Do You Really Understand the Meaning of “Kimigayo”? Think Before Criticizing Athletes for Lip-Syncing the National Anthem

The other day, I was watching a rugby match on television.

Before the game, the national anthem was played. The athletes sang “Kimigayo” with serious expressions.

As I watched them, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Come to think of it, how much of the lyrics to “Kimigayo” do I actually understand?

I understand the opening words, kimigayo, or “your reign.” As for the final phrase, koke no musu made, does it mean “until moss grows upon them”?

In other words, it is presumably a wish that your reign will continue for so long that moss has time to grow.

The middle, however, is the problem.

Chiyo ni yachiyo ni, sazare ishi no, iwao to narite.

…I have absolutely no idea what it is saying.

Chiyo ni yachiyo ni? Sazare ishi? Iwao?

It suddenly feels as though an exam in classical Japanese has begun.

An Epic Story About Small Stones Becoming a Giant Rock

Curious, I looked up the meaning of the lyrics again.

Chiyo ni yachiyo ni refers to an extremely long span of time. Sazare ishi means small stones, and iwao means a great boulder.

The song, then, apparently expresses the wish that something will endure for as long as it takes small stones to become a great boulder.

I see. Once it is explained, I can understand it.

But how many people today could understand that on hearing it for the first time?

To begin with, I have never used a word like iwao in everyday conversation.

“Yesterday, I happened to see a splendid iwao in my neighborhood.”

If I heard someone speaking that way, I would be more curious about their occupation than the rock.

The lyrics of “Kimigayo” come from a poem in the Kokin Wakashū, an anthology compiled more than a thousand years ago.

It is only natural that modern Japanese people find them difficult to understand.

Putting It into English

For example, let us recreate the experience of “Kimigayo” in English.

Imagine that only the beginning is in modern English, while everything after it suddenly switches to Middle English. Middle English is the form of the language used in the period before modern English. I relied on AI for the Middle English, so I cannot guarantee that it is correct.

May your reign last,

A thousand yeer, yea, ten thousand yeer,

Til smale stones waxen into grete rokkes,

And mos groweth upon hem.

This is only meant to illustrate the idea.

You understand the beginning, but everything after it suddenly becomes uncertain. It feels as though you can almost understand it, yet not quite.

That is close to how singing “Kimigayo” feels to me as a Japanese person.

Singing the National Anthem Is Not a Karaoke Contest

At the Olympics or an international rugby match, whenever an athlete appears not to be singing the national anthem, someone inevitably begins criticizing them.

“You represent your country, so sing properly.”

“Lip-syncing is disgraceful.”

“You lack patriotism.”

How tiresome.

First, I would like to ask them something.

Can you explain what sazare ishi no iwao to narite means?

It is strange to claim that someone is patriotic merely because they open their mouth wide and sing, even though they do not properly understand the lyrics.

In the first place, you cannot tell whether someone is truly singing simply by watching their mouth on a television screen.

Some athletes are probably too focused on the match ahead to think about anything else.

Singing the national anthem loudly will not make their tackles any stronger.

Conversely, not singing does not mean they will put less effort into the match.

An athlete’s job is not to sing. It is to deliver a result in competition.

If patriotism can be measured by singing volume, we should select opera singers for the national team.

We would surely have a fiercely patriotic team.

Whether it could win a match is another question.

Let Us Be a Little More Forgiving

When you think about it, we are singing a poem written more than a thousand years ago as our national anthem, so it is understandable if we do not fully grasp its meaning.

Even lip-syncing shows a certain amount of consideration.

And these are athletes moments away from a match.

Whether they sing, lip-sync, or simply listen in silence, let us be a little more forgiving.

People who do not understand the meaning of a poem written more than a thousand years ago sit in front of the television and lecture others about patriotism.

Perhaps they should brush up on their Japanese reading comprehension before worrying about “Kimigayo.”