Battōtai (song)

"Battōtai" (抜刀隊, Drawn-Sword Regiment) is a Japanese gunka composed by Charles Leroux with lyrics by Toyama Masakazu in 1877. Upon the request of the Japanese government, Leroux adapted it along with another gunka, "Fusōka" (Song of Fusang), into the military march Japanese Army March in 1912.

Battōtai
抜刀隊

Lyrics	Toyama Masakazu
Music	Charles Leroux
Published	1877
Audio sample
Recording made on August 8, 1939 by the Imperial Japanese Army Band conducted by Ōnuma Satoru. The B and C sections of the march use the "Battōtai" melody. file help

Background

The song references the Battōtai who fought in the Battle of Tabaruzaka during the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion. Because of supply problems and heavy rains, the Satsuma rebels were forced to engage with the Imperial Japanese Army in hand-to-hand combat. They inflicted heavy casualties against Imperial forces, who were mostly conscripts with no experience in wielding swords. Lieutenant General Yamagata Aritomo selected and deployed men from the surrounding area who were proficient with swords. He named this unit Battōtai or "Drawn-Sword regiment."

Composition

Charles Leroux, a bandmaster and composer born in Paris, arrived in Japan in 1876 as part of a French military advisory group. He composed his "Battōtai" in 1877, while serving as bandmaster of the Imperial Japanese Army Band. The song was first publicly performed the same year at a concert hosted by the Greater Japan Music Society at the Rokumeikan. It was considered the first Western-style military song in Japan and the first to become popular across the country, although it was initially believed to be difficult to sing for Japanese unaccustomed to modulation.

Lyrics

Battōtai is included in the first volume of poetry compilation Shintai Shishiyou, thanks to the common effort of Tokyo University's professors Masakazu Toyama, Ryoji Yatabe, and Tetsujirō Inoue, 10 years into Meiji's rule, in 1878; the poem posted below was contained in said compilation.

