Yuki no Shingun - The Snowy March

"Yuki no Shingun" (雪の進軍, The Snowy March) is a Japanese gunka composed in 1895 by Imperial Japanese Army musician Nagai Kenshi who reflected his experience in the Battle of Weihaiwei during the First Sino-Japanese War. During the Battle of Weihaiwei, the Imperial Japanese Army experienced heavy snow and low temperature, while being under-equipped with water, food and fuel. Nagai reflected in his song the hardship Japanese soldiers experienced and their discontentment about the war. The song, which was popular at the time of its publication and is described by scholars to have an upbeat melody, was said to be favored by Ōyama Iwao. It was also taught and sung in Japanese schools during the late Meiji period. Nagai&song was later widely referred to by soldiers during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. The discontentment about the war and sacrificial theme expressed in the song were viewed as antagonistic to Japanese militarism and was prohibited by the Imperial Japanese Army, though the effectiveness of the order was in doubt. Lyrics: Yuki no singun kori wo funde Dore ga kawa yara michi sae shirezu Uma wa taoreru sutete mo okezu Koko wa izukuzo mina teki mo kuni Mama yo daitan ippuku yareba Tanomisukuna ya tabako ga nihon Yaka nu himo no ni han ni e meshini Namaji inochi no aru sono uchi wa Korae kire nai samusa no takibi Kemure hazu da yo namaki ga iburu Shibui kao shite koumyou banashi Sui toyuu no wa umeboshi hitotsu Kinomikinomama kiraku na fushido...