Lyrical Deep Dive: あらかねの器 - Spinning the wheel that shapes souls (Formatting Remastered)

This is a modified version of the original post on reddit, with significantly improved formatting to match the modern high standards we have come to expect from a post. This song is too good to not share and I always felt embarrassed that the original post was such an organizational trainwreck

This is a writeup about my obsession with Arakane no Utsuwa, why it's my all time favorite CM, why I can't stop talking about it since release and why it is a masterpiece.

We have very high expectations from someone like Shiina Go and Mori Yuriko. With past works like Aoi Tori, Blooming Star, Koi Kaze and Nemurihime (Yuriko being lyricist for only two of those) we know what this combination of talent can give us, so let us dive right in.

The song title Arakane No Utsuwa, Arakane meaning "Ore" and Utsuwa being "Vessel". In her blog post about the song, Yuriko mentions that "Arakane No" is a pillow word for 「土」 which is earth/soil/dirt. In the literature context of this song title, it is about a vessel (or bowl if you have a hard time conceptualizing it) made of soil (or clay in context) In the song you will see plenty of the usage of this to refer to the clay she sculpts, since of course Hajime's background is that of pottery. The usage of Arakane then paints the picture of a vessel created of valuable material. It can be thought of as creating a radiant and valuable piece of art, being shaped by hands. Anyway before we get too carried away with the title let's get into the rest of the song.

Throughout the song you will find a constant theme of things that are cyclic, spin or revolve. This is a reference to how a potter's wheel works by spinning around quickly. Be on the look out for these themes, as I will be pointing them out throughout the song.

川の水を注ぎます
やっと出来たこの器に
溢れて踊る　光る水飛沫
まるで喜んでるみたい

[I] pour too much river water
into this vessel that has been finally completed
It overflows and the splashes sparkle and dance
Almost as if it was happy

The song starts off quiet, in one of those setups that you know all too well if you're familiar with Shiina Go's orchestral style. The use of loudness is often put to great effect in his pieces. The starting of the song is very much reminiscent of Nemurihime. The choice of key, instrumentation and choir backing sets the almost mystical backdrop. The strings carry the song in the early segments creating an almost sad atmosphere to the song, backed by the piano letting Minoringo's voice take the lead in a big way that will quickly draw your attention towards the clarity in her voice and the emotions of the song. This sets your expectations up for the rest of the piece. This is a very interesting start because you will soon realize that this part is probably the most disjoint from the rest of the song. Try to keep this in mind as you explore the rest of the song.

迷い悩む過ぎた日々
土とろくろだけを見てた
離れなければ　視えない答えに
ずっと気づかずにいたから

Day after day [I was] excessively in doubt and troubled
Clay and the potter's wheel were the only things [I] looked at
If [I] never parted [from them], the answer that cannot be seen
[would] constantly be in a state of being unrecognized

This part is about explaining why Hajime decided to become an idol. There were days that she would be lost and greatly troubled and those were the days spent at the potters wheel, before she became an idol. She recognized that she wouldn't be able to find the answers she was looking for if she didn't leave. The sad strings at this part truly tie the music and the lyrics into a single coherent unit which is why it's something powerful enough to cause goosebumps when you listen to it.

霧の中　彷徨って
足りない何かを　大事な何かを
捜して　無口なまま　流離う私に
出会えた　他の世界
きっと翼をくれたの

In the fog, wandering
What is that something lacking? What is that something important?
Search; state of silence; The wandering me..
… was able to meet, another world
Surely it gave [me] wings

