Roei no Uta Japanese Military Song ( Field Encampment Song)

In the wake of the outbreak of the Second SinoJapanese War in July 1937, demand for patriotic songs to boost public and military morale swelled in Japan. Newspapers regularly held competitions calling for submissions from the public of songs and song lyrics. The lyrics for Roei no Uta were chosen in such a fashion, after a contest jointly held by the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun and Osaka Mainichi Shimbun. The jury, which consisted of luminaries such as the writer Kan Kikuchi and the poet Hakushū Kitahara, awarded Kīchirō Yabūchi s Roei no Uta as the winning entry. The 28yearold composer Yūji Koseki was chosen to set the lyrics to music. The song became one of the most famous gunka in Japan, establishing Yūji Koseki at the forefront of Japanese composers of the era. However, after Japan surrendered in 1945, performance or loud exhortation of Roei no Uta and other gunka were prohibited by the U. S. occupation forces. Lyrics: 勝って