“Nanatsu no ko” is one of Japan’s most familiar children’s songs.

It is also well known as music played by local authorities to encourage children playing outside to return home in the evening.

The song depicts the universal love between parents and their children through the image of parent crows that descend to the village in search of food for their chicks waiting in the nest in the mountains. Notably, the song portrays crows, often seen as pests, as affectionate parent birds. This perspective, which sympathetically captures the fact that crows have parenting feelings no different from humans, is a significant reason for the work’s great popularity.

The original Japanese title is “Nanatsu no ko,” and there has been controversy over whether this is “seven children” or “seven-year-old children.

The prevailing theory was that a seven-year-old should already be an adult bird as a raven, so why not seven children? The prevailing theory was that “seven-year-olds” should have already reached maturity as crows, so why not use the title “seven children”? Wouldn’t that be more natural? There was an objection that “seven children” would be more natural. It is also said that crows do not raise as many as seven chicks at a time. This led to the theory that “raven” was a metaphor. The lyricist, Noguchi, was the first to suggest that the word “crow” was a metaphor. The lyricist, NOGUCHI Ujyou, was separated from his mother when he was 7 years old. Another theory is that Ujyou was born and raised in Kitaibaraki City, which used to be a prosperous coal-mining town, and the miners who worked in the dust were called “crows,” so he sang about them working for their families.

On the other hand, Ujyou, who could not adapt to his political marriage, took custody of his two children after the divorce. However, as the children cried every night longing for their mother, he decided to return them to her. It is said that he expressed his torn feelings as a father in a song during that time.

Incidentally, crows in Japan were often regarded as sacred birds. Yatagarasu, the symbol of the Japan Football Association, is a three-legged raven that is said to have guided Emperor Jinmu, the founder of Japan. In the Shugendo sect, which originated from mountain worship, the crow has also been regarded as a messenger of the gods.Crows also play an important role in the anime “Kimetsu no yaiba.

WolfgangMichel – 投稿者自身による著作物, CC 表示 3.0, リンクによる

Karasu-no-nureba-iro,” used to describe a woman’s beautiful black hair, refers to the deep, glossy, dark purple color of a crow’s wet feathers.

Moon-viewing is incomplete without offering rice dumplings. / By katorisi – Own work, CC BY 3.0, Link

The Custom of Admiring the Harvest Moon

In Japan, the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar (around late September today) is called Jyuugoya or Chuushuu no Meigetsu, and it is celebrated as the night when the moon is at its most beautiful of the year. On this evening, people place offerings of pampas grass, rice dumplings, and seasonal harvests, and enjoy gazing at the moon in the crisp autumn air. The sight of families and friends looking up at the bright moon, sometimes with a cup of sake in hand, conveys a uniquely Japanese autumn atmosphere.

Haiku and the Humor of the Full Moon

KOBAYASHI Issa, one of the representative haiku poets of the Edo period, composed the following verse:

Meigetsu wo totte kurero to naku ko kana
名月を取ってくれろと泣く子かな
(A child carried on his back points to the full moon and cries, “Please get it for me.”)

Yoshi Canopus – 自ら撮影, CC 表示-継承 3.0, リンクによる

This scene, humorous in tone yet full of seasonal elegance, is a well-known haiku even today. It reminds us of the cultural richness of the Meigetsu (harvest moon).

The Poetic Eye of NOGUCHI Ujyou

The lyrics of Jyuugoya Otsukisan were written by NOGUCHI Ujyou, a renowned poet of children’s songs. He is also the author of lyrics for masterpieces such as “Nanatsu no Ko” and “Akai Kutsu”. NOGUCHI’s strength lay in his ability to depict the world through the innocent eyes of children, while subtly weaving in the realities of the society of his time. In this song, too, beneath the simple words of a child addressing the moon lies a heartfelt longing for the mother he misses.

Hidden Social Realities of the Taishou Period

At first glance, the lyrics of Jyuugoya Otsukisan may sound like an innocent child’s monologue to the moon. Yet, in reality, they reflect the social struggles of the Taishou era. After experiencing an economic boom during World War I, Japan plunged into a postwar recession. Many factory workers in the cities lost their jobs and were forced to return to the countryside, placing heavy economic burdens on farming households.

Family Separation and the Cry of a Child’s Heart

Because of this hardship, many rural households had to let go of their housekeepers (baaya), and poverty forced them to send their younger daughters away for work. In this context, the child singing longs for his absent mother, perhaps never to see her again, entrusting his sorrow to the moon. Simple though the lyrics may be, they are imbued with the deep sadness of family separation in that era.

The Power of MOTOORI Nagayo’s Melody

The melody was composed by MOTOORI Nagayo. His music, at once beautiful and tinged with melancholy, brought out the sorrow of the child’s heart and the shadow of society hidden behind the lyrics. The harmony of the moon’s beauty with this sadness made the song unforgettable, leaving a deep impression on Japanese hearts.