Umi Yukaba

Umi Yukaba (海行かば) is a Japanese patriotic song (gunka) based on a waka poem by Ōtomo no Yakamochi in the Man'yōshū. As set to music in 1937 by Kiyoshi Nobutoki (信時 潔, Nobutoki Kiyoshi) it has been popular during and also after World War II. Umi Yukaba was sung before takeoff by many Kamikaze suicide attack pilots in the final stages of World War II.

Lyrics

Umi yukaba
Mizuku kabane
Yama yukaba
Kusa musu kabane
Okimi no he ni koso shiname
Kaerimi wa seji

If I go away to the sea,
I shall be a corpse washed up.
If I go away to the mountain,
I shall be a corpse in the grass
But if I die for the Emperor,
It will not be a regret.

海行かば
水漬く屍
山行かば
草生す屍
大君の辺にこそ死なめ
かえりみはせじ

海行水漬屍
山行草生屍
大君身边死
無悔無返顾

In popular culture

• Umi Yukaba is also the name of a 1983 Japanese film.

See also

• Man'yōshū
• Kimi ga Yo

External links

• Umi Yukaba from Victory in the Pacific, PBS documentary on World War II
• Kiyoshi　Nobutoki Research guide in Japanese only
• Nihonkai daikaisen: Umi yukaba from IMDB
• The Emperor and Empress's Visit to Saipan account of an elderly Chamorro man singing Umi yukaba