Kimigayo
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"Kimigayo" is the national anthem of Japan. The lyrics are from a waka poem written by an unnamed author in the Heian period, making the lyrics of "Kimigayo" the oldest lyrics of any national anthem.
Sazare-ishi pebbles are believed to grow into boulders in some legends (at Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto)
Franz Eckert's notes, presented to the Emperor Meiji in 1880 (cover design by Curt Netto)
The Act on National Flag and Anthem (Japan) as it appears in the Official Gazette on 15 August 1999
A photo taken on 6 November 2007, as "Kimigayo" was being played before a volleyball tournament in Ōsaka
Japan
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Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asian mainland, it is bordered to the west by the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk in the north, an
Kimigayo
…Kimigayo" (君が代; lit. 'your reign') is the national anthem of Japan. The lyrics are from a waka poem written by an unnamed author in the Heian period (794–1185), making the lyrics of "Kimigayo" the oldest lyrics of any…
Legendary Emperor Jimmu (神武天皇, Jinmu-tennō)
Japanese samurai boarding a Mongol vessel during the Mongol invasions of Japan, depicted in the Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba, 1293
Three unifiers of Japan. Left to right: Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Emperor Meiji (明治天皇, Meiji-tennō); 1852–1912