Kimigayo is the national anthem of Japan. It was adopted in 1869. The lyrics are from an old Japanese poem written during the Heian period (794–1185). The music, however, was written much later, composed by both Yoshiisa Oku and Akimori Hayashi in the 1880
There was a period of time however, where the anthem had a different melody, written by John William Fenton, an Irish/British military band leader. This melody was dropped by the government and replaced with the new one, as it was deemed "unsingable" for the Japanese.
