Time Flows — From Jōmon to Muromachi
Original title: 時は流るる ― 縄文から室町へ ―
Original Japanese lyrics are preserved for listening and Japanese-language practice. The explanations below are in English.
ABOUT THIS SONG
About this song
Follow the eras from Jōmon to Muromachi in song.
Shell middens, bronze bells, haniwa, missions to Sui China, the Mongol invasions, the Golden and Silver Pavilions.
Follow the words and images of each era to see the broader flow of Japanese history.
LYRICS
Romaji helps you sing the Japanese words. English meaning explains them, rather than matching the tune.
Japanese wordplay and memory tricks may sound unusual in English—that’s part of the fun! The sound clues work in Japanese.
ō and ū mark long vowels (oo and uu). Original English lines are kept as written.
Jōmon kaizuka kemuri tatsu
Tateana no sato ni hi ga kureru
Yayoi inaho naru dōtaku
Minori kotohogu aki no sora
Kofun yūhi ni haniwa no kage
Gōzoku nemuru ōkina haka
Jōmon Yayoi Kofun o koete
Daichi ni ikite toki wa nagaruru
Ikusen no yume kasaneyuku
Ā rekishi no michi o yuku
Asuka asagiri Hōryūji
Wa o tōtobi jūshichijō
Fune de wataru kenzuishi
Nara yuki furu Heijōkyō
Suzaku o nukete Tenpyō no
Daibutsu aogi haru o ogu
Asuka Nara e to miyako o tadori
Hotoke no oshie toki o irodoru
Ikusen no yume kasaneyuku
Ā rekishi no michi o yuku
Heian tsukiyo ni kanamoji no
Fumi shitatamete uta ni yomu
Jūnihitoe no sode nurasu (sode nurasu)
Kamakura bushi yumi o hiku
Goon o ukete iza hōkō
Hakata no umi ni genkō no nami
Muromachi Kinkaku asahi sasu
Tsukikage utsusu Ginkakuji
Kangō kakagete Min e funade
Heian Kamakura Muromachi e
Ikusa no ashioto hibikidasu
Ikusen no yume kasaneyuku
Ā rekishi no michi o yuku
Jōmon Yayoi Kofun Asuka
Nara Heian Kamakura Muromachi
Ikusen no yume kasaneyuku
Ā rekishi no michi o yuku
Umarete kiete inochi tsunagu
Senjin no omoi o mune ni
Ikusen no toki koeteyuku
Ā rekishi no michi o yuku
縄文 貝塚 煙立つ
竪穴の里に 日が暮れる
弥生 稲穂 鳴る銅鐸
実り寿ぐ 秋の空
古墳 夕日に 埴輪の影
豪族眠る 大きな墓
縄文 弥生 古墳を越えて
大地に生きて 時は流るる
幾千の夢 重ねゆく
ああ 歴史の道をゆく
飛鳥 朝霧 法隆寺
和を尊び 十七条
船で渡る 遣隋使
奈良 雪降る 平城京
朱雀を抜けて 天平の
大仏仰ぎ 春を招ぐ
飛鳥 奈良へと 都をたどり
仏の教え 時を彩る
幾千の夢 重ねゆく
ああ 歴史の道をゆく
平安 月夜に 仮名文字の
文したためて 歌に詠む
十二単の 袖濡らす（袖濡らす）
鎌倉 武士 弓を引く
御恩を受けて いざ奉公
博多の海に 元寇の波
室町 金閣 朝日差す
月影映す 銀閣寺
勘合掲げて 明へ船出
平安 鎌倉 室町へ
戦の足音 響き出す
幾千の夢 重ねゆく
ああ 歴史の道をゆく
縄文 弥生 古墳 飛鳥
奈良 平安 鎌倉 室町
幾千の夢 重ねゆく
ああ 歴史の道をゆく
生まれて 消えて 命つなぐ
先人の 思いを胸に
幾千の時 越えてゆく
ああ 歴史の道をゆく
Jōmon: shell mounds, rising smoke.
Dusk falls on a village of pit dwellings.
Yayoi: ears of rice, ringing bronze bells.
An autumn sky celebrates the harvest.
Kofun: haniwa figures cast shadows in the setting sun.
A great tomb where a powerful clan leader rests.
Through Jōmon, Yayoi and Kofun,
living on this land as time flows on.
Thousands of dreams build upon each other.
Ah, we travel the road of history.
Asuka: Hōryūji in the morning mist.
Harmony is cherished in the Seventeen-Article Constitution.
Envoys sail to Sui China.
Nara: snow falls on Heijō-kyō.
Through Suzaku Gate, into the Tenpyō age,
we look up at the Great Buddha and welcome spring.
Following the capitals from Asuka to Nara,
Buddhist teachings give color to the age.
Thousands of dreams build upon each other.
Ah, we travel the road of history.
Heian: beneath the moon, in kana script,
a letter is written, feelings woven into verse.
Tears wet the sleeves of layered court robes (wet the sleeves).
Kamakura: warriors draw their bows.
Receiving their lord's protection, they answer with service.
Waves of Mongol invasion reach the sea off Hakata.
Muromachi: morning sun shines on the Golden Pavilion.
Moonlight is mirrored at the Silver Pavilion.
Bearing tally certificates, ships set sail for Ming China.
Through Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi,
the footsteps of war begin to echo.
Thousands of dreams build upon each other.
Ah, we travel the road of history.
Jōmon, Yayoi, Kofun, Asuka,
Nara, Heian, Kamakura, Muromachi.
Thousands of dreams build upon each other.
Ah, we travel the road of history.
Lives begin and end, passing life onward.
Holding the hopes of those before us in our hearts,
we travel across thousands of moments.
Ah, we travel the road of history.
LOOK CLOSER · LOCK ON
Follow the changing eras through the song.
縄文 弥生 古墳を越えて
“Through Jōmon, Yayoi and Kofun.”
飛鳥 奈良へと 都をたどり
“Tracing the capitals through Asuka and Nara.”
平安 鎌倉 室町へ
“On through Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi.”
縄文 弥生 古墳 飛鳥 奈良 平安 鎌倉 室町
Jōmon → Yayoi → Kofun → Asuka → Nara → Heian → Kamakura → Muromachi
LYRIC SHEET
Japanese lyric sheet
Download the lyrics and look a little deeper.
The lyrics contain key historical terms and clues to each period.
Print them, add your own notes and trace how the eras connect.
