海ゆかば (Umi Yukaba) ～If I go away to the sea～ Japanese military song

This song was the second national anthem of Japan during WWⅡ. The Japanese recognized it as the quasi-anthem until the end of the war in the pacific. The music was composed by Kiyoshi Nobutoki in 1937. The military authorities made him compose it for increasing the Japanese people's fighting spirit, though he was Christian and pacifist that got higher education of classical music. The words were quoted a few verses from Otomo no Yakamochi's long poem in Japanese style. The long poem was written around AD 750 and collected by himself in "Manyoshu(The Ten Thousand Leaves)". He was not only poet but politician. Otomo family was the Emperor's imperial guards from generation to generation. This words were just his family motto. Umi Yukaba had been singing in Japan before WWⅡ came to an end. After the war the Japanese people have renounced war forever, and so this song have not virtually been allowed to be used on the TV or radio. The Japanese have put the lid on the fine requiem..... --------Thank you for reading my broken English ! --------