Japanese	Transliteration into rōmaji	English Translation
我は官軍我敵は 天地容れざる朝敵ぞ 敵の大將たる者は 古今無雙の英雄で 之に從ふ兵は 共に慓悍决死の士 鬼神に恥ぬ勇あるも 天の許さぬ叛逆を 起しゝ者は昔より 榮えし例あらざるぞ 敵の亡ぶる夫迄は 進めや進め諸共に 玉ちる劔拔き連れて 死する覺悟で進むべし 皇國の風と武士の 其身を護る靈の 維新このかた廢れたる 日本刀の今更に 又世に出づる身の譽 敵も身方も諸共に 刃の下に死すべきに 大和魂ある者の 死すべき時は今なるぞ 人に後れて恥かくな 敵の亡ぶる夫迄は 進めや進め諸共に 玉ちる劔拔き連れて 死する覺悟で進むべし 前を望めば劔なり 右も左りも皆劔 劔の山に登らんは　 未來の事と聞きつるに 此世に於て目のあたり　 劔の山に登るのも 我身のなせる罪業を　 滅す爲にあらずして 賊を征討するが爲　 劔の山もなんのその 敵の亡ぶるそれ迄は　 進めや進め諸共に 玉ちる劔拔き連れて　 死ぬる覺悟で進むべし 劔の光ひらめくは　 雲間に見ゆる稻妻か 四方に打出す砲聲は　 天に轟く雷（いかづち）か 敵の刃に伏す者や　 丸に碎けて玉の緒の 絶えて墓なく失する身の　 屍は積みて山をなし 其血は流れて川をなす　 死地に入るのも君が爲 敵の亡ぶる夫迄は　 進めや進め諸共に 玉ちる劔拔き連れて　 死ぬる覺悟で進むべし 彈丸雨飛の間にも　 二つなき身を惜まずに 進む我身は野嵐に　 吹かれて消ゆる白露の 墓なき最期とぐるとも 忠義の爲に死ぬる身の 死（しに）て甲斐あるものならば　 死ぬるも更に怨なし 我と思はん人たちは　 一歩も後へ引くなかれ 敵の亡ぶる夫迄は　 進めや進め諸共に 玉ちる劔拔き連れて　 死ぬる覺悟で進むべし 我今茲（われいまここ）に死ん身は　 君の爲なり國の爲 捨つべきものは命なり　 假令（たと）ひ屍は朽ちぬとも 忠義の爲に捨る身の　 名は芳しく後の世に 永く傳へて殘るらん　 武士と生れた甲斐もなく 義もなき犬と云はるゝな　 卑怯者となそしられそ 敵の亡ぶる夫迄は　 進めや進め諸共に 玉ちる劔拔き連れて　 死ぬる覺悟で進むべし	Ware wa kangun waga teki wa Tenchi irezaru chouteki zo Teki no taishou taru mono wa Kokon musou no eiyuu de Kore ni shitagou tsuwamono wa Tomo ni hyoukan kesshi no shi Kijin ni hajinu yuuaru mo Ten no yurusanu hangyaku wo Okoseshi mono wa mukashi yori Sakaeshi tameshi arazaru zo Teki no horoburu sore made wa Susume ya susume moro tomo ni Tamachiru tsurugi nuki tsurete Shisuru kakugo de susumu beshi Mikuni no fuuto mono no fu wa Sonomi wo mamoru tamashii no Ishiin kono kata sutaretaru Nihonto no ima sara ni Mata yo ni izuru mi no homare Teki mo mikata mo moro tomo ni Yaiba no shita ni shisu beki ni Yamato-damashii aru mono no Shisubeki toki wa ima naruzo Hito ni okurete haji kakuna Teki no horoburu sore made wa Susume ya susume moro tomo ni Tamachiru tsurugi nuki tsurete Shisuru kakugo de susumu beshi Mae wo nozomeba tsuruginari Migi mo hidari mo mina tsurugi Tsurugi no yama ni noboranwa Mirai no koto to kikitsuru ni Kono yo ni oite manoatari Tsurugi no yama ni noboru nomo Wagami no naseru zaigou wo Horobosu tame ni arazushite Zoku wo seibatsu suru ga tame Tsurugi no yama mo nann' no sono Teki no horoburu sore made wa Susume ya susume moro tomo ni Tamachiru tsurugi nuki tsurete Shinuru kakugo de susumu beshi Tsurugi no hikari kirameku wa Kumoma ni miyuru imazuma ka Yomo ni uchidasu housei wa Ten ni todoroku ikazuchi ka Teki no yaiba ni fusumono ya Tama ni kudakete tama no o no Taete hakanaku usuru mi no Kabane wa Tsumite yama wo nashi Sono chi wa nagarete kawa wo nasu Shichi ni hairu nomo kimi ga tame Teki no horoburu sore made wa Susume ya susume moro tomo ni Tamachiru tsurugi nuki tsurete Shinuru kakugo de susumu beshi Dangan'uhi no aida nimo Futatsu naki mi wo oshimazu ni Susumu wa ga mi wa noarashi ni Fukarete kiyuru shiratsuyu no Hakanaki saigo wo togurutomo Chugi no tame ni ususu mi no Shishite kai aru mono naraba Shisurumo sarani uraminashi Wareto owowan hitotachi wa Ippo mo ato e hikunakare Teki no horoburu sore made wa Susume ya susume moro tomo ni Tamachiru tsurugi nuki tsurete Shinuru kakugo de susumu beshi Ware ima koko ni shinan mi wa Kimi no tame nari Kuni no tame Sutsu beki mono wa inochi nari Tatoi kabane wa kuchinu tomo Chugi no tame ni usuru mi no Na wa kanbashiku nochi no yo ni Nagaku tsutaete nokoru nan Bushi to umareta kai mo naku Gi mo naki inu to iwaruruna Hikyou mono to na soshirare so Teki no horoburu sore made wa Susume ya susume moro tomo ni Tamachiru tsurugi nuki tsurete Shinuru kakugo de susumu beshi	We are the imperial army and Our enemies are The Emperor's enemies, forsaken by heaven and earth The enemy's commander is one who through history has no equal — a hero The soldiers who follow him are United as fierce warriors ready to fight to the death Though the wrathful deities shake their courage not Heaven will not forgive their rebellion Those who have risen up against us since olden times Have never had their moment of glory Until that time that our enemy is destroyed Charge, charge, together as one Drawing our swords, glistening like a broken jewel We must charge forth, determined to die Our divine nation's ways and the samurai's Bodies were defended by the spirits Though thrown away after the restoration Our Japanese swords now and again may be carried Again in our era, our reputation returned; Enemy and ally together as one Must die under the edge of the blade And to those with the Yamato spirit The time to die is now Do not disgrace yourself with delay Until that time that our enemy is destroyed Charge, charge, together as one Drawing our swords, glistening like a broken jewel We must charge forth, determined to die As I look ahead, there is a sword To my right and to my left, everywhere a sword To climb a mountain of swords They say is a deed for the future Seeing this world from the top with my own eyes I climbed this mountain of swords Not for the sake of atoning For the sins I have committed But for the sake of subjugating the rebels The mountain of swords — what does it matter? Until that time that our enemy is destroyed Charge, charge, together as one Drawing our swords, glistening like a broken jewel We must charge forth, determined to die The glint of light on a sword — Is it a flash of lightning between the clouds? The voice of the artillery firing in all directions — Is it the roar of the thunder? The ones defeated by the enemy's blades Or those struck by the enemy's rounds — Their life ended, their bodies without a grave The corpses piled up into a mountain Their blood streaming into a river — They go into certain death for the sake of the Emperor Until that time that our enemy is destroyed Charge, charge, together as one Drawing our swords, glistening like a broken jewel We must charge forth, determined to die Even amidst a rain of bullets The body of which there is no two, without regret Charges forward — myself, like the tempest's Gusts that blow away the white dew Should I meet my end unburied For loyalty's sake I will have died If it be that I die to that effect Then to death I will hold no grudge Those people who think they are as me Do not tread back one step Until that time that our enemy is destroyed Charge, charge, together as one Drawing our swords, glistening like a broken jewel We must charge forth, determined to die Now and here, my body is to die For the good of the emperor, the good of the country Discarded shall be our lives Even if our corpses may rot For our loyalty and composure, our names Esteemed among the later generations Shall long be passed down by those who remain As a warrior you were born — a life without worth And let nobody call you an immoral dog Nor let them slander you as a coward Until that time that our enemy is destroyed Charge, charge, together as one Drawing our swords, glistening like a broken jewel We must charge forth, determined to die

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