When the New Year arrives, this song is widely used in various television programs and is cherished by the Japanese people. However, it seems that many relate more to the bright melody, projecting hope for the new year, rather than delving into the meaning of the lyrics.

The first verse conveys the joy of celebrating the New Year in households, while the second verse juxtaposes the grandeur of the Emperor with the first sunrise. It evokes a nuance reminiscent of Japan’s national anthem, “Kimigayo”. This connection is quite apparent as both this song and “Kimigayo” were established in August 1893, with this song being presented as a Ministry of Education’s school song and “Kimigayo” being designated as a ceremonial music, suggesting a sibling-like relationship between them.

The lyricist, SENGE_Takatomi, held positions from Izumo-no-kuni-no-miyatsuko (an official responsible for the religious rituals and governance of Izumo Grand Shrine) to becoming a member of the Upper House, a member of the House of Peers, and the Governor of Tokyo Prefecture. He engaged in politics while being rooted in Shintoist ideology. Considering this, the content of the lyrics aligns well with his background. However, due to its highly dignified classical language, it appears that younger generations might lean towards appreciating the melody rather than the meaning. Moreover, the rhythm, possibly influenced by the classical language, might also have an impact.

Flow in edgewise – 撮影, CC 表示 3.0, リンクによる

Incidentally, I myself thought it was “Ichigatsu tsuitachi,” but the official name of the song is “Ichigatsu ichijitsu.

March: Graduation Season in Japan

March, heralding the arrival of spring, marks the graduation season in Japan. First presented in the year 1884, as the 19th century drew to a close, the song went through a period of obscurity but later experienced a revival. It became an essential classic for graduation ceremonies during the Showa era.

Photo by Ishikawa Ken

Decline in Popularity

The use of the past tense to describe its significance is because it is no longer commonly sung in recent times. The reasons for this decline vary; some attribute it to the archaic language used in the lyrics, which is difficult for children to understand, while others suggest that the content praising teachers is no longer relevant to the times.

By Yousay07& – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Nevertheless, it is truly regrettable to see this beautiful melody fading into obscurity.

Origins and Creation

Originally created for the graduation ceremony of “Ongaku torishirabe kakari” (now part of the Tokyo University of the Arts Faculty of Music), an organization engaged in editing song textbooks and conducting music education research, the song’s lyrics underwent multiple revisions through a collaborative process involving scholars and poets before reaching completion. The composition process, however, remained shrouded in mystery for a long time. It was only in recent years that the original publication from 1871, finally discovered in the United States, bore the composer’s initials, H.N.D, as the sole identification.

By N509FZ – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Attempts at Modernization

In later years, there was a movement suggesting that if the lyrics were too difficult and the meaning didn’t come across, why not try modernizing them into contemporary language? However, when this idea was actually implemented and presented, voices emerged expressing sentiments like “It doesn’t bring tears if it’s not the original lyrics,” resulting in unfavorable feedback. Upon reflection, it seems that Japanese people, as a whole, may prioritize nuances and emotions over the precise meaning of words. Despite this, Japan actively embraces music from abroad, and many musicians have gained popularity in Japan even before their home countries. This adaptability could be a source of happiness.

Symbolic Meaning

Incidentally, the third verse, featuring “light of fireflies” and “snow that lingers,” draws inspiration from Chinese tales, symbolizing the pursuit of knowledge and success through studying under the illumination of firefly lights and lingering snow.

100 Best Japanese Songs

Hana: The Melody of Japanese Spring

Many people may remember this song when they think of spring scenery in Japan.

The melody, filled with the joy of the arrival of spring after winter, shines like the surface of the river in the sunlight, and the lyrics, which describe the unique beauty of the cherry blossom scenery, match perfectly, making this song the standard for spring in Japan.

The Historic Sumida River and Its Cherry Blossoms

The Sumida River flows through the east of Tokyo, passing the Tokyo Sky Tree and Asakusa before emptying into Tokyo Bay.
The cherry trees sung as flowers in this song are planted mainly along the riverbanks (botei) of the Sumida River from Azuma Bridge to Sakura Bridge, and are called “Senbonzakura (a thousand cherry trees) on the Sumida River.

sumidatei no hanami / KOBAYASHI,Kiyochika

From Edo-Period Flood Control to Modern Hanami Celebrations

It is said that the cherry trees were originally planted by the 8th Tokugawa shogun, Yoshimune, for flood control, and the purpose was for people to gather and trample on the embankment.

Even today, the area is crowded with people during the cherry blossom season, and instead of boats sung with “oar drops,” pleasure boats designed by Matsumoto Leiji, a manga artist known for “Galaxy Express 999” and “Space Pirate Captain Harlock,” come and go, and people enjoy cherry blossom viewing drinks from morning until late at night.