Minoringo is singing in the background, over herself during this segment. This part is done very well without throwing off the entire rhythm or feel of the song. It's even more impressive when you realize that there isn't a 1 to 1 correspondence for the lines. There are more lines being sung in the background than the foreground. The lyrics are very easy to mishear so let's look at them more closely. Each line seems to compliment or illustrate something about the lines being sung over this. Wandering in the fog seems to be a visual illustration of her troubled days which probably explains the abundance of fog in the game MV. "What is lacking" and "What is important [that is missing]" are supposed to be the questions she's probably asking herself back then, and serve as an example of the kind of answers she's looking for. Possibly something about seeking fulfilment in life or to derive meaning out of the art form she was doing. Wandering silently describes the way she chanced upon "the other world". And finally the gift of wings describes the outcome of that encounter. If you haven't put the pieces together yet, this last part is about her becoming an idol. How she basically "chanced upon" the whole "idol world" and it gave her wings, setting her free from her troubles, the world that has helped her find answers to her questions of purpose.

それはこの世に一つ
言葉にはならない自分の証
華やかじゃない　いびつだけれど
思いを封(と)じ込めた
この両手で　ただ

That is the one thing in this world
A testimony of myself that cannot be put into words
It's not showy/brilliant and and distorted but…
thoughts [of that] were locked away
with these two hands just like that

After you've been serenaded by the lovely intro the orchestral hits kick in and you know this is the epic buildup that you expect from a Shiina Go song. One thing that starts becoming more obvious at about this section is how the drums start to show up in this section. Yamamoto Maoki was also on drums for this song (other recent contributions: Claw My Heart and Gaze and Gaze) it will be very apparent throughout this piece that the drumming was done in a very modern manner style wise. Traditionally in most Shiina Go pieces, the drum takes a back seat while the orchestra does most of the heavy lifting. In this piece however you will see that it is not always the case, which takes a bit of adjusting to but it is actually fairly impressive to me how well they managed to mesh this with the song.

This whole section comes off as puzzling at first, since right before we were talking about her reasons for becoming an idol, but we've actually moved again. This part is a direct setup for the first chorus, and talks about her pottery once again. The "testimony" talked about isn't about her realization of needing to broaden her horizons, but is one about the skill she's known for, having been born into a line of renowned pottery craftsmen. A testimony that can't be put into words, because what is required of her isn't words, but the action. The action of forming clay into a completed work. It isn't something that's flashy and isn't necessarily of regular shape (hence distorted, but いびつ can also be used to mean oval and epileptic) but in her element she is able to enter a deep state of focus and "lock other thoughts out". This part reminds us that Hajime wasn't looking to depart from her art form because she was bad or thought lowly of it.

くるくると　流るる季節を想う
春夏秋冬　生まれる願いを廻して
縷々と　流るる月日を想う
揺らめく川面に浮かぶ　星屑を掬い上げてた
ひたむきさを土に込めて

Thinking of the whirling and flowing seasons
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Revolving the wish born [from those thoughts]
Thinking of the unbroken and flowing night and day cycle
Floating on the flickering river surface [is the] stardust I scoop up
Put earnestness into clay

