Tensei Jingo


Tensei Jingo is the title of a column which appears on the front page of the Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper. It is a translation of the Latin phrase as Vox Populi, Vox Dei. The column is limited to 607 Japanese characters.

History

The column first appeared in 1904 in the Osaka Asahi Shimbun. It was named by Nishimura Tenshu, the chief editor of Osaka Asahi Shimbun. The origin of the name is not clear, though it might be the translation of "Vox Populi, Vox Dei", or "the voice of the people is the voice of god". In 1913, the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun started a similar column named The Tojin Seijin until the end of August 1940. On the next day, both offices of the Asahi Shimbun changed the name of the column to The Udai Mudai and then on January 1, 1943, The Kamikaze-fu. On September 6, 1945, the title of the column returned to Tensei Jingo.

Characteristics

While appearing op-ed, the columns are actually written by professional newspaper reporters. The column reflects recent news, or change of seasons. It may contradict the editorial opinion of the paper.
The column started under strong influence of English essay literature at the beginning of the 20th century. The
Asahi Shimbun advertised that short essays in the Tensei Jingo were frequently cited in entrance examinations to universities. Recently, Tensei Jingo transcription note was published.

Writers

The writers were top journalists of the Asahi Shimbun at that time.
Other Japanese newspapers have similar columns, for instance Yomiuri Shimbun has a column, Mainichi Shimbun has a column, Tokyo Shimbun has a column and Nihon Keizai Shimbun has a column.

Footnotes