Tensei Jingo (天声人語, literally, the voice of heaven is the voice of people) is the title of a column which appears on the front page of the Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper. It is a translation of the Latin phrase as Vox Populi, Vox Dei ("The voice of the people is the voice of the gods"). The column is limited to 607 Japanese characters.
The column first appeared in 1904 in the Osaka Asahi Shimbun. It was named by Nishimura Tenshu, the chief editor of Osaka Asahi Shimbun. The origin of the name is not clear, though it might be the translation of "Vox Populi, Vox Dei", or "the voice of the people is the voice of god". In 1913, the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun started a similar column named The Tojin Seijin (東人西人, Tojin Seijin) until the end of August 1940. On the next day, both offices of the Asahi Shimbun changed the name of the column to The Udai Mudai (有題無題', Udai mudai) and then on January 1, 1943, The Kamikaze-fu (神風賦, Kamikaze-fu). On September 6, 1945, the title of the column returned to Tensei Jingo.
While appearing op-ed, the columns are actually written by professional newspaper reporters. The column often reflects on recent news, or other contemporary matters such as a change of seasons. It tends to find parallels or explanation in poetry, literature or folk customs. It may contradict the editorial opinion of the paper. Translations in English are published daily by the newspaper's online team https://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/ .
Books containing the English translations are published for readers in Japan to practise their English. Special triangular "tenseijingo" pencils are sold in some stationery stores in Japan.
The column started under strong influence of English essay literature at the beginning of the 20th century.[1] The Asahi Shimbun advertised that short essays in the Tensei Jingo were frequently cited in entrance examinations to universities. Recently, Tensei Jingo transcription note was published.[clarification needed][2]
The writers were top journalists of the Asahi Shimbun at that time.
Other Japanese newspapers have similar columns, for instance Yomiuri Shimbun has a column (Henshū Techō, 編集手帳), Mainichi Shimbun has a column (Yoroku, 余録), Tokyo Shimbun has a column (Hissen, 筆洗) and Nihon Keizai Shimbun has a column (Shunjū, 春秋).