Japanese Alphabet Provokes Intellectual Excitement

Karuta ... a family game of proverbs
Dear foreign readers - do you know that in Japan there is a family game called "Karuta" that has been played for over 200 years, especially in New Year holidays? Although there are many different versions of Karuta, "Iroha Karuta" is the most famous.

The cards, which show illustrations and one of the 47 characters of the Japanese kana alphabet are distributed on the floor, while the card reader holds cards on which the proverbs are written. As soon as the reader calls out a proverb, players must quickly search for the card with the same proverb on the floor and try to pick it up before anyone else. The person who collects the most cards becomes the winner. The more familiar you are with the proverbs, the faster you will be. This game is not so widely played these days. However, as it is educational for children, it is still played.

"a i u e o," "ka ki ku ke ko" ... this order of the Japanese alphabet is more commonly practiced today, but for a long time, "i ro ha ni ho he to ..." was more familiar to Japanese. "Iroha Karuta" got its name from this word order. The proverbs written on each card offer timeless teachings. The following are a sample of these proverbs. The meaning of each proverb is shown inside the parentheses.

I: Inu mo arukeba bou ni ataru (When you walk outside you could meet the unexpected event)
Ro: Ron yori shoko (The proof of the pudding is in the eating)
Ha: Hana yori dango (Fair words fill not the belly)

Deep meanings are hidden in the order of the Japanese alphabet
The order of "I ro ha ..." came from the "Iroha Uta" (poem) which was believed to have been written more than 1,000 years ago. This poem starts with "I ro ha ..." and was created using each of the 47 characters of the alphabet only once. The order of the 47 characters are as shown below. You will understand it is a poem when commas are inserted and kanji is used. It is difficult to understand since there are some differences between old and modern characters and the poem is written using some old expressions.

I ro ha ni ho he to chi ri nu ru wo wa ka yo ta re so tsu ne na ra mu u i no o ku ya ma ke fu ko e te a sa ki yu me mi shi e hi mo se su

[Using Kanji]

The above poem, when translated into modern sentences, is shown below. "Your colorful reputation will disappear someday. This world is ever changing. To overcome the vanity you should not dream of the uncertain glory and fall in the temporary success."

The "ever changing" concept that forms a part of the fundamental Buddhist view of life is included in the "Iroha Uta," and since the ancient Heian era, it has been regarded as a masterpiece indicating the ever-changing nature of everything. It has been said this poem was created by KOBO-Daishi, the most well-known monk in Japanese history, but it is not certain. KAKINOMOTO Hitomaro, a poet of Manyo (the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry) who was sentenced to death although he was innocent is also regarded as the poem creator since secret words appealing his innocence are hidden in the poem.

Surprising words are hidden inside
In Japan, the book "The Da Vinci Code" (written by Dan BROWN) is now a best seller. It describes the underground history which may shake the base of Christianity by resolving the codes described in the drafts of some of Leonardo da VINCI's pictures. Likewise in the "Iroha Uta," unbelievable code is also hidden in the poem.

When you divide the poem into seven character segments, it will look like:
I ro ha ni ho he to
Chi ri nu ru wo wa ka
Yo ta re so tsu ne na
Ra mu u i no o ku
Ya ma ke fu ko e te
A sa ki yu me mi shi
E hi mo se su

When you read the last character of each line in a vertical manner, you will read "Toka nakute shisu" or "I die for innocence." This can be interpreted as a code that describes the state of mind when an innocent person is about to die. The poem may have described human law or a grudge against someone who framed him. A completely different interpretation is possible. In accordance with this, there is another coincidence.

Unbelievable coincidence with "Chushingura," the most well-known Japanese revenge story.
Do foreigners know "Chusingura"? Every December without fail a drama of this name appears on TV, movies and theaters. The drama is based on a true story that occurred about 300 years ago. Every Japanese knows this incident. The story goes like this.

When a country lord came to Edo (present day Tokyo) to carry out his duties, he was ill-treated by a high official serving the Shogun. The country lord tolerated the mistreatment to the point until at last he assaulted the official with his sword. Fortunately, the high official was only slightly injured, but the lord was caught and forced to commit hara-kiri (cutting one's belly; otherwise called "seppuku") and his castle was taken over. The subordinates of the country lord led by OOISHI Kuranosuke swore revenge against the high official. They hid themselves in Edo and waited for the opportunity to come. One snowy night in December, they successfully invaded his mansion and killed the official, satisfying their thirst for revenge.

The incident was applauded by the citizens as a model of samurai who respect loyalty, but the shogun, who was afraid the incident might create disorder in the samurai society, made a very bold decision and ordered all the subordinates to commit hara-kiri. The citizens were upset at their deaths and many dramas about the tragedy were performed. They became so popular that they are still performed now.

In Kabuki, a traditional Japanese performance, "Chushingura" is a regular drama. Its full name is "Kana-dehon Chushingura." "Chusin" means "loyal subordinate" and "gura" comes from the "kura" in Kuranosuke ("k" changes to "g" to make the pronunciation easier). Together it means "Kuranosuke, loyal subordinate." Then why is the word "kana-dehon" inserted?

"Kana" refers to hiragana or katakana (the simple reading and writing form of the Japanese language) and "dehon" means "model." So it means a study model of hiragana / katakana. Since old times, it has meant "Iroha Uta" People used to learn hiragana and katakana according to the "Iroha Uta." How is the poem related to "Chushingura"? Forty-seven subordinates assaulted the mansion of the high official and coincidentally, that is the same as the number of alphabet characters. The hidden code "Die for innocence" represents their despair.

The Chusingura incident happened much later than the creation of "Iroha Uta." Forty-seven subordinates and 47 characters must be a coincidence. The playwriter of "Kana-dehon Chushingura" may have inserted the "Kana-dehon" before "Chushingura," purposely taking advantage of the coincidence and possibly making a silent appeal to the shogunate through the code hidden inside "Iroha Uta."

In this way the "Iroha Uta" has greatly influenced the art and literature of Japan. The poem was created using all 47 characters only once and it describes the sorrowful result of human laws. Furthermore, a code was inserted by the creator, who must have been as clever as Da Vinci.

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