Thank you Samurai Champloo.

Arayashikiku no dei - (in search of a new land) Harasaku baku no dei - (let's build a new house) Hare fushigyurasa nejyuku - (by neatly gathering hay) Surajifushiro yondo - (to thatch the roof) Hare fushigyurasa nejyuku - (by neatly gathering hay) Fushigyurasa nejyuku - (neatly gathering hay) Surajifusero yondo - (to thatch the roof) Kirishigaki ku no dei - (at the stone walls) Kuganeya be tatei tei - (let's celebrate the golden house) Hare momo tobyuru wakya - (that was built) Ya uriba yuwa o yondo - (by a hundred carpenters) Hare momo to byuru wakya - (that was built) Momo to byuru wakya - (was built) Ya uriba yuwa o yondo - (by a hundred carpenters) Hateigachi ya naryuri - (august draws near) Tobibani ya neranu - (but i have nothing to wear) Hare utou katabani - (i want to dress up) Ya karachitabore - (brothers, lend me a sleeve) Hitotsu aru bani ya - (i want to dress the children and those i love) Kanasha se ni kusuitei - (with the single kimono i own) Hare wanu ya okuyama - (i will wear vines) Nu kazuradasuki - (that i picked deep within the mountains) Ojyuugoya no teiki ya - (the full moon shines) Kami gyurasa teryuri - (far and wide like the gods) Hare kana ga jyo ni tataba kumo tei taborei - (when my lover comes to visit, i wish the clouds would hide it a little)

This song isn't intended to be sad, rather the opposite. The message is hoping for better things coupled with a pure selfless intent and sung with both passion and modesty.