The chorus can hardly be described as anything other than beautiful. You are treated to the ear pleasing powerful yet mystical orchestra and Minoringo's powerful vocals in a composition that gives her the opportunity to really flex what she's capable of. If Hajime jumped up several spots in your list of amazing vocalists due to this song it wouldn't be of much surprise. The choir backing kicks in exactly where you expect it to, amplifying the dramatic effect of the key lines. I have talked about this song in such a manner many times by now, so let's move on to talk about other interesting things. The lyrics of this chorus are equally majestic. Let me walk you through it. Because と can mean "and", meaning that revolving is an attribute of the seasons which is the interpretation shown above. On the other hand it can also be used as a causative. Therefore, another way to look at the first line is "[The] spinning [of an object] causes thought about the flowing seasons" In either case, the spinning object is the potters wheel. Like I mentioned earlier, this song loves its spinning and cyclic things. Seasons happen to be something that is also cyclic, which we will keep in mind going to the next line. 春夏秋冬　are the four seasons, read out in order. By itself, the four seasons don't have any meaning (and would be nonsensical to say out loud in real life, its like a child having to recite them in class) but the seasons are a cyclic thing, it goes in that order and then loops back around. The line means something like "To rotate a wish of the four seasons being born" This idea is pretty abstract but it's actually all about her clay work. Putting the lines together, you get the picture that she thinks about the four seasons when she does her pottery and as it spins, she's looking to breathe the life and thoughts of the four seasons into her works. In the next line 月日, not to be confused with the term used for "date", read "tsuki hi" is literally moon and day in this context. Why? Because the cycle of night and day of course! It's another cyclic thing in this song. Also note that this sentence is grammatically identical to the first line. The fourth line is one of the more clever lines of the song if you can figure this one out yourself you might feel a bit of that satisfaction like solving a riddle. This line is actually simple enough by itself but have you thought about the connection to the rest of the chorus? What is it that floats on the river surface? and how is that related to stardust? Recall the line before. We were just talking about the thought of the cycle of day and night. The stars in the sky, the sun and the moon are all things that would reflect off the surface of the river. To sum the last few lines up, it is about the thoughts of the day and night cycle being reflected on the surface of the river, as she scoops the river water, she is "scooping stardust" from it, the reflections of the sky on the surface of the river, representing it's thoughts and puts her earnestness into clay

今は違う場所で見てる光
ここにはあると知ったの
新しい夢に　夢に
教えられて

Now in a different place, the light I'm seeing
I came to know that [the light] exists here
In a new dream, in a dream
it taught me

These next few lines are fortunately much more simple. We just went from talking about rivers and putting nature into soil and now we're talking about dreams and lights instead. The context itself has shifted. While the earlier half of the chorus is talking about Hajime's process, thoughts and the way she envisions the process of pottery. In the back half we are talking about seeing a light in a different place. This brings us back to the verses earlier. The light and dream in this part is about becoming an idol. The dream that taught her about a light she can see in a different place, that's her becoming an idol. If you notice in the game MV how the background and the scene progressively shifts from being green in theme and nature focused to becoming a bright and radiant blue in color by the end of the song, that is how they're turning the lyrics into visual metaphors in the MV.

Honestly I'd never thought I'd hear such a beautiful song about pottery in my lifetime by listening to gachagame music. But we're less than halfway done and already way past the single reddit comment cap.

悩む日々がなかったら
今の私はいないはず
憧れていた　別のステージへと
苦しさが導いたいから

If troubled days did not exist then
The present me would probably not exist
[I] head towards a different stage that [I] yearned for/aspired
because I wanted the pain to guide me

The music changes style, going from the violins to a more percussion focused bit of composition. The intended purpose of the drums become very evident in this part as the whole mood has a very traditional feel to it with the shouts being used like a percussive instrument. This distinct difference from the very start of the song also is represented in a transition in the message of the lyrics. "If those days of being troubled didn't happen then it is expected that I wouldn't exist." (Less literally, this means that she wouldn't be who she is today if she wasn't troubled previously)

描いていた夢　イメージ
遠くへふと飛べば
道がそこに　ああ

Imagining the dream [I've] drawn
If [I] suddenly leapt towards a far place
The path would be right there

The next bit has the whole singing in the background thing going on again and it's even harder to make out this time. イメージ has traditionally been an extremely tricky thing to translate from Japanese because it can mean a multitude of things, sometimes with no easy english equivalent (Ever heard of the strange phrase 画像はイメージ which google translates to "The image is an image"?) but I believe in this context it is reasonable to say that the statement is trying to draw a parallel between 憧れていた and 描いていた夢 (aspired and drawn dream) and 別のステージへと with イメージ (towards a different stage and to put into the conscious mind) The other two background lines seem a bit less connected. 「遠くへふと飛べば」「道がそこに　ああ」 The former line seems to refer to the idea of going towards a different stage and the latter is talking about how her troubles was the guiding "path" towards the solution. This entire verse segment focuses on the Hajime becoming an idol but in a much different context. Instead of comparisons to her specialization, the verse here has a lot more focus on the idea of idols. The earlier verse mentions things like the potters wheel and earth while this one has a greater focus on aspirations and stages which are more in line with idol vocabulary. I like to think of the part up to the first chorus focusing on "Hajime the potter" and the second bit being about "Hajime the idol"

