Furusato (children's song)

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This article is about a 1914 Japanese children's song. For the Morning Musume song, see Furusato (Morning Musume song).
"Furusato"
Japanese children's song by Teiichi Okano and Tatsuyuki Takano.
Genrechildren
Songwriter(s)Music by Teiichi Okano, lyrics by Tatsuyuki Takano.

Furusato (Japanese: 故郷, "old home" or "hometown") is a well-known 1914 Japanese children's song, with music by Teiichi Okano and lyrics by Tatsuyuki Takano.

Although Takano's hometown was Nakano, Nagano, his lyrics do not seem to refer to a particular place.[1] Instead, they describe a person who is working in a distant land, expressing his feelings of nostalgia for the hills and fields of his childhood home.

The Japanese government has designated Furusato as a Japanese children's song to be taught in the Japanese public school system, and the song has also been included in the recent popular song collection known as Nihon no Uta Hyakusen.

The composer and the writer of the song were unknown until the 1970s.[2] Since 1992, however, the names of both Teiichi Okano and Tatsuyuki Takano have been printed with the song in Japanese music textbooks.[3]

At the closing ceremony of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, the song was played, and in 2014, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Furusato, the song was performed by children's chorus with orchestral accompaniment at the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto in Nagano, under the direction of Seiji Ozawa.[4]

Lyrics[]

Standard Hiragana Romaji Translation Verse translation[5]

兎追いし　彼の山
小鮒釣りし　彼の川
夢は今も　巡りて
忘れ難き　故郷

如何にいます　父母
恙無しや　友がき
雨に風に　つけても
思い出づる　故郷

志を　果たして
いつの日にか　帰らん
山は靑き　故郷
水は淸き　故郷

うさぎおいし　かのやま
こぶなつりし　かのかわ
ゆめはいまも　めぐりて
わすれがたき　ふるさと

いかにいます　ちちはは
つつがなしや　ともがき
あめにかぜに　つけても
おもいいづる　ふるさと

こころざしを　はたして
いつのひにか　かえらん
やまはあおき　ふるさと
みずはきよき　ふるさと

usagi oishi ka no yama
ko-buna tsurishi ka no kawa
yume wa ima mo megurite
wasure-gataki furusato

ika ni imasu chichi-haha
tsutsuganashi ya tomogaki
ame ni, kaze ni tsukete mo
omoi-izuru furusato

kokorozashi o hata shite
itsu no hi ni ka kaeran
yama wa aoki furusato
mizu wa kiyoki furusato

I chased after rabbits on that mountain.
I fished for minnow in that river.
I still dream of those days even now
Oh, how I miss my old country home.

Father and mother―are they doing well?
Is everything well with my old friends?
When the rain falls, when the wind blows,
I stop and recall of my old country home.

Some day when I have done what I set out to do,
I'll return home one of these days
Where the mountains are green, my old country home,
Where the waters are clear, my old country home.

Sometimes I dream that I'm on the hill

Chasing the wild hares freely at will
Catching small fish as the brook murmurs by
Place of my birthright, for you I sigh.

Father and mother―once you taught me
That treasures of life are all given free
Friendship and happiness - Sunshine and rain,
Your words come back to me time and again.

Clear crystal brooklet - fresh hills of blue
Whisper across the breeze - where are you?
When fortune smiles on me, then Furusato,
I will return to you, I love you so.

English version[]

Furusato monument in Tottori Prefecture.

The song was translated into English by Greg Irwin and this was published in the album called "Japan’s Best Loved Songs of the Season" in 1998.[6] This version was also performed by Lexi Walker.[7]

My Country Home by Greg Irwin

Back in the mountains I knew as a child

Fish filled the rivers and rabbits ran wild

Memories, I carry these wherever I may roam

I hear it calling me, my country home

Mother and Fathers, how I miss you now

How are my friends I lost touch with somehow?

When the rain falls or the wind blows I feel so alone

I hear it calling me, my country home

I've got this dream and it keeps me away

When it comes true I'm going back there someday

Crystal waters, mighty mountains blue as emerald stone

I hear it calling me, my country home

References[]

  1. ^ "100 years of Furusato", Sankei Shinbun, p1, Oct 9, 2014
  2. ^ "100 years of Furusato", Sankei Shinbun, p1, Oct 9, 2014
  3. ^ "100 years of Furusato", Sankei Shinbun, p1, Oct 9, 2014
  4. ^ "100 years of Furusato", Sankei Shinbun, p1, Oct 9, 2014
  5. ^ "故郷・英語訳版". www.mahoroba.ne.jp. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  6. ^ https://www.amazon.co.jp/Japan%E2%80%99s-Best-Loved-Songs-Season%E2%80%95%E8%8B%B1%E8%AA%9E%E3%81%A7%E6%AD%8C%E3%81%86%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E3%81%AE%E3%81%86%E3%81%9F/dp/4789009254
  7. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-08. Retrieved 2014-09-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)



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