Read, reflect, pray
The first Horse day: waka
きさらぎや
Fujiwara no Mitsutoshi
Poem and reading aid
きさらぎや
kisaragiya
けふ初午の
kefu hatsuumano
しるしとて
shirushitote
稲荷の杉は
inarino sugiha
もとつ葉もなし
mototsu hamonashi
How to use the Roman letters
Roman letters follow the kana displayed in this site’s Japanese reader; some readings are editorial additions documented on the Japanese page. These are a reading aid, not restored Sanskrit or a recording of a temple’s chanting. Historical spellings (such as wo, wi, we and ha used as a particle) are kept. Double vowels and repeated vowels mark the written kana; rhythm and pronunciation can differ by tradition.
You can simply read the meaning or sit quietly. No recitation is required. For a temple or shrine’s own recitation, follow that tradition’s published guidance.
Meaning in English
In the second month, today is the first Horse day. Taken as tokens of pilgrimage, even the lowest leaves of Inari’s cedar are gone.
Background and attribution
Fushimi Inari introduces this poem in connection with cedar tokens and Hatsu-uma devotion. The exaggeration suggests the crowds of pilgrims; it is literature associated with Inari, not words spoken by the kami.
The English meaning and explanation are this site’s own rendering. The poem’s speaker, author and object of devotion are not necessarily the same.
Connected figures
Sources and edition (2)
English explanations on this page were prepared by Inori no Mori from the cited text and its Japanese explanations. They are not an official translation or a prescribed liturgy.