PROFILPELAJAR.COM

"Yuki no Shingun" (Japanese: 雪の進軍, lit. 'The Snow March') is a Japanese gunka composed in 1895 by Imperial Japanese Army musician Nagai Kenshi [ja] who reflected his experience in the Battle of Weihaiwei during the First Sino-Japanese War.^[1]^[2] The song was banned in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II and was used in the 1977 film Mount Hakkoda.

Background

During the Battle of Weihaiwei, the Imperial Japanese Army experienced heavy snow and low temperature, while being under-equipped with water, food and fuel.^[3] Nagai reflected in his song the hardship Japanese soldiers experienced and their discontentment about the war.^[4] The song, which was popular at the time of its publication^[5] and is described by scholars to have an upbeat melody,^[6]^[7] was said to be favoured by Ōyama Iwao.^[8] It was also taught and sung in Japanese schools during the late Meiji period.^[9]

Nagai's song was later widely referred to by soldiers during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. The discontentment about the war expressed in the song were viewed as antagonistic to Japanese militarism and prohibited by the Imperial Japanese Army, though the effectiveness of the order was in doubt.^[10]

Lyrics

Yuki no Shingun

Columbia Regal 68643 (277278). Played by the Toyama Army School Military Band.

Problems playing this file? See media help.

Kyūjitai	Shinjitai	Rōmaji	English Translation
雪の進軍　氷を踏んで　何處が河やら　道さへ知れず　馬は斃れる　捨てゝもおけず　此處は何處ぞ　皆敵の國儘まよ大膽　一服やれば　頼み少なや　煙草が二本	雪(ゆき)の進軍(しんぐん)氷(こおり)を踏(ふ)んでどれが河(かわ)やら道(みち)さえしれず馬(うま)は斃(たお)れる捨(す)ててもおけずここは何処(いずく)ぞ皆(みな)敵(てき)の国(くに) ままよ大胆(だいたん)一服(いっぷく)やれば頼(たの)み少(すく)なや煙草(タバコ)が二本(にほん)	Yuki no shingun koori wo funde Dore ga kawa yara michi sae shirezu Uma wa taoreru sutete mo okezu Koko wa izuku zo mina teki no kuni Mama yo daitan ippuku yareba Tanomi sukunaya tabako ga nihon	Marching in the snow, stepping on ice We can't even tell passages from rivers The horses are beaten, but we can't leave them Just what is this place? It's all enemy territory Tried to take a cigarette thinking 'Well the hell with it.' I'll be damned. Why there is another?
燒かぬ乾魚に　半煮え飯に憖生命の　ある其の内は堪へ切れ無い　寒さの焚火煙い筈だよ　生木が燻る澁い顏して　功名噺「粋」いと云ふのは　梅干し一つ	焼(や)かぬ乾魚(ひもの)に半(はん)煮(に)え飯(めし)になまじ生命(いのち)のあるそのうちはこらえ切(き)れない寒(さむ)さの焚火(たきび) 煙(けむ)いはずだよ生木(なまき)が燻(いぶ)る渋(しぶ)い顔(かお)して巧妙(こうみょう)噺(ばなし) 「酸(す)い」というのは梅干(うめぼし)一(ひと)つ	Yakanu himono ni han-nie meshi ni Namaji inochi no aru sono uchi wa Korae kirenai samusa no takibi Kemui hazu da yo namaki ga iburu Shibui kao shite kōmyō banashi "Sui" to iu no wa umeboshi hitotsu	Dried fishes are not dry enough, and the rice won't be cooked enough. It's not long before we're living half-boiled days For this cold can't be endured with just a bonfire It will definitely smoke but the wet wood burns. Putting on a sour face, saying the stories of valor. The "sour" thing here's a pickled plum
着の身着のまゝ　氣樂な臥所背嚢枕に　外套被りや背の溫みで雪融け掛る夜具の黍殻　シッポリ濡れて結び兼ねたる　露營の夢を月は泠たく顏覗き込む	着(き)の身(み)着(き)のまま気楽(きらく)な臥所(ふしど) 背嚢(はいのう)枕(まくら)に外套(がいとう)被(かぶ)りゃ背(せな)の温(ぬく)みで雪(ゆき)解(ど)けかかる夜具(やぐ)の黍殻(きびがら)しっぽり濡(ぬ)れて結(むす)びかねたる露営(ろえい)の夢(ゆめ)を月(つき)は冷(つめ)たく顔(かお)覗(のぞ)き込(こ)む	Ki nomi ki no mama kiraku na fushido Hainō makura ni gaitō kaburya Sena no nukumi de yuki doke kakaru Yagu no kibigara shippori nurete Musubi kanetaru roei no yume wo Tsuki wa tsumetaku kao nozokikomu	The clothes we wear are our carefree beds We cover under our overcoats on knapsack pillows With the warmth of our backs, the snow thaws Soaking wet our millet-husk bedding We can't dream of dreaming in the bivouacs The moon peeks into, coldly
命捧げて　出てきた身故死ぬる覺悟で　吶喊すれど武運拙く　討死にせねば義理に絡めた　恤兵眞緜そろりそろりと　頚締め掛るどうせ生かして　還さぬ積り	命(いのち)捧(ささ)げて出(で)てきた身(み)ゆえ死(し)ぬる覚悟(かくご)で吶喊(とっかん)すれど武運(ぶうん)拙(つたなく)く討死(うちじ)にせねば義理(ぎり)にからめた恤兵(じゅうっぺい)真綿(まわた) そろりそろりと頚(くび)締(し)めかかるどうせ生(い)かして還(かえ)さぬ積(つ)もり	Inochi sasagete detekita mi yue Shinuru kakugo de tokkan suredo Buun tsutanaku uchiji ni seneba Giri ni karameta jūppei mawata Sorori sorori to kubi shime kakaru Dōse ikashite kaesanu tsumori	As we came here in debt of our lives We charged with death resolution If the fortunes of war betrayed us, and we survived the battle The consolation packages entwined with loyalty Slowly, slowly, would try to strangle us Anyhow, the superiors won't let us go home alive

In popular culture

The 1977 film Mount Hakkoda used "Yuki no Shingun" and associated this song with the Hakkōda Mountains incident.
The Japanese version of the 2005 video game Destroy All Humans!, released in 2007, referred to the first two lines of the song.^[10]
The 2012 anime Girls und Panzer shows Yukari Akiyama and Riko "Erwin" Matsumoto singing the song during a reconnaissance march through the snow in episode 9, and the anime's sequel films Girls und Panzer der Film^[11] and Girls und Panzer das Finale use the melody as a leitmotif for the Imperial Japanese Army-themed Chi-Ha-Tan Academy.