Kagome Kagome (かごめかごめ, or 籠目籠目) is a Japanese children's game and the song associated with it. One player is chosen as the oni (literally demon or ogre, but similar to the concept of "it" in tag) and sits blindfolded (or with their eyes covered). 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.
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 (For example, "In the night of dawn" could be an answer to "when oh when will it come out", or could be a setting for "the crane and turtle slipped").
Common variations in the song include replacing "夜明けの晩に" ("in the evening of the dawn") with "夜明けの番人" ("the guard at/of dawn"), and "後ろの正面" ("in front of behind") with "後ろの少年" ("the boy behind"). There are countless variations in history, many of which can be found recorded in writing.
Many theories surround the meanings of the various phrases in the song. These include:
"Kagome" (籠目): The holes in a basket
A corruption of "kakome" ("surround")
The shape of the holes in a traditional basket, a hexagon
The shape of the holes in a traditional, including the woven material, a hexagram (Star of David)
"Kagome" (籠女): A pregnant woman
Kagome - a caged bird
Kagome - "Circle you"
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 (typically woven out of bamboo) 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.
Can also be "itsu itsu deau" ("When oh when will we meet")
Can mean "When will it come out?"
Can mean "When can it come out?"
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 (around 4 AM)
As "yoake" literally means the end of night, and "ban" is night, this can be a purposeful contradiction referring to a time period that does not exist
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" ("to rule over"), in which case the crane and turtle symbolize a ruler
Could be a corruption of a line from a Kyoto nursery rhyme, "tsurutsuru tsuppaita"
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"
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
In this theory the lyrics mean "Surround, surround (the Oni) / When will the Oni be able to switch roles with the next person? / Who is it standing behind you?".
The song is about a prostitute
In this theory the lyrics refer to a woman forced into prostitution (the bird in a cage) who has seen so many men that she cannot remember all of them ("who is it who stands behind" refers to the next person in line) and wonders when she will be able to escape (when oh when will it escape).
The song is about a pregnant woman
In this theory the "kagome" is a pregnant woman. Someone pushes her down a flight of stairs ("tsuru to kame ga subetta") and she miscarries, and wonders who killed her child ("ushiro no shoumen daare").
The song is about a convict to be executed
The "kagome" is a prison cell, and the bird is its prisoner. "Tsuru to kame ga subetta" symbolizes the end of life and fortune, and "ushiro no shoumen daare" is either the prisoner wondering who his executioner is, or his disembodied head gazing at his own body.
The song is used in the film and manga series "Kami-sama no Iu Toori", (As The Gods Will)
In the manga After School Nightmare, the author mentions the rhyme, explaining that the recurring motif of cages throughout the work are a metaphor relating to the rhyme. In keeping with the themes of the manga, she interprets the rhyme as being about miscarriage.
The song features prominently in the Japanese visual novels Remember11, Chaos;Head and Robotics;Notes. In the latter two the song appears as being important to a secret society.
A song called "Kakome Kakome" ("Circle you, Circle you") 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.
In the anime/manga Inuyasha by Rumiko Takahashi, the protagonist Kagome Higurashi didn't like her name in her youth because the other children kept teasing her for having the same name as the song. In episode 16 of the anime series Inuyasha: The Final Act, Kagome flashbacks to her younger self playing it with other kids.
In the game Touhou 6: The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, the extra-stage boss has a Spell Card (special attack) called "Kagome, Kagome". In Touhou 8: Imperishable Night, the fifth stage's theme is an arrangement of this song called: Cinderella Cage ~ Kagome-Kagome.
In the horror game Fatal Frame, ghost children are shown singing this at the beginning of the second chapter.
In the Japanese version of Terranigma, the dolls summoned by Bloody Mary sing this rhyme. This sequence proved extremely problematic in the English translation, as the sequence required the player to attack the doll that stopped behind them to proceed, but an overly-literal translation, combined with the dolls' movements not syncing up with the much slower-displaying English text, made it difficult to understand what to do.
In the horror manga Ibitsu by Ryou Haruto, a little girl often says "kagome, kagome", playing with the name of the song and with her own name.
In the anime series Tactics (2004), directed by Hiroshi Watanabe, episode three revolves around a mountain god and uses the Kagome song to choose victims.
In the game Corpse Party: Book of Shadows the song is heard in the chapter Purgatory while the protagonist explores the bomb shelter.
In the anime series "Ghost Stories" this song is sung by a group of toys in the 11th episode.
In the video game Golden Sun: The Lost Age a group of children sing a song to the tune of Kagome that teaches the player how to cross an impassable sea.