いつか私の中で
光り始めていた星の放とう
まだ拙く　不器用だけど
この自分の色は
大地の贈り物

Someday, inside of me
Let's release the stars that have started to light up
It's still crude and clumsy but
This color of myself
Is a gift of the earth

The next buildup before the chorus has a focus on the transformation of Hajime into an idol.

To me I see this section as talking about the things that make Hajime stand out as an idol. Here we complete the cycle, from "moving away" from her comfort zone at the potters wheel working on clay to become and idol and find meaning/answers to the things on her mind, we complete the loop where the experiences she's built working in her specialization become the very thing that allows her to shine brightly as an idol. The idea of "Her own color" is a figurative way of saying something that differentiates herself, or something that is unique to her. The first two lines talk about awakening of this potential and the middle bit about the uncertainty and roughness signifies that its something new, the journey has just started and the road lies ahead of her.

くるくると　流るる季節の中で
花咲く季節(とき)へと夢見た　自分追いかけて
縷々と　流るる月日の中で
想いを伝えてゆこう
風のように　鳥のように　せせらぎの響のように

In the revolving and flowing seasons
Towards the flower blooming season, [I chased after] the self that saw a dream
In the unbroken and flowing night and day cycle
Let's convey these thoughts
Like the wind, Like the birds, like the echoes of a brooklet

The 2nd chorus is ahead but the instrumentation comes to a dead stop for great dramatic effect, and starts up again after a dramatic vocal solo of 「くるくると」　almost as if it's trying to emphasize that she's in control over the flow (and spinning of the wheel). Instead of "the thought" of the seasons in the first chorus this is "within the flowing seasons". This part gives you the chills from how well it was executed. These lines are like saying "Within the flowing seasons, I chased after the me that saw a dream of the blooming season". The emphasis here should be on the idea that she's chasing the vision of seeing herself bloom. (Translations are really hard I swear) Worth noting that Hajime is a big fan of the flower blooming season by character, which will explain why a lot of her outfits feature flowers on them. in the next part, once again we're talking about "within" the day and night cycle rather than the thoughts of them. First of all I want to point out how we have transitioned from を思う (the thoughts of each case) to の中で (in the middle of) which follows the theme of her being "in a different place". She isn't just "thinking" of the flow of the seasons or the days, but she is now a "part" of them. Yet at the end it talks about conveying thoughts. This seems to be about her "past", in the vein of her going from potter to idol and it being the thing special power close to her. This is simply her conveying the experiences of her past and the things that she appreciates about the world, which is why theres a lot of comparisons to things of the world. Wind, Birds, and a stream of river water, this metaphor is furthered in the bridge after.

Before that we are treated to an instrumental segment. Once again, the percussion takes the lead here. The whole traditional-esque mood of this instrumental is probably to draw our minds to the things of nature, things distant to the modern world that we know.

ずっとずっとずっとずっと
大地の歌を風は歌う
山を越えて空を超えて
生命の歌を鳥は歌って

Continuously, continuously, continuously, continuously, The winds sing the song of the earth Beyond the mountains and the skies The birds sing the song of life

ずっとずっとずっとずっと
果てない歌を川は歌う
山を越えて空を越えて
私の歌を皆んなに届けたい

Continuously, continuously, continuously, continuously,
The river sings the endless song
Beyond the mountains and the skies
I want my song to be delivered to everyone

