Kagome Kagome is a Japanese children's game and the song associated with it. One player is chosen as the Oni and sits blindfolded. The other children join hands and walk in circles around the Oni while chanting the song for the game. When the song stops, the Oni tries to name the person standing directly behind them. The song is a subject of much interest because of its cryptic lyrics which vary from region to region, and many theories exist about its meaning, but neither have been definitely explained.
Melody
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Lyrics
In Japanese, the song has different lyrics depending on the region, but the most commonly known version is: The most common interpretation is:
Kagome kagome / The bird in the basket/cage, When, oh when will it come out In the night of dawn The crane and turtle slipped Who is behind you now?
As the song is typically written in a single line without any punctuation, in addition to the odd phrasing and ambiguous words, it is also unclear which phrases are connected to which. Common variations in the song include replacing "夜明けの晩に" with "夜明けの番人", and "後ろの正面" with "後ろの少年". There are countless variations in history, many of which can be found recorded in writing.
Meaning of Lyrics
Many theories surround the meanings of the various phrases in the song. These include:
As "kago" can mean both "cage" and "basket", a bird in a basket would, by the standards of the age, be a chicken
It is possible that "tori" is supposed to be a metaphor for torii, and that kago refers to a bamboo fence, and that thus the "torii surrounded by bamboo" is in fact a Shinto shrine.
In the case that kagome is interpreted as "pregnant woman", the bird in the cage is her unborn child.
Itsu itsu deyaru
Can also be "itsu itsu deau"
Can mean "When will it come out?"
Can mean "When can it come out?"
Yoake no ban ni
Can simply mean night
Can mean "from morning till night"
Can mean an inability to see light
Can mean a period of time that can be taken as either dawn or night
As "yoake" literally means the end of night, and "ban" can refer to both night or evening, this can be a purposeful contradiction referring to a time period that does not exist
Tsuru to kame ga subetta
The crane and turtle can be interpreted as symbols of good fortune, and thus their slipping can mean the coming of misfortune
The crane and turtle can be interpreted as symbols of long life, and thus their slipping can mean the coming of death
"Subetta" can be taken to be "統べった" or "統べた", in which case the crane and turtle symbolize a ruler
Could be a corruption of a line from a Kyoto nursery rhyme, "tsurutsuru tsuppaita"
Ushiro no shoumen daare
Can simply mean "who stands behind"
Can be taken to mean "who is it that stands right in front when you look behind" in a figurative manner, referring to hidden people in positions of power
Can be taken to be something said by someone who has been beheaded, whose head is looking at his own back
Can be taken to be something said by someone who is about to be beheaded, in which case the question "who is it who stands behind me" is in other words "who is my executioner"
Theories
The song is a subject of much academic interest and many theories surround its origin and meaning. Some such theories are: ;The lyrics refer to the game only ;The song is about a prostitute ;The song is about a pregnant woman ;The song is about a convict to be executed
A song called "Kagome Kagome" is based on the song and game, but has a more horror-oriented version than the original. It was created by producer Kamiyanagi using the Japanese singing synthesizer Vocaloid and sung by Hatsune Miku and Megurine Luka.
The 1991 anime filmUshiro no Shoumen Daare is named for the last line of the song. The game "Bosan, Bosan",, is played in both the first and last scenes of the film.
The song and game are referenced in Episode 18 of, "Hitomiko's Barrier". The anime's female lead, Kagome Higurashi, is named after the Kagome crest and is shown in a flashback to have been teased and forced to play the game as a child. She had the seemingly supernatural ability to always know who was behind her.
