1. 本能がいなないた 空に魏（たか）く / 燕の様に

Romaji: Honnou ga inanaita sora ni takaku / tsubame no you ni

Cultural Nuance: Instinct roared intensely, soaring high into the sky, taking flight all at once like swallows.

🗣 Japanese Insight: Right from the opening, Tomonari Sora’s linguistic ingenuity explodes. While a standard Japanese sentence would use the kanji "高く" for "takaku" (high), he specifically applies the kanji for the State of Wei (魏), one of the Seven Warring States, and forces the reading "takaku." Similarly, the word "Tsubame" (swallow) also refers to the State of Yan (燕) from that era.

On the surface, it describes a battlefield scene, but beneath that lies the geopolitical map of the time. This is a supreme example of "Ateji"—a Japanese technique where kanji are chosen for their meaning or historical context rather than their standard readings—pushed to its absolute limit.

2. 限りなく燃え滾（たぎ）る 韓紅（からくれない）の業火（ごうか）

Romaji: Kagirinaku moetagiru karakurenai no gouka

Cultural Nuance: Hellfire of a deep crimson hue, boiling and burning without limit.

🗣 Japanese Insight: Hidden here is the name of the State of Han (韓). "Karakurenai" is a traditional Japanese color referring to a vivid, deep crimson. However, the interpretation of the following word, "Gouka" (hellfire), is incredibly profound.

"Gouka" is a Buddhist term referring to the fire of one's own evil karma (sins) that consumes oneself, or the flames of hell. According to the artist's own commentary, if you deconstruct the kanji for "Gyou" (鄴)—the name of the city being besieged in the story—it splits into "Gyou" (業 / karma) and a radical representing "the land where people live" (阝). Thus, the fire burning this land is "sinful hellfire" (Gouka) to those being conquered, yet it represents "justice" to the conquering Qin state. It brilliantly exposes the cruel essence of war through the very structure of the kanji.

3. 延々と趨えてった 楚（いばら）の中

Romaji: En'en to koetetta ibara no naka

Cultural Nuance: Traversing endlessly through a path of thorns.

🗣 Japanese Insight: Within this line lie the names of the States of Zhao (趙) and Chu (楚). Instead of the common kanji for "koetetta" (traversed/crossed), he uses a rare character "趨" (to run/tend toward) which evokes the State of Zhao, and he writes "Ibara" (thorns/hardship) using the kanji for the State of Chu (楚).

The kanji "楚" originally carries the meaning of "thorns" or "canes," allowing him to represent both a country's name and a harsh, painful path simultaneously. Without seeing the lyrics, you wouldn't notice the country names; once you see them, the depth is staggering. For a Japanese learner, this is a masterclass in how much information a single kanji can hold.

4. 其の傷を矛（ほこ）れ / 熱く奮い盾て

Romaji: Sono kizu o hokore / atsuku furitate

Cultural Nuance: Take pride in those wounds as your spear (weapon). And rouse yourself passionately, using your own body as a shield.

🗣 Japanese Insight: This is a breathtaking "coined word" created by Tomonari Sora. In standard Japanese, the verb "hokore" (take pride/boast) is written as "誇れ." Sora replaces that kanji with "Hoko" (矛 / spear), a weapon of offense.

This isn't just a simple command to "make your wounds a weapon"; it expresses a high level of spiritual fortitude, suggesting that the wounds earned in battle are a warrior's proof of honor—a "medal" to be proud of. The paired phrase "Furitate" (rouse yourself) normally uses the kanji for "stand" (立), but he replaces it with "Tate" (盾 / shield), the essence of defense. He has rewritten the concept of an unshakable conviction—integrating offense and defense—using just two kanji.

5. 運命と魂が 翦（ほろび）るまで

Romaji: Unmei to tamashii ga horobiru made

Cultural Nuance: Until the very moment fate and soul perish and are gone.

🗣 Japanese Insight: For the word "horobiru" (to perish), he uses the extremely rare kanji "翦." This is a direct reference to one of the strongest generals of the Qin state in Kingdom, Wang Jian (known as Ousen in Japanese).

While the kanji "翦" does mean "to perish" or "to trim/eliminate," using this specific character imbues the song with the cold, iron-willed determination associated with General Ousen. Embedding a character's name as the reading for a verb is a testament to his deep respect for the original work.

6. 鬣（たてがみ）を揺らせ / 俺達の方向へ

Romaji: Tategami o yurase / oretachi no houkou e

Cultural Nuance: Shake your mane and head toward the direction we believe in.

🗣 Japanese Insight: The word "Houkou" in this line carries an incredible triple meaning. First, the title of the song: 咆哮 (Houkou / Roar), the cry of the soul. Second, the path to be taken: 方向 (Houkou / Direction). Third, the act of serving one's lord or state: 奉公 (Houkou / Public Service/Loyalty).

By likening the protagonist, Xin (Shin), to a lion with a "mane" (Tategami), the lyrics suggest that the "direction" he chooses is simultaneously his "service" to the state, and that very way of life is his soul's "roar." The ability to express such multi-layered meaning through phonetics alone is nothing short of genius.

7. 信念とやらは さあ何を選ぶ

Romaji: Shinnen to yara wa saa nani o erabu

Cultural Nuance: Your so-called conviction... come, what will it choose?

🗣 Japanese Insight: The word "Shinnen" (conviction/belief) repeated at the climax of the song is likely a conscious play on the name of the state at the heart of the story: Qin (pronounced "Shin" in Japanese).

The question, "What will your conviction (Shin-nen) choose on this cruel battlefield?" pierces the listener, asking if we too can stay true to our own justice. By ending the song with the sound of "Shinnen = Shin (Qin)," he powerfully validates the path and the justice of the protagonists of this grand saga.

🎤 Emotional Summary

"Houkou" by Tomonari Sora is a historic track that transforms the "gap" between Japanese sound and text into the raw energy of an extreme battlefield.

By deconstructing the origins of kanji and connecting ancient state names to modern emotions, Sora evokes intellectual excitement while making the listener feel a primal hunger for life. When a learner listens to this song and realizes the hidden stories of Wei, Yan, Han, Zhao, Chu, and Qin, the forest of the Japanese language transforms into a vast, profound battlefield. This soul-shaking roar transcends time and space, continuing to resonate in our hearts today.