Year-end Presentations of Waka Poems

2014, The Twenty-sixth Year of Heisei

Year-end Presentation of Three Waka Poems by His Majesty the Emperor

On visiting the Shrine
Thinking of the support
Offered by many people
I visit the Shrine
Its newly rebuilt sanctuary
Of plain wood, clean and clear.
Thoughts on the coming year marking 70 years from the atomic bomb disaster
At the cenotaph
On ground zero we offer
White chrysanthemums
Pledging never to forget
That day in the distant past.
Visiting the stricken areas in Hiroshima City
How fierce must have been
The force of raging water
From torrential rains
Where the trees were ripped down
A straight path can still be seen.
(Notes to His Majesty's Waka) :

Note to poem 1 :
In March this year, Their Majesties the Emperor and the Empress visited and paid Their respects at the Ise Grand Shrine, where the Shikinen Sengu (rebuilding the shrine every 20 years) Ceremony took place last year. In this poem, His Majesty expresses the sense of gratitude He felt at the time towards the many people who had worked hard to make this important undertaking possible.

cf. The Shrine bears special importance for the Imperial Family as it is dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami, from whom, according to ancient writings, the Emperors of Japan are considered to be directly descended. Relocating and installing the deity in a new shrine every 20 years is a very important practice which began in A.D. 690, according to reliable ancient documents, and has been continued ever since.

Note to poem 2 :
In October this year, Their Majesties the Emperor and the Empress visited Nagasaki Prefecture to attend the 69th National Sports Festival and other events, and offered flowers at the cenotaph built on ground zero, the site of the atomic bomb explosion. In this poem, His Majesty describes how, as He offered flowers at the memorial, He thought of next year, 2015, being the 70th anniversary of the atomic bomb disaster and resolved not to forget the ravages of the atomic bomb.

Note to poem 3 :
In December this year, Their Majesties the Emperor and the Empress went to Hiroshima Prefecture to visit the areas stricken by the torrential rains in August and other places. In this poem, His Majesty describes how He felt when They observed the aftermath of the disaster at the hardest-hit Asa Minami district of Hiroshima City and saw the ravage caused by the terrible force of the water.

Year-end Presentation of Three Waka Poems by Her Majesty the Empress

Sochi Olympics
Many an athlete
Departing without a day
They can call "My Day"
The Sochi Olympic Games
Now passing the half-way point.
The demise of Prince Yoshihito
How deep it must be
I can only imagine
The father’s grief
I am told he laid a hand
On the shoulder of his son.
The evacuation ship Tsushima-maru
I, too, was of their age
So all the more I feel
Such deep sorrow
For the children who lost their lives
On board Tsushima-maru.
(Notes to Her Majesty's Waka) :

Note to poem 1 :
In February this year, the Winter Olympic Games were held in Sochi, Russia. In this poem, Her Majesty describes how many athletes lose and must head home, not having been able to make that day their special day at the Olympics, as it were.

Note to poem 2 :
His Imperial Highness Prince Yoshihito of Katsura, the Emperor’s cousin, passed away on June 8 this year. Having heard that His Imperial Highness Prince Mikasa, the Emperor’s uncle and the father of the deceased prince, placed his hand on the shoulder of his encoffined son, Her Majesty composed this poem, thinking of the deep grief of a father losing his beloved son.

Note to poem 3 :
In June this year, Their Majesties the Emperor and the Empress visited Okinawa Prefecture to pray for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives in the 1944 sinking of the evacuation ship Tsushima-maru, which was carrying more than 1,400 people, including some 800 schoolchildren, from Okinawa to Kagoshima. In this poem, Her Majesty describes how sad She feels that many of the victims were around the same age as Her Majesty at the time.

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