I took this information from Kit Marcos. He commented on another channel but I wanted to share his information here as it's great. 'For those of you who are even slightly curious about the language, and want to gain some insight on the cultural background of this song: Mugen (from Samurai Champloo) is a pirate that hailed from the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. Ikue Asazaki sings this song in a Ryukyu dialect, most likely one spoken on the islands of Amami, Asazaki's birthplace. The Ryukyu Kingdom (which lasted from the 1400s to the 1800s) had its own set of cultures and languages that were related to, but independent from, the "mainland" Yamato Japanese (the ethnic group of Japanese that you are probably most familiar with) as well as the Chinese Ming and Qing dynasties. Over time, though, the Ryukyuans were gradually assimilated into Japanese society to a point of near-extinction. Fortunately, the end of World War II saw a comeback for the ethnic Ryukyuans, who initially resented war and Japanese/American imperialism due to the native Ryukyuans being used as "fodder for the war." You can also figure out why this song is sad as shit from the centuries of war and trade disputes that the Ryukyuans had to deal with. Ryukyuan history is surprisingly eye-opening'. Text from Kit Marcos. And now extra INFO for the angry one (31/08.23) Not from me! I’m from Amami where this singer is also from. This is for those who are curious about my island, this song and language. The language she speaks is Amami language and the singing style is called Shimauta (島唄) which literally means island song/music and traditional style in my island, you can search 元ちとせ (Hajime Chitose) or 中孝介 (Atari Kosuke) and hear this style. This singing style is inherited through the generations; however, the language is completely dying as a result of discrimination that occurred until the middle of the Showa period. My island was subjugated by Ryukyu (Okinawa) and then Satsuma, which is called Kagoshima today, this is why this song (actually this is two songs) is all about poverty. Obokuri is about building a golden house we could never have, and Eeumi is about how they don’t have any nice clothes to wear for August, which is a harvest celebration season. During this time they wish for the moon to hide in the clouds, so how poorly they dress won’t be seen beneath the moonlight, when their lover visits during the night. While under the domain of the Satsuma clan from the early 1600 until the Meiji period which is over 250 years; Our islanders were not allowed to make or plant anything other than brown sugar canes (This exploitation worsened during a later period known as brown sugar hell/黒糖地獄 today.) Since sugar was a premium product in Japan back then, the Satsuma clan could sell it to the other clans and make good money to pay off their debit and buy western weapons from Europe. Some of you who are familiar with Japanese history, might get a hint as to why Satsuma suddenly became so powerful. Armed with modern western weaponry around the end of the Edo period they were able to defeat the Tokugawa shogunate with the Choshu clan, and successfully modernize Japan. During that period most of the islanders literally had nothing to eat other than cycad, which is a highly poisonous plant, you can read this article here on why Amamians had to develop a way of eating it to survive. www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200106-how-a-plant-saved-a-japanese-island Our islanders were not allowed to have family names for the time being, and later on, we were finally allowed one, however it had to be a single kanji last name so Satsuma could classify Amamians as not Japanese. Some of us (including my family) altered our names by adding another kanji or two to the original single kanji, as a means of preventing discrimination in Taisho-Showa period (most Japanese family names are made with multiple kanji), but there are still a lot of people who have a single kanji family name today on my island, just like Hajime (元), Atari (中) I mentioned above. While under the control of America after WW2, Okinawa was the only large city we could go to without a passport within Japan to get a better job etc since Okinawa was also under the control of America. So a lot of us moved to Okinawa and were discriminated against by Okinawans, you can imagine how a large group /community of people from a poor place would be treated in a better place. Due to discriminations and poverty, when my parents were still kids, there was a movement on my island. The language was publicly banned at schools in Naze, the only city on the island and where most people live. They were told to speak standard Japanese, so they wouldn’t be discriminated against when they became adults and left the island in the future. Since the majority of young islanders started speaking standard Japanese, the original language has faded away by today, around the generation of my parents (60-70 years old) probably kind of understand the language, but not completely or to a communicable level. The younger the generation, the more likely they speak only standard Japanese. I'm around 40 years old, but I don't understand most of the words this singer says, it's because of the reason I mentioned, and this singer is from Setouchi which is located in the south and I'm from central/north. The language/dialect is slightly different but I understand some words and some of the wordings/phrasings in this song are still used by old people in villages today. I don't know why this singer/song is featured for this anime when the main character is from Ryukyu, maybe it's just because of a commercial reason. This singing style had a lot of attention in Japan around the time this anime was released, this song called Wadatsumi no Ki by Hajime Chitose got a smash hit and sold over a million copies in early 2000's and it was the first time for most Japanese people hearing this singing style. Most people in mainland think Okinawa and Amami are just the same southern tropical resort island. So this song is nothing related to Okinawa/Ryukyu historical and cultural background as some of people mention here.

I know what it means but the song still makes me feel like I'm dying. The despair in her voice is so apparent, it's so beautiful.

Waiting for someone you know who will never show up is one of the most awful feelings ever.

From the first "ahhh" I am overwhelmed with emotion. She starts the song off sounding like she's wailing. what a fuckin beautiful song I can't stop tearing up

Her voice alone turns my soul into an abandoned cemetery.

I encountered this song at the lowest point in my life, and it brought me to tears. It didn't assist me in escaping my circumstances, but it provided an outlet for my tears. There comes a moment when no tears remain, and you've poured out everything. Now, this song empowers me. So that I never find myself in the same situation again. Sorry bad grammar, Chatgpt translate for me. Thanks for read me, do your best. Be strong.

I don't understand how someone could sing this song without crying. It makes me well up every time.

In search of new lands, I built a new house I thatch the house with reed stalks, gathered neatly in bundles I thatch the house with reed stalks, gathered neatly in bundles At the stone wall, let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred carpenters. At the stone wall, let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred carpenters. Let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred carpenters. August is fast approaching, and yet I have nothing to wear I want to dress up, so brother, will you lend me just one sleeve? I wish to dress my children and loved ones in the one kimono that I own As for me, I will wear vines that I plucked deep in the mountains The light of the harvest moon shines down, illuminating the world with its divine light When my lover sneaks in to visit me, I wish that the clouds would hide that light just a little.

This song used to terrify me as a kid. Watching Mugen on the verge of death made me so sad. It was almost like I could feel his pain. Now that I am older, the song doesn't sound so sad but rather hopeful.

