＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・海をテーマにした曲や歌。「美しき天然」は日本初のワルツで歌謡曲のルーツ！
1. “Sea People” vs. “Mountain People”
In the world of outdoor leisure, there are those who love the sea (“sea people”) and those who love the mountains (“mountain people”). It’s similar to how there are “dog people” and “cat people” when it comes to pets. Of course, there are also those who like both or dislike both.
So, are you a “sea person” or a “mountain person”? Perhaps some people were “sea people” in their youth but have become “mountain people” as they’ve gotten older, changing with their life stage.
Following “Marine Day” (established in 1996), which falls on the third Monday of July, August 11th was newly designated as “Mountain Day” in 2016. Both the sea and mountains are familiar to Japanese people, to the point that they even have national holidays.
By the way, when actually asked whether they are “sea people” or “mountain people,” which is more common among Japanese people? Expedia, one of the world’s largest travel sites, conducted a nationwide and prefectural survey in 2016.
The results across Japan showed that 53% preferred the sea and 47% preferred the mountains, with the sea slightly outnumbering the mountains.
However, when comparing the proportion of sea-lovers and mountain-lovers within each prefecture, 26 prefectures preferred the sea compared to 19 prefectures (two prefectures had the same number). Furthermore, 12 of the 19 mountain-loving prefectures were concentrated in the Kanto and Chubu regions, while all prefectures in Shikoku preferred the sea.
Incidentally, Okinawa Prefecture was the “No. 1 Sea-lover” prefecture (80%), while Tochigi and Gifu Prefectures were the “No. 1 Mountain-lover” prefectures (tied at 73%). The reason Nagano Prefecture wasn’t the “No. 1 Mountain-lover” prefecture might be because the mountains are so close that many people yearn for the sea. In Nagano Prefecture, 47% preferred the sea and 53% preferred the mountains.
2. Songs and melodies with a sea theme
While popular songs like J-pop and pop music often feature cheerful major-key melodies, it’s surprising that older songs tend to be melancholic minor-key melodies.
(1) Beautiful Nature (Natural Beauty)
“Utsukushiki Tennen” (Beautiful Nature) is a Japanese children’s song composed by Tanaka Hozumi and with lyrics by Takeshima Hagoromo, published in 1902 (Meiji 35).
The original score indicated “at a waltz tempo,” and it is often introduced as Japan’s first waltz. It is also Japan’s first song in the pentatonic minor key.
Although it is a children’s song with lyrics, the melody is particularly well-known nationwide because it was performed as a standard tune by “Chindon-ya” (street performers) who paraded through towns playing chindon drums and promoting the song during the Taisho and early Showa periods. I, too, often associate it with Chindon-ya and circuses.
While its use as accompaniment to motion pictures and as a jinta (traditional Japanese folk song) by circuses and Chindon-ya are major factors in its fame, I feel that this strong association with those images is somewhat unfortunate for the song itself.
Shinpei Nakayama used the melody almost entirely in “Sendō Kouta” (Boatman’s Song), and Masao Koga used it in “Circus no Uta” (Circus Song), “Kage o Shitaite” (Longing for the Shadow), and “Kanashii Sake” (Sad Sake), making it a root of Japanese popular music.
In Kikkō Park, a famous cherry blossom viewing spot in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the birthplace of the composer, Hozumi Tanaka (1855-1904), there is a monument and bust of the song “Utsukushiki Ten’nen” (Beautiful Nature).
At the time of composition, Hozumi Tanaka was serving as the bandmaster at the Sasebo Naval District (Nagasaki Prefecture).
Hagoromo Takeshima (1872-1967) was a scholar of Japanese literature, a poet, and a lyricist, and served as a professor at the Tokyo Academy of Music (now Tokyo University of the Arts). She is also famous as the lyricist of the children’s song “Hana” (Flower), composed by Rentarō Taki.
1.
The sound of birds singing in the sky, the sound of waterfalls cascading from the peaks, the thundering waves, the ceaseless sound of the sea
Listen, people, how wonderful this natural music is, how precious is the hand of God that plays it with such ease and freedom
空にさえずる鳥の声
峯より落つる滝の音
大波小波とうとうと
響き絶やせぬ海の音
聞けや人々面白き
この天然の音楽を
調べ自在に弾きたもう
神の御手（おんて）の尊しや
2.
In spring, the drapery of cherry blossoms, in autumn, the brocade of maple leaves, in summer, the cool silk of the moon, in winter, the cloth of pure white snow
Behold, people, how beautiful this natural tapestry is, how precious is the craftsmanship of God that weaves it so skillfully
春は桜のあや衣
秋はもみじの唐錦（からにしき）
夏は涼しき月の絹
冬は真白き雪の布
見よや人々美しき
この天然の織物を
手際見事に織りたもう
神のたくみの尊しや
3.
Lightly ink-lined 4 The mountains of Yomo
The crimson-scented mist of Yokogasuri
The seashore stretches far into the distance
The beauty of the green pines and white sand
Behold, people, unparalleled
This natural painting
Painted beyond the reach of a brush
How precious is the power of God
うす墨ひける四方（よも）の山
くれない匂う横がすみ
海辺はるかにうち続く
青松白砂（せいしょうはくさ）の美しさ
見よや人々たぐいなき
この天然のうつし絵を
筆も及ばずかきたもう
神の力の尊しや
4.
