Kimi Ga Yo

Kimi Ga Yo (Japanese君が代) is the national anthem of Japan.

Text

Genesis

The text goes back to a by an unknown author derived Tanka (Japanese short poems ), published in the year 905 anthology Kokin - Wakashū. This early form shows a slightly different beginning than that used today text that appeared in the print editions compiled by Fujiwara no Kinto collection of songs Wakan roei shū the first time during the Kamakura period. The verses first used at the turn of the court found since the Kamakura period gradually as a general greeting song use. At the same time they were printed in all sorts of variations in song collections. During the Edo period, they spread further, appear in stories, in ship and dance songs, ballads and puppetry librettos.

Use as a text of the national anthem goes back to the lyrically -studded Captain Ōyama Iwao (1842-1916, later Defence Minister and Field Marshal ), who took up a suggestion of the British military stationed in Yokohama musician John William Fenton. However, the proposed Fenton melody not spread. In 1876 made ​​naval musicians Suketsune Nakamura (中 村 佑 庸) a second proposal. In 1880, arranged Hiromori Hayashi (林 広 守) is one of the under his court musician Yoshiisa Oku (奥 好 义) designed getragenere melody for the end because in Japan Prussian military musician Franz Eckert developed a western instrumentation. This version was first performed on November 3, 1880 on the occasion of the birthday of the emperor. In 1914, the Japanese Navy this version on their Zeremonialbestimmungen. Since then, the lyrics and melody were regarded as de facto national anthem.

Since the Second World War, the people became the new sovereign of the country, it came to the use of the text to violent clashes. In 1950, the Standing Amano Teiyū spoke out in an informal message for the use of the Hinomaru flag and the Kimigayo in schools. In 1958 this position was in the curriculum guidelines ( Gakushu Shido yōryō ) was added. This was followed by fierce fighting especially with the Japanese Teachers Union (Nihon Kumiai Kyōshokuin ) to the Flaggenhissung and the singing of the Kimigayo at the beginning of school year and at graduation ceremonies. Since 1989 it is compulsory in schools, but only in 1999 the Kimigayo was declared together with the Japanese Hinomaru flag by law as a national symbol of Japan.