That piano is Majestic, words cannot do justice to this.....

It was this many days till today that I realized this was actually TWO songs back-to-back. Amazing. This is a melody that you can never forget.

This song brings tears to my eyes every time. I think i will have this at my funeral.

One of the most amazing songs..period... i spent hours listening to it...

Speechless. Timeless sound and yeah...thank you Samurai Champloo :)

Even in Japan, I don't understand the meaning of words. However, I feel like singing the sound of words as a tool for emotional communication. So I felt it spread more toward my body than to my head.

this song makes me bawl and weep like a baby

She is 83 now

I haven't watch samurai yet but just from this song alone I can tell its a masterpiece.

I wanted this to be played at my funeral.

This song is moving with its level of sadness, but it's also lined with a feeling of fighting for what you love. How hard we work and what we are all willing to go through for what we love, even if our life is a living hell.

I'm really glad I came here, can't express what I'm feeling now, if this is the feeling of hearing beauty and I guess I feel happy and at the same time feeling like something is torn inside me.

What a beautiful piece of Art.

I’d been happy to read subtitles of this song, in french or even in english... La tessiture de la voix, le grain, le thème mélodique et le toucher sur le piano, tout y est: la ballade japonaise dans toute sa splendeur. Quelle voix....

"Asazaki-san sings this in her traditional Kagoshima/Okinawan/Japanese style, accompanied by piano. Some say that Ikue Asazaki is Okinawan and from Okinawa. Some say she’s from Kyushu, the southernmost large island of Japan, where Kagoshima, her birthplace is. This is a testament to the complexity of history and who claims what. Some say she sings in Okinawan. Some say she sings in the Kyushu dialect. Both and none may be true. Most mainstream Japanese do not understand what she is singing. Dialect? Another language? Okinawan? Japanese? Kyushu language or dialect? In the end, we listen to the beautiful language and song, to reflect, enjoy, feel. As in most nation-states, the dominant state language is demanded. When I was growing up in Japan, those who spoke the language that she speaks, were ridiculed and often called stupid and primitive and unsophistocated. Nowadays, the young Japanese are more fascinated with these languages. The stigma of it has changed. In destruction, while languages and cultures become museum pieces for us, are we then appreciative? Let us listen and appreciate."

Translation: In search of new lands, I build a new house I thatch the house with reed stalks, gathered neatly in bundles I thatch the house with reed stalks, gathered neatly in bundles At the stone wall, let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred carpenters. At the stone wall, let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred carpenters. Let us celebrate the golden house, that was built by a hundred carpenters. The eighth month is fast approaching, and yet I have nothing to wear I want to dress up, so brother, will you lend me just one sleeve? I wish to dress my children and loved ones… in the one kimono that I own As for me, I will wear vines… that I plucked deep in the mountains The light of the full moon shines down, illuminating the world with its divine light When my lover sneaks in to visit me, I wish that the clouds would hide that light just a little

Great song. Samurai Champloo brought me here.

I use this for meditation. It’s so hauntingly beautiful.

I love how she bends the pitch.

one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard

And you ? Are you crying right now ?

See you, Mugen . . .

Through samurai champloo I learned about Nujabes and this song. Thank you.

i cry every time i hear this

I can't stop crying when i hear this song Every time I just start to cry and i can't stop it's one of the best songs if not the best song I've ever listened to

I get chills every time I hear this song. I've loved it ever since the first time I heard it.

Ive been looking for this forever thank you so much

such a beautiful scene in samurai champloo :'0

This song gives me a sense of hope

I can't quite describe the feeling. Sad but relieved, kinda.

Here after Samurai Champloo, beautiful music ! 🙌🙏❤

killer piano solo @ 1:57

I luv this one... Meaning and how so deep it is ...

I really want to watch her sing🙂

So painful and beautiful.

Thanks Samurai Champloo. Thanks Watanabe.