In the first bit of the bridge section, in case you have forgotten after that instrumental break, we were talking about nature. Once you don't forget what the previous chorus was talking about this part becomes very simple to understand. It is a direct explanation for what it means to be "like the wind" "like the birds" and "like the echos of a brooklet" (By the time you get here, you feel like direct things are a rarity) But of course the comparisons are still fairly interesting, the most interesting one is asking what it means for the winds to sing the song of the earth. The illustration works based of the idea that the winds are things that are able to touch the things of the earth and move them while still being able to transcend the mountains and the skies. The other two are much simpler, birds being the only living thing in the comparison are singing the song of life. A river is a steady and endless stream so it sings the song that never ends (It's also able to do so beyond the mountains and skies, if you note about how a river courses through all sorts of landscapes to reach the ocean) The whole bridge here seeks to illustrate "her song" by all these comparisons. A lot of the figurative speech about idols usually involves delivering thoughts and song (思いを届け/歌を届け) so this is akin to explaining her motivations as an idol. I like how throughout this portion, the strings start off soft and progressively get louder. Shiina Go always uses the loudness of the instruments to such a masterful and dramatic effect.

誰もその魂にある
たったひとつの器
夢を容れておくのならば
磨こう
輝くために

In anyone there lies that soul
A mere single vessel
If I can put my dreams into it, then…
Lets polish it
for it to shine

Instrumental switch-up again: From percussions to piano lead. This final prechorus is probably one of the most beautiful parts of the song in the lyrics. This part sums up Hajime's methodology and manner of perception as an idol. To her, there lies a vessel in each one of her fans. No matter how ordinary, she wants to reach out to them individually and put her dreams into that vessel, then polish it to make it shine brightly. Touching the lives of every individual, with the hands of a master craftsmen. That is the picture painted by lyrics here and I think it is gorgeous. Worth noting that this is the only other time that 器 is used in the song, so let us go back again and recap. Right at the start of the song, she pours too much river water into a vessel that was finally completed… River water… Vessel… into… Are you getting the picture? The song itself is a cycle where you had to go this far to understand the beginning of it. Just like one of the earlier themes of the song, a journey to discover meaning. The river water is used as an illustration of her thoughts (recall, scooping up stardust in the first chorus) her thoughts are the things she wants to convey (recall 2nd chorus) and she wants to put her dreams into the vessel (3rd line of this section) The very first verse isn't about a physical vessel that she created and literally poured water into. The first verse is actually about her touching the lives of her fans with her thoughts, and giving them great joy. The vessel in the title, あらかねの器 is not a mere work of her own, but the polished vessel representing the hearts of her fans, each one of them treated like a vessel made from precious material, polished and refined under her, the hands of a master for it's beauty to be shown to the rest of the world.

Final instrumental break here. We go from strings and brass right back to percussions and choir taking the focus. This part seems to emphasize the grandness of the song and sets you up for the epic conclusion incoming as the brass kicks in again in a commanding loudness.

くるくると　流るる季節を想う
春夏秋冬　生まれる願いを廻して
縷々と　流るる月日を想う
揺らめく川面に浮かぶ　星屑を掬い上げてた
ひたむきさを土に込めて

Thinking of the whirling and flowing seasons
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Revolving the wish born [from those thoughts]
Thinking of the unbroken and flowing night and day cycle
Floating on the flickering river surface [is the] stardust I scoop up
Put earnestness into clay

縷々と　流るる月日の中で
想いを伝えてゆこう
風のように　鳥のように　せせらぎの響のように

In the unbroken and flowing night and day cycle
Let's convey these thoughts
Like the wind, Like the birds, like the echoes of a brooklet