ヒミコ | 【公式】東京都観光汽船（TOKYO CRUISE）

漫画・アニメ界の巨匠・松本零士氏がデザイン。宇宙船のような「ヒミコ」は、「ティアドロップ（涙滴）」をイメージ・コンセプトに、「子供たちが乗ってみたいと思ってくれる船」として、デザインを手がけられました。船内では「銀河鉄道999」のキャラクタ...

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Cultural Legacy: From Edo to Present Day

It is a spring event that brings the atmosphere of the Edo period to life.

In summer, the Sumida River Fireworks Festival attracts many people. The “Tamaya” and “Kagiya” are the trade name of a popular fireworks masters in Edo (present-day Tokyo). Kagiya still exists today.

Sumida River Fireworks Festival

The composer of this piece, TAKI Rentarou, went to Germany to study as a music student, but returned to Japan with tuberculosis and died at the young age of 25. His aspiration “for the development of high quality Japanese songs” continues to shine through the ages.

“Koujyou no tsuki”: TAKI Rentarou’s Minor-Key Masterpiece

It is too famous. The composer, TAKI Rentarou, also composed a masterpiece “Hana” in a major key with an uplifting spring theme, but I would like you to compare the difference in tone. The setting of this beautiful piece with its minor-key melody is a castle in the Warring States period. In spring, a banquet is held, likening the blooming of cherry blossoms to the prosperity of their country that will last for a thousand years, and the samurai pass around sake cups to boost their morale.

Haru kourou no hana no ei

From Spring’s Promise to Autumn’s Desolation: A Tale of Impermanence

But as autumn came, the enthusiasm in their camp vanished like dew. The soldiers left one after another like geese crossing the sea. All that remained was the moon, unchanged from those days, and the deserted castle. This contrast is called “rise and fall” in Japan. The original of this story is probably derived from the Chinese classic “Chunwang.

Spring View

Mountains and rivers remain though the nation is broken,
In the city, spring has deepened the grass and trees.
Moved by the times, tears fall like blossoms,
Regretting separation, birds startle the heart.

For three months, beacons have flared,
A letter from home is worth ten thousand in gold.
My white hair grows shorter as I scratch my head,
Seemingly endless, the desire to not wear this hairpin.

Mono no Aware: The Japanese Aesthetic of Transience in Melody

Although “Koujyou no tsuki” depicts scenes in spring and autumn, most people probably have an image of spring. It seems to express the national character that feels “mono no aware” with the dancing cherry blossoms.

This concept of “mono no aware” – the pathos of things – runs deep in Japanese aesthetics, representing an awareness of impermanence and a gentle sadness at the transience of beauty. The minor key of this composition captures this sentiment perfectly, evoking not just the visual beauty of cherry blossoms, but the melancholy understanding that their magnificence is fleeting. The melody seems to dance between hope and resignation, much like cherry petals floating momentarily before descending to the ground.

Falling cherry blossoms

Unlike Western romantic traditions that might rebel against the inevitability of decay, the Japanese aesthetic tradition embraces this impermanence as part of life’s beauty. The piece invites listeners to appreciate both the vibrant banquet scene and the subsequent desolation as equally meaningful parts of existence, each enhancing the significance of the other.

A Cultural Bridge: Traditional Japanese Melody in Global Rock Music

Intriguingly, this melodic track has also been covered by numerous overseas rock bands. Scorpions, in particular, have performed it live for many years, and other notable renditions include those by Yngwie Malmsteen during his Alcatrazz era and Steve Vai. These interpretations demonstrate how the emotional resonance of “Moon over the Desolate Castle” transcends cultural boundaries, speaking to universal human experiences of beauty, loss, and the passage of time through its hauntingly evocative melody.

100 Best Japanese Songs

A Song That Bridges Ancient Poetry and Modern Melody

“Natsu wa Kinu” (Summer Has Come) stands as one of Japan’s most sophisticated art songs, a piece that perfectly captures the exuberant spirit of early summer while showcasing the extraordinary depth of Japanese literary tradition. The song arrives with the season of Rikka (立夏) – literally “the establishment of summer” – one of the 24 seasonal divisions in the traditional East Asian calendar that marks the official beginning of summer around May 5th or 6th. What makes this song truly remarkable is how its soaring, expansive melody seems to embody the very essence of summer’s arrival, with musical phrases that rise and fall like warm breezes across open fields.

However, beneath this accessible and joyful melody lies something far more complex and intellectually demanding. The lyrics are written in classical literary Japanese, a formal, poetic language that even many native Japanese speakers find challenging today. This isn’t a song you can simply hum along to without deeper study – it’s a sophisticated work of art that requires cultural knowledge and literary understanding to fully appreciate. Think of it as the Japanese equivalent of an opera aria: beautiful to hear, but rich with layers of meaning that reward careful study.
The song has earned such respect among musicians and scholars that it was selected as one of “100 Best Japanese Songs,” a prestigious recognition that places it among the nation’s most treasured musical works.

