“Have you ever heard a song written to celebrate an emperor’s reign? Here at the \u96e3\u6ce2\u6d25\u306e\u6b4c Stele we will uncover a story of succession celebration and ancient verse.
The \u96e3\u6ce2\u6d25\u306e\u6b4c Stele commemorates a “waka” poem. This poem is attributed to Wang Ren. The poem appears in the kana preface of the “Kokin Wakashu”. It is introduced as “Ohosazaki no Mikado wo sobire tatematsuru uta”.
Let me tell you about the poem’s origin. After Emperor Ojin died there was a dispute. Princes Uji no Wakiiratsuko and Oosasazaki no Mikoto argued over the throne. This dispute left the throne vacant for three years. Eventually Oosasazaki no Mikoto ascended. He became Emperor Nintoku. The \u96e3\u6ce2\u6d25\u306e\u6b4c poem was composed. It wished for the prosperity of his reign. It is important to note the flower in the poem is a plum blossom. It is not a cherry blossom.
In the kana preface the poem is alongside the Yasakayama poem. It was said to be “the first thing for people to practice calligraphy”. It was historically used for calligraphy practice.
In fact writing practice wooden slips have been found. These slips contain the poem. One example is from the Guonji Temple ruins in Tokushima Prefecture. It is written in Manyo kana as “奈爾波ツ爾明日香”. This is believed to be from the 7th century. Many wooden slips with this song have been found in various places.
During the Heian period the \u96e3\u6ce2\u6d25\u306e\u6b4c was widely known. It became synonymous with a song everyone knew.
Interestingly the names of two Osaka city wards come from this song. Naniwa Ward and Konohana Ward were established April 1 1925.
In competitive Karuta \u96e3\u6ce2\u6d25\u306e\u6b4c is special. The All Japan Karuta Association uses it as the opening song. Nobutsuna Sasaki chose it. The fourth and fifth lines are repeated. The determined word has “imaha” so the fourth line is read as “ima wo haru be to”.
So as you stand before the \u96e3\u6ce2\u6d25\u306e\u6b4c Stele remember its history. It is more than just a poem. It represents succession wishes learning and local pride. This ancient verse continues to echo through time.”