For the final chorus there is a lot of repetition of lyrics here, but what I want to talk more about the composition at this part than in the previous sections, because to me this part of the composition was the most impressive part to me. We start up with the first half of the first chorus, but we have a tape recorder aesthetic effect being used here. If you thought we were done with cycles in this song, a tape recorder spins. This is pretty genius since it not only fits the cycles analogy but since the first chorus focuses on her origins the whole mood of the song fits it eerily well. The song baits you into thinking its kicking back in full force again but instead stops completely at 「縷々と　流るる」 only to resume with a more somber orchestra accompaniment for the rest of the section. Surely this is where we go back to the original instrumentation right? In the next section we continue from the 2nd chorus, and the composition instead of going back to the chorus drop you know all too well by now switches it up yet again. There's a sense of urgency to the beat, a great scampering feel as the high notes of the flute (?) resound in the song more frequent than before. This paints the picture of the radiance of her on the stage, as she sings about wanting to convey her thoughts. In fact it almost gives the feeling that this is a musical representation of "releasing the stars inside of her" (2nd prechorus buildup) There are tonal variations to certain words here compared to the earlier chorus, which make it all the more impactful and signify that we have reached the climax of the piece. Minoringo's vocals truly shine bright like the rest of the song. Finally we get more new lyrics and we've gone all the way back to the same composition we heard in the 1st chorus. It took what felt like an eternity to get back to this point, with all the instrumental breaks, the bridge sections and bait and switches the song truly felt like it brought you to so many different places, changed things up with so many different variations yet remained coherent, to culminate in a majestic epic by playing on your very expectations. It feels like a ride on one of those insane live setlists, except all in a single song. Your expectations have been toyed with, you feel played yet within the chaos and surprise in front of you lies something that can't be described as anything but a masterful work of art. On my very first listen I was sobbing the entirety of the final chorus, it's just such an amazing emotional ride through the song that does far more than sound good. The way the vocals, lyrics and composition came together in this one become more than the sum of its parts, and it was not like any one of them was weak to begin with. The climax of any Shiina Go piece will always be one of the most unforgettable things in the entire composition and this is one that goes beyond just playing the same notes in a more dramatic fashion, which is a boldness in composition I respect. In this final section the lyrics are:

遠きかけがえない人に
そして友とあなたに
遥かな誰かへと　歌う　明日も
星を抱いて

To the distant and irreplaceable individual
And to my friends and you
Towards a distant somebody I'll sing [Now and] tomorrow.
[I'll] embrace the stars

This part is similar to what we've covered previously, but it discusses it in the context of individuality. It is illustrating the idea that nobody is too distant for her to reach out to, and that when she says she wants to deliver her song to everyone, it really means everyone without exception. The last part talks about it being an endless process, like a cycle (明日も) because in context the idea of "tomorrow too" is like saying "I'll do it again and again". Finally to say "To embrace the stars" is to say she's holding those thoughts close to her.

In Yuriko's blog post, she states that this is probably the most challenging song she's worked on in collaboration with Shiina, because it's not a love song with any of the more common themes. Instead she has the task of connecting an idol who's unique skill is that of pottery. I can see why this took her a lot of attempts to get right, but the final product is amazing. When you take a close look at the piece you get to understand all the effort that was put into each detail and how painstaking it must have been to write all of it in a manner that flows well with the epic created by Shiina Go. As for Shiina, I felt like he has gone beyond the usual we expected from him. He delivered not just "another orchestral epic" but showed to us that he's able to mix it up repeatedly with different styles, different instrumental emphasis throughout the piece, going through a huge variety of moods as if going through all the seasons and then bring it all together in a piece that goes "beyond the usual". Last but not least, Minoringo the star of the show singing the piece has really managed to pull all the emotional chords for this piece together. A lot of people familiar with Minoringo the seiyuu would know her for her singing in other franchises (Macross anyone?) and this would be the song that would give her the chance to show off to this side of the world what she's truly capable of. I don't think they could have picked a better trio to work on this piece.

Note: I frequently talk about Hajime as if pottery is her past and being an idol is her present. She really is both, but I did it for the sake of illustrating the contrast and helping to segment the different parts of the song. This is something to keep in mind to avoid misconceptions.

I don't know if anyone will ever read the whole thing. This truly is absurdly long and probably the longest I'll ever write on any song, but if anyone ever wants to know why this song is one of my most highly regarded of all time I guess this is it.