THE HEBREW LANGUAGE IN JAPANESE SONGS

The folk songs of a people are usually indicative of their roots: where they came from, who their ancestors were. And in this case, Japan is no exception. An informative but nevertheless startling statement was made by Dr. Eiji Kawamorita, who has done extensive research on Japanese folk songs and festive music: many of Japan's most well-known folk songs derive from Hebrew sources. For example, the famous children's story song, "Momotaro."

In brief, the story deals with an old man and his wife who lived near the banks of a river in ancient Japan. One day while washing the family clothes, the old woman found a large peach (Momo) drifting down stream. She picked up the huge fruit, and brought it home for her husband to see. They were both delighted with such an unusually large and beautiful fruit, and proceeding to make a careful examination, fondling it lovingly in their hands. Suddenly, when they attempted to cut it, the fruit burst open and a beautiful baby boy came forth wreathed . in smiles.

The boy grew up in a loving home atmosphere, and nurtured with good country food, and the beautiful surroundings of nature; he became known for his wonderful disposition. On a certain day, this boy went to the island of Oni, or demons, accompanied by his three faithful companions, a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant. The four of them conquered the island, and brought back with them, a huge amount of treasure. They piled this treasure onto a cart, and wheeled the cart toward the boat, in which they had come to the island; as they proceeded, Momotaro and his friends sang this song "En Yalah Yah! - En Yalah Yah - En Yalah Ya."

To this day, children sing this song when they recite the story of Momotaro. For generations, people have been bewildered as to the meaning of these words. Now Dr. Kawamorita provides us with a logical, undoubtedly accurate answer to the puzzle. The phrase "En Yalah Yah," says the good doctor, was derived from the Hebrew, "Ahnee Ahala Ya," which means "I praise God."

Another case in point; watching the festival of the Myoken Shrine in Yatsushiro, a city in central western Kyushu, people will be seen carrying a wooden ark on their shoulders, chanting "Hallelujah! Hahlia! Toshe! ... Yahwe, Yahwe, Yoitonnah!" To the processions who uttered these words they made no sense; but nevertheless, year after year these same words are chanted The words are not Japanese. They are not local dialect. Where do they come from, and why are they chanted at the annual pro cession of Myoken Shrine? Dr. Kawamorita claims that these phrases are Hebrew, brought to the island of Kyushu in ancient times, by the Middle Eastern Hada people.

Even more interesting is the song, "Nagid Yalah," a folk song that one hears even today in northeastern Honshu. It goes as follows:

Nagid Yaalayo
Nagid Nasaledade Saie
Nagiatz Iudoh Yaalayo

In ancient Hebrew,

"Forward Lord Proceed"
"Forward David dispells the enemy"
"Leading Judah, the Lord proceeds"

Even in the area of the Grand Shrine of Ise, people still sing a song called "Ise Ondo."

Sa Sa Iah Toqo Sher
Iahwe Iohanan
Qoreh Waishe
Konnoh Nagid Moshe

which in ancient Hebrew means

Be ye rejoiced!
The Lord thrust the enemy.
I will praise the Lord!
He called for thee and saved.
He set the leader Moses.

These words can be found in almost any Hebrew Prayer Book or Bible .

Do you recognize it? It is the song of Miriam, who sang it after the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea. (Exodus Chapter 15) This song was brought to Japan by the Silk Road such as the tribes of Hada and Oga, when they first came to the Japanese Islands. Their descendants have kept alive these traditions and dances for more than 1,500 years .

In the Nihonshoki, or the Chronicles of Japan, one finds a remark about the song of Miriam made by Hada-no-Otsuchi, who, the chief of the Hada tribe, described the customs of their communities in the Ise area.