Okinawans are a national minority that were incorporated into modern Japan. I don't know a whole lot about their history as such but they were treated as second-class citizens and used as cannon-fodder by the Japanese dictatorship in 1945 against invading American troops. In my experience/reading, having lived in Japan in 1990 and studied the language and history for five years total, this music comes from the small tradition of Japan of the peasants and the minorities as against the ruling class and militarists, shogun, emperor and samurai. It highlights the poverty and suffering of the peasants under feudalism. It should be noted however, that peasants, dissident Samurai and monks did rebel against Edo. There was one peasant rebellion every year for the 200 years of the Tokugawa dynasty. One of them, the Kaga rebellion was successful probably in large part because it was staged from a mountainous isolated area. The rebels had a democracy and held out for 200 years. They practiced a dissident form of Buddhism.

"Every hour wounds but the last one kils"

I never thought I see myself coming here and listening to this song for something negative that I'm going through in my life. I'm recently going through friend drama and I have to make a decision for myself in weather or not I want to stay friends but distant myself, or completely cut him him off... and I think I made the decision that I'm going to cut him off for good. This song has been healing me and relaxing to me. And I love listening this song

I never get tired of this....

新日本風土記で聞いて見つからんやろなと思いながらぽちり。一発でこの曲を当てれました。あはがりもそうですが番組の映像と合いすぎてて鳥肌立ちました。

this also fits Vagabond perfectly

Thank you for uploading this beautiful music ❤

Masterpiece!

Very pleasing to the ear after hearing.

absolutely nobody: my speaker when i’m vibing at 3 am:

Thank you NHK World TV (Seasoning the Seasons) :')

Why I always cry with this song 😭

so hauntingly beautiful

One of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard I use for meditation

Merci ✌️✊🖤💜🖤💙

I will never stop listening to this song. I will never forget my trip to Kagoshima. I will never forget seeing live Ikue Asazaki.

When I lived there 27 years ago, the dominant music among the youth was Jpop and most folk music was not followed to the extent that western style pop was. Further it was a really shallow style. Okinawa minyo rock was a counter current to this but it was small. This is also connected to the sudden arrest of Japanese historical development by its defeat in World War II. Also by the domination of these so-called Liberal Democratic Party which promoted the ideas as a continuation from the Meiji Reformation of the Samurai as the national ideal rather than the lives of the majority ie the peasants. So wanting to forget their dark past The Dark Valley, kurai tanima, as it was referred to and the reality of Japanese feudal history the dominant art form if you can call it that was J-pop. However as Lenin noted, there are always two traditions in a nation: the great tradition and the small tradition. The Okinawan and the peasant minyo was part of the small tradition of the suffering, spirituality, love and hope of ordinary People under feudalism and capitalism.

So relaxing 💙

🥺🥺 شكرا براء لانك كنت السبب بأن اتابع هذه التحفة الفنية

Vai bem dentro da alma! Uma canção que sempre ouço

U have to had experienced real pain to sing this

I get goosebumps listening to this

Recpect this original rythem and I love this song so much ❤🙏

Gracias a este fabuloso animé conocí a ikue y a nujabes.

Beautiful song ❤

Brilliant!

i love it

Meio Feel Skills

Samurai champloo inspired ...💋

Awesome just awesome

this is really cool!

great !

ほんまもんUtasha 何回、聴いても　ええ

Peaceful ⛅🍀, Thx.

RIP Yasuo

Thank you Lous and the yakuzas

She is from Amami Oshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, not Okinawa.These two islands have very different cultures, such as food and singing styles.

this is pretty cool!

Mugen representa ❤ Linda canção.

Pjesma je preljepa nerazumnim rjeci al mi se place❤

Qui est là grâce à Lous ?

So Beautiful :-) :-) :-)

Gracias

This song..this song makes death feel like a new journey that I'm willing to proceed with

When your uncle pushes you Into the pool🤣

Rip mum. ♥️

tellement beau T^T

Brother, I can't feel my legs...

Это великолепно!👏 Шедевральное сопровождение 👍

ahhhhh my heart is full of blue and red

thanks

i hope this is what i hear when i die