The palace of clouds rising in the morning
The rainbow bridge stretching in the evening
Looking out at the clear sky
It resembles a blue ceiling
Look up, people, at this rare natural architecture
How precious is the work of God who has built it on such a vast scale
朝（あした）に起こる雲の殿
夕べにかかる虹の橋
晴れたる空を見渡せば
青天井に似たるかな
仰げ人々珍らしき
この天然の建築を
かく広大に建てたもう
神の御業（みわざ）の尊しや
(2) Hamachidori (Sandpiper)
“Hamachidori” is a children’s song with lyrics by Kashima Meishu and music by Hirota Ryutaro. It was published in the January 1920 (Taisho 9) issue of the magazine “Shōjo-gō” (Girl’s Issue).
Kashima Meishu (1891-1954) was a children’s author, magazine editor, and poet. He was the editor and publisher of “Shōjo-gō,” a pioneering children’s magazine.
The lyrics are said to have been written by Kashima Meishu in his notebook while he was walking along the Banshin coast from Urahama to Taichi Kuwayama during a visit to Kuwayama in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture.
Ryutaro Hirota (1892-1952) was a composer whose representative works include “Koinobori” (Carp Streamers), “Hamachidori” (Sandpiper), “Shikararete” (Being Scolded), “Kingyo no Hirune” (Goldfish’s Nap), “Ame” (Rain), “Suzume no Gakko” (Sparrow School), “Haru yo Koi” (Come, Spring), and “Kutsu ga Naru” (The Shoes Singing).
(3) Hamabe no Uta (Song of the Seashore)
“Hamabe no Uta” (Song of the Seashore) is a children’s song with lyrics by Kokei Hayashi and music by Tamezo Narita, published in 1916 (Taisho 5).
Kokei Hayashi (1875-1947) was a scholar of Chinese literature, a poet, a lyricist, and a professor at Rissho University.
Tamezo Narita (1893-1945) was born the son of a town hall employee in Yonaiwa-machi, Kitaakita-gun, Akita Prefecture (present-day Yonaiwa, Kitaakita City).
In 1914 (Taisho 3), he entered the Tokyo Music School (now Tokyo University of the Arts) and studied under Kosaku Yamada, who had just returned from Germany.
He graduated from the school in 1917 (Taisho 6). After graduation, he worked as a compulsory teacher at Saga Normal School in Kyushu, but to continue his compositional activities, he became a teacher at Akasaka Elementary School in Tokyo. Around the same time, he began to associate with Mieji Suzuki, the editor of the magazine “Akai Tori” (Red Bird), and published many of his works in the magazine.
Incidentally, the melody of “Hamabe no Uta” (Song of the Seashore) is known to be very similar to a part of the waltz “Artist’s Life” by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II.
(4) The Empty Sea
“The Empty Sea” is a huge hit song by Towa et Moi, but it was originally written in 1967 for singer Jerry Ito’s “Song of the Week” segment on NET’s “Kijima Norio Morning Show.” The lyrics were written by Yoko Yamaguchi and the music composed by Noriyoshi Naito.
The quiet autumn sea is a place that soothes the soul, and this is a deeply moving masterpiece.
The lyrics, accompanied by a pleasant melody, convey the message of continuing to live even after being hurt and experiencing setbacks. When people fall into despair—when they experience heartbreak, lose a loved one, or are at the brink of despair—they go to the sea and find solace there.
They wish to be embraced by the motherly sea and have the breath of life breathed back into them. Enveloped in the melancholic autumn sea and the gentle, beautiful melody, it inspires us to keep living, even when we are suffering and lonely.
Incidentally, “Toi et Moi” means “you and me” in French.
As a side note, the lyricist, Yoko Yamaguchi (1933– ), is a poet in the field of modern poetry and is a different person from the lyricist Yoko Yamaguchi (1937–2014), known for popular songs such as “Yokohama Tasogare,” who worked as a bar hostess in Ginza. Also, the composer, Tsunemi Naito (1929–1988), was the husband of the chanson singer Fubuki Koshiji (1924–1980), who also recorded this song.
(5) Sunayama
“Sunayama” is a children’s song with lyrics by Hakushu Kitahara (1885–1942).
The lyrics of this song evoke the desolate scenery of Yoriihama, a coastal area in Chuo Ward, Niigata City, overlooking the Sea of Japan.
In 1922, Kitahara Hakushu participated in a children’s song concert held in Niigata. He received a request from elementary school students to compose a song related to Niigata, and published the children’s song “Sunayama” (Sand Mountain) in a magazine in September 1922 (Taisho 11).
The first person to compose music for Kitahara Hakushu’s lyrics “Sunayama” was Nakayama Shinpei (1887-1952), a famous children’s song composer known for works such as “Shabon-dama” (Soap Bubbles) and “Shojoji no Tanuki Bayashi” (The Tanuki Dance of Shojoji Temple).
The following year, in 1923, Yamada Kosaku (1886-1965), the composer who left behind children’s songs such as “Akatombo” (Red Dragonfly) and “Pechka” (Stove), also composed a different melody for Kitahara Hakushu’s lyrics “Sunayama.” Besides these, Tamezo Narita and Teiji Miyahara also composed music for the lyrics of “Sunayama,” but today it is almost always sung with the melody by Shinpei Nakayama and Kosaku Yamada.