because I was childish and ignorant. I didn’t have patriotism and I had thought our national anthem is corny.
We sing the anthem song since elementary school but we didn’t understand what the lyrics meant.
In my mid-twenties, I started learning English and other languages such as Spanish, French, and Thai too, and then I began to realize how amazing Japan is to me. Its culture, Japanese, manner, spirit, scenery, I should really be proud of them.
I got goosebumps and was astonished the first time I came to know the lyrics’ meaning of the national anthem; what an amazing song!
I really love the song “君が代” which I would never have liked when I was younger.
The more I understood the lyrics the more I couldn’t help falling in love with the song. The song has a low and heavy sound that is right for Japan and is serious.
How cool is that?
I’d like the lyrics’ special meaning to be more known to people who come from all over the world.
I know it will be hard to explain the meaning because my English skill is not high enough, but I believe you will feel the meaning behind the national anthem “君が代” Kimigayo.
『君が代は千代に八千代に さざれ石の 巌となりて 苔のむすまで』
『(Kimi ga yo ha chiyo ni yachiyo ni sazareishi no iwao to narite koke no musu made)』
It means
『I hope your soul lasts for thousands of years as vast tons of pebbles are growing to make a huge rock that will eventually be covered with moss.』
代 (yo) means the times, 千代 (chiyo) means a thousand years, 八千代 (yachiyo) means eight thousand years. 巌 (iwao) is a big rugged rock, むす (musu) means moss growing up on the rock.
It believes that the lyrics have one more meaning, it is a love song for forever love.
Ki of『君 (kimi)』means a man and Mi of 『君 (kimi)』means a woman, in the ancient Japanese.
『君 (kimi)』A man and A woman
『代 (yo)』through the time
『千代に八千代に (chiyo ni yachiyo ni)』a thousand years, or eight thousand years, and in their next life too
『さざれ石の巌となりて (sazareishi no iwao to narite)』unite and cooperate
『苔のむすまで (koke no musu made)』 with a strong heart and trust
さざれ石 (Sazare Ishi) means pebbles. Calcium carbonate and iron hydroxide between the pebbles cause a big rock to form over the years, it is limestone breccia. It is expressed as 『さざれ石の巌となりて (sazareishi no iwao to narite)』in Lyrics. It takes a long long time for the pebbles to become a big rock and then the moss growing up on the rock takes more time to cover it.
■ Location
Kawai, Kasuga, Ibigawa-chou, Ibi-gun, Gifu 503-2503
■ There are a lot of limestone breccias in Japan but it is thought that the Sazare Ishi in Kimigayo was modeled on the rock of my hometown.
In short, it is a metaphorical expression of the forever of love and soul.
Japanese has the word “愛してる (I love you)” but we don’t usually say aloud the word.
As you can see from the lyrics, our ancestors expressed their affection with a metaphorical expression, seasons and nature, or feature words.
The Japanese have expressed our emotions regarding love with reserved speech and body language nowadays too and I think it originated from our ancestors.
Since a thousand years ago, the song has been sung and the song carries the Japanese soul with it for a long time through its lyrics.
I want everyone in the whole world, to know this song and I hope people from all over the world hope for their lover’s everlasting life.
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