Ujou Noguchi -- Nanatsu no Ko（七つの子）

The above video has Cathy Cat of the YouTube channel "Ask Japanese" describing the situation concerning crows in Japan. Now, here in Toronto, if there are any problem avians, perhaps the finger can be pointed at pigeons and their "bombs", but as someone who lived in Japan for many years, it's safe to say that the bird of terror over there is the crow.

Crows are big in Japan (no pun intended) and they do love our garbage. Many was the day that I sauntered downstairs from my apartment in Ichikawa to head to work and I would see a couple of them (about the size of small falcons) attempting to pick at the garbage bags in the trash collection space. They would then glare at me like teenage punks spoiling for a fight (I swore that I saw a tattoo on one gleaming beak) and I would just wave shyly and walk quickly away.

One time in the summer, I was walking on a road heading to the subway station from my apartment and across the street on the fence surrounding one of the elementary schools, there were about five crows roosting at the top, and we made eye contact. Suddenly, I heard "Duel of the Fates" playing in my head. Unfortunately, I didn't have a lightsaber but I was ready to do battle with my umbrella. The Crows of the Sith have been known to suddenly attack.

But almost 80 years before John Williams came up with his most memorable "Star Wars" creation outside of his soundtracks for the original trilogy, lyricist Ujou Noguchi（野口雨情）and composer Nagayo Motoori（本居長世）created a much less dramatic and more calming Japanese children's song about crows titled "Nanatsu no Ko".

First seeing the light of day in the children's magazine "Kin no Fune"（金の船...The Golden Ship）in 1921, I initially translated the title "Nanatsu no Ko" as "Seven Children", although according to the Wikipedia article, it has also been shown as "Seven Baby Crows" or "The Crow's Seven Chicks". In the original J-Wiki article, it was also written that there has been some unresolved mystery on whether the title referred to there actually being seven baby crows or whether the crows were seven years old and were representing children (did anybody think about actually asking Mr. Ujo or was his residence surrounded by crows?). But when I checked this blog on crows, the birds reach sexual maturity at around three or four years of age, and considering that some videos, including the one above, have those seven baby crows in the nest, I would probably go with the former theory.

Also, according to the J-Wiki article, monuments to the song have been erected at sites such as Noguchi's alma mater in Ibaraki Prefecture and also a park devoted to Japanese children's songs in Wakayama Prefecture. One reason that I did put up "Nanatsu no Ko" was that last night, I had written about Saburo Kitajima's（北島三郎）"Kaero ka na"（帰ろかな）, which often incorporated a verse from the song when performed on stage.

So, if any of you reading this are living in Japan and come across a gang of crows, just whistle "Nanatsu no Ko" and be on your merry way. Incidentally, you can also try out another Noguchi song involving another animal "Shojoji no Tanukibayashi"（証城寺の狸囃子）.