The Scholarly Mind Behind the Poetry

To understand why “Natsu wa Kinu” is so linguistically sophisticated, we need to know about its remarkable creator, SASAKI Nobutsuna (1872-1963). Born into what could be called Japanese literary royalty, Sasaki came from a family where poetry and classical literature weren’t just hobbies – they were a way of life passed down through generations. His family had dedicated themselves to the study and preservation of Japanese literature for centuries, making young Nobutsuna heir to an incredible wealth of classical knowledge.

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SASAKI’s expertise was so profound that he became one of Japan’s leading authorities on the Man-you-shuu, an 8th-century poetry collection that represents the very foundation of Japanese literature. The Man-you-shuu contains over 4,500 poems and is considered the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry, making it roughly equivalent to what Homer’s epics represent to Western literature. For his groundbreaking scholarly work in preserving and interpreting these ancient texts, SASAKI was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit, Japan’s highest honor for cultural achievement – think of it as the Nobel Prize for Japanese cultural scholarship.

This background explains why “Natsu wa Kinu” reads more like classical poetry than a typical song lyric. SASAKI wasn’t just writing a summer song; he was creating a work that would demonstrate the continuing vitality of Japan’s ancient poetic traditions in a modern musical context. For contemporary listeners, appreciating this song fully requires what might be called “cultural literacy” – a deep understanding of Japanese literary history and classical references that were once common knowledge among educated Japanese but have become increasingly rare in our modern world.

The Intricate Architecture of Five Tanka Poems

What makes “Natsu wa Kinu” structurally unique is its sophisticated poetic construction. Rather than using conventional song verses, SASAKI crafted five complete tanka poems, each following the traditional Japanese poetic pattern of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables. Tanka is one of Japan’s most ancient and respected poetic forms, predating even haiku, and mastering it requires not just technical skill but deep cultural understanding. Each of the five tanka tells part of the summer story, and they’re woven together so skillfully that they create both individual moments of beauty and a cohesive narrative arc.

The first tanka introduces us to “Unohana” (deutzia flowers) blooming alongside the song of the “Hototogisu” (lesser cuckoo). This pairing has been a beloved symbol of early summer in Japanese poetry since the Man-you-shuu era – imagine how Western literature might pair roses with nightingales. However, SASAKI adds a subtle twist that reveals his deep knowledge: this particular combination is slightly “off-season,” and when the hototogisu sings at unexpected times, it’s called “shinobine” (yearning song) – a cry filled with longing that adds emotional depth to the natural imagery.

The second tanka contains one of the song’s most complex references, drawing from “Eiga Monogatari” (A Tale of Flowering Fortunes), a Heian period historical narrative from around 1000 CE. The original passage describes women “Taue”(planting rice) with their hakama (traditional split skirts) wet from early summer rains, while praying for the emperor’s reign to last a thousand years. SASAKI transforms this historical scene, changing “Shizume” (women of low status) to “Saotome” (rice-planting maidens) in 1932, perhaps reflecting changing social sensibilities. “Saotome” remains a common Japanese surname today, connecting this ancient imagery to contemporary life.

Classical Wisdom and Natural Beauty Intertwined

The third tanka draws from Chinese classical literature, specifically the famous story “Keisetsu no kou” about a poor student who studied by firefly light because he couldn’t afford oil for lamps. This tale was so well-known to prewar Japanese that it was immortalized in the graduation song “Hotaru no Hikari” (Light of Fireflies), which generations of Japanese students sang at school ceremonies. By including this reference, SASAKI gently reminds listeners not to waste the long summer days – a message about diligence and self-improvement that resonates with traditional East Asian educational values.

The fourth tanka presents a quintessentially Japanese summer scene: the “Ouchi” (Japanese bead tree, or Melia azedarach) blooming near a riverside gate, where a “Kuina” (water rail) can be heard calling. This isn’t just pretty nature imagery – it’s a sophisticated reference to classical literature including “Genji Monogatari ( The Tale of Genji ),” where the kuina’s distinctive call is compared to the sound of someone tapping at a gate, creating an atmosphere of mystery and anticipation. For readers familiar with these classical works, this single image evokes entire worlds of literary association.

The fifth and final tanka serves as a masterful summary, weaving together key elements from the previous four poems while introducing “Satsuki Yami” (May darkness). This refers to the deep darkness that characterizes the rainy season, when thick clouds block out light even during what should be the bright days of early summer. It’s a uniquely Japanese seasonal concept that captures how the rainy season creates an almost mystical quality of light and shadow.

Finally, for those learning Japanese, it’s worth noting that “Natsu wa Kinu” doesn’t mean “summer never comes” as English speakers might initially read it. In classical Japanese, “kinu” is the past tense of “kuru” (to come), making the title mean “Summer Has Come” – a joyful announcement that the season has finally arrived, bringing with it all the natural beauty and cultural richness that SASAKI so masterfully celebrates in his five interconnected poems.

This famous poem was selected as one of the 100 Best Japanese songs.