Photo/Illutration Visitors watch the New Year’s sunrise at the Osaka Harukas building in Osaka’s Abeno Ward. (Tatsuo Kanai)

The sky is brightening, just like it was until yesterday, but it feels like something is different.

It is an intriguing sensation that I feel on the morning of New Year’s Day.

According to weather forecasts, the first sunrise of the year should have been observed in areas from the Kyushu to Kanto regions.

I wonder whether you had the chance in your area.

Putting hands together to make a fresh determination may be a common practice when watching the first sunrise.

The following tanka poem composed in “go-shichi-cho” (5-7 rhythm) format also suggests such a feeling.

It translates as: “Hear a bird singing?/ Wake up from your dream/ Look at the east where the sun is rising/ The sky is shining in the dawn color beyond the sea horizon/ Sailboats are seen gathering in the morning haze.”

The original Japanese tanka, which was composed during the Meiji Era (1868-1912), is an example of “iroha uta” (iroha poem), a pangram containing every character of 47 hiragana and “n” only once. It is written in old kana spelling, and hiragana with “dakuten” (two dots added to kana symbols to mark voicing) are no object.

A newspaper solicited entries at the time, and it was apparently ranked first among more than 10,000 submissions.

I could never imagine someone pulling off such a trick when there is a perfect iroha uta that begins, “Iro ha nioedo chirinuru wo” (Flowers are fragrant, but they eventually scatter).

It seems an agonizing process to come up with even one invention, but there is always someone better in this world.

Nakamura Nakamura of Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, 57, has been composing iroha uta almost daily since fall 2017.

One composed in January 2022 goes, “Kuromame hasune/ Ebi konbu/ Awona sohekeri/ Sate osechi/ Taiyau moyuru/ Yoki toshi ni/ Wegaho no warera/ Mutsumiyinu.”

It translates as: “Black beans, lotus roots/ Shrimp, kelp/ And greens accompany/ Let’s enjoy ‘osechi’ now/ With the sun shining/ In this good year/ We all smile/ In harmony.”

Wow, incredible.

Incorporating ingredients for the New Year’s osechi feast served in “jubako” tiered food boxes, it is nothing short of brilliant.

According to the poet, the trick is the use of “te” and “ni,” which can serve as particles and fit into any part.

Meanwhile, “ro” is a unique character whose use is limited.

I guess, the point is to find the right place for each character. Then, only then, when a certain scenery comes into the mind.

Oh? I may be drunk already after having a celebratory drink for the New Year, because I sound like I’m talking about what is important in the human world. 

--The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 2

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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