Akiko Shikata is a singer-songwriter, musician and soundtrack composer. A t… Read Full Bio ↴Akiko Shikata is a singer-songwriter, musician and soundtrack composer. A tricky artist to categorize, her works incorporate various genres such as neoclassical darkwave, world music, experimental, jazz, synthpop, new age, classical, ambient, and more ordinary Japanese pop, among many others. She launched her career in 2001, with the vocal EP Midori no mori de nemuru tori ("Sleeping Bird in the Green Forest"), which she made on her own using a synth and a laptop. In 2002, she released an instrumental album, Kurenawi, showing various influences such as Caribbean music, traditional Japanese folk and classical piano music. In 2003, she released her first full-length vocal album, Haikyo to Rakuen ("Ruins and Heaven"), showing influences from Old Europe, classical and ethnic music, in which she sang Italian poetry, but also Japanese lyrics and what is seemingly an invented language ("Iuripuka"). This album gained critical success in Japan through the indie music platform Muzie, where it stayed on top of the sales for two years.

Her latest release is the avant-garde album Ayashi (2018) which could be labeled as world fusion.

古
志方あきこ Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

厳かな大地よ古の楽土よ
繁りあう樹木を太陽は照らす

混沌の大地よ絶え間なき野生よ
限りなき世界で獣たちは舞う

ひそやかな泉よ清らかな水面よ
密林の深くで闇夜が騒ぐ

地平には赤き山が咆えたけり
満天の星を焦がす命の篝火

絶える事なき鮮やかなその生命
奪い合い与えながら強く栄え輝け

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to 志方あきこ's song 古 paint a picture of a world that is both ancient and wild. The first two lines describe the grandeur of the earth, using the word 古 (old/ancient) to convey a sense of timelessness. The fertile trees are illuminated by the sun's rays, their growth reminding us of the unstoppable force of nature.

The next two lines describe a world in a state of chaos, with untamed and wild beasts roaming endlessly. The endless world is a reminder of the vastness of the planet and how life continues to thrive even in the harshest environments.

Then, the scene shifts to a quiet spring and a pure water surface, but even here in the depths of the forest, the darkness of night still causes a stir. Finally, the climax of the song is reached with the image of a red mountain on the horizon, roaring and ablaze with the fire of life. The lyrics celebrate the undying, vibrant life that exists all around us.

Line by Line Meaning

厳かな大地よ古の楽土よ
Oh majestic land, oh ancient paradise

繁りあう樹木を太陽は照らす
The sun shines down on the flourishing trees

混沌の大地よ絶え間なき野生よ
Oh chaotic land, oh never-ending wilderness

限りなき世界で獣たちは舞う
In this boundless world, the beasts dance

ひそやかな泉よ清らかな水面よ
Oh quiet spring, oh pure water's surface

密林の深くで闇夜が騒ぐ
In the depths of the jungle, the dark night rages

地平には赤き山が咆えたけり
On the horizon, the red mountain roars

満天の星を焦がす命の篝火
The bonfire of life burns the starry sky

絶える事なき鮮やかなその生命
The vivid life that never ceases

奪い合い与えながら強く栄え輝け
Thrives and shines by taking and giving

Contributed by Juliana M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.