Yoné
("Rice,"—in the old sense of wealth)
4
Yoshi
("The Good")
1
Yoshino
("Good Field")
1
Yū
("The Valiant")
1
Yuri
("Lily")
1
1 Probably a place-name originally.
2 Might we not quaintly say, "A Fair Writing"?
3 Probably in the sense of "near and dear"—but not certainly so.
4 Fumi signifies here a letter written by a woman only—a letter written according to the rules of feminine epistolary style.
1 Jun suru means to be obedient unto death. The word jun has a much stronger signification than that which attaches to our word "obedience" in these modern times.
2 The tortoise is supposed to live for a thousand years.
3 Abbreviation of kannin, "forbearance," "self-control," etc. The name might equally well be translated "Patience."
4 Kana signifies the Japanese Syllabary,—the characters with which the language is written. The reader may imagine, if he wishes, that the name signifies the Alpha and Omega of all feminine charm; but I confess that I have not been able to find any satisfactory explanation of it.
1 The word "service" here refers especially to attendance at mealtime,—to the serving of rice, etc.
2 Perhaps in the hopeful meaning of extending the family-line; but more probably in the signification that a daughter's care prolongs the life of her parents, or of her husband's parents.
3 Abbreviation of sakubun, a literary composition.
1 As a matter of fact, we have no English equivalent for the word "sen," or "sennin,"—signifying a being possessing magical powers of all kinds and living for thousands of years. Some authorities consider the belief in sennin of Indian origin, and probably derived from old traditions of the Rishi.
1 Such a name may signify that the parents resolved, after the birth of the girl, to have no more children.
2 This extraordinary name is probably to be explained as a reference to date of birth. According to the old Chinese astrology, years, months, days, and hours were all named after the Signs of the Zodiac, and were supposed to have some mystic relation to those signs. I surmise that Miss Ushi was born at the Hour of the Ox, on the Day of the Ox, in the Month of the Ox and the Year of the Ox—"Ushi no Toshi no Ushi no Tsuki no Ushi no Hi no Ushi no Koku."
It will be observed that in the above list the names referring to Constancy, Forbearance, and Filial Piety have the highest numbers attached to them.
II
A few of the more important rules in regard to Japanese female names must now be mentioned.
The great majority of these yobina are words of two syllables. Personal names of respectable women, belonging to the middle and lower classes, are nearly always dissyllables—except in cases where the name is lengthened by certain curious suffixes which I shall speak of further on. Formerly a name of three or more syllables indicated that the bearer belonged to a superior class. But, even among the upper classes to-day, female names of only two syllables are in fashion.
Among the people it is customary that a female name of two syllables should be preceded by the honorific "O," and followed by the title "San,"—as O-Matsu San, "the Honorable Miss [or Mrs.] Pine"; O-Umé San, "the Honorable Miss Plum-blossom."1 But if the name happen to have three syllables, the honorific "O" is not used. A woman named Kikuë ("Chrysanthemum-Branch") is not addressed as "O-Kikuë San," but only as "Kikuë San."
Before the names of ladies, the honorific "O" is no longer used as formerly,—even when the name consists of one syllable only. Instead of the prefix, an honorific suffix is appended to the yobina,—the suffix ko. A peasant girl named Tomi would be addressed by her equals as O-Tomi San. But a lady of the same name would be addressed as Tomiko. Mrs. Shimoda, head-teacher of the Peeresses' School, for example, has the beautiful name Uta. She would be addressed by letter as "Shimoda Utako," and would so sign herself in replying;—the family-name, by Japanese custom, always preceding the personal name, instead of being, as with us, placed after it.
This suffix ho is written with the Chinese character meaning "child," and must not be confused with the word ho, written with a different Chinese character, and meaning "little," which so often appears in the names of dancing girls. I should venture to say that this genteel suffix has the value of a caressing diminutive, and that the name Aiko might be fairly well rendered by the "Amoretta" of Spenser's Faerie Queene. Be this as it may, a Japanese lady named Setsu or Sada would not be addressed in these days as O-Setsu or O-Sada, but as Setsuko or Sadako. On the other hand, if a woman of the people were to sign herself as Setsuko or Sadako, she would certainly be laughed at,—since the suffix would give to her appellation the meaning of "the Lady Setsu," or "the Lady Sada."
I have said that the honorific "O" is placed before the yobina of women of the middle and lower classes. Even the wife of a kurumaya would probably be referred to as the "Honorable Mrs. Such-a-one." But there are very remarkable exceptions to this general rule regarding the prefix "O." In some country-districts the common yobina of two syllables is made a trisyllable by the addition of a peculiar suffix; and before such trisyllabic names the "O" is never placed. For example, the girls of Wakayama, in the Province of Kii, usually have added to their yobina the suffix "ë,"1 signifying "inlet," "bay," "frith,"—sometimes "river." Thus we find such names as Namië ("Wave-Bay"), Tomië ("Riches-Bay"), Sumië ("Dwelling-Bay"), Shizuë ("Quiet-Bay"), Tamaë ("Jewel-Bay"). Again there is a provincial suffix "no," meaning "field" or "plain," which is attached to the majority of female names in certain districts. Yoshino ("Fertile Field"), Uméno ("Plumflower Field"), Shizuno ("Quiet Field"), Urano ("Coast Field"), Utano ("Song Field"), are typical names of this class. A girl called Namië or Kikuno is not addressed as "O-Namië San" or "O-Kikuno San," but as "Namië San," "Kikuno San."
"San" (abbreviation of Sama, a word originally meaning "form," "appearance"), when placed after a female name, corresponds to either our "Miss" or "Mrs." Placed after a man's name it has at least the value of our "Mr.",—perhaps even more. The unabbreviated form Sama is placed after the names of high personages of either sex, and after the names of divinities: the Shinto Gods are styled the Kami-Sama, which might be translated as "the Lords Supreme"; the Bodhisattva Jizō is called Jizō-Sama, "the Lord Jizō." A lady may also be styled "Sama." A lady called Ayako, for instance, might very properly be addressed as Ayako Sama. But when a lady's name, independently of the suffix, consists of more than three syllables, it is customary to drop either the ho or the title. Thus "the Lady Ayamé" would not be spoken of as "Ayaméko Sama," but more euphoniously as "Ayamé Sama,"1 or as "Ayaméko."
So much having been said as regards the etiquette of prefixes and suffixes, I shall now attempt a classification of female names,—beginning with popular yobina. These will be found particularly interesting, because they reflect something of race-feeling in the matter of ethics and æsthetics, and because they serve to illustrate curious facts relating to Japanese custom. The first place I have given to names of purely moral meaning,—usually bestowed in the hope that the children will grow up worthy of them. But the lists should in no case be regarded as complete: they are only representative. Furthermore, I must confess my inability to explain the reason of many names, which proved as much of riddles to Japanese friends as to myself.
NAMES OF VIRTUES AND PROPRIETIES
O-Ai
"Love."
O-Chië
"Intelligence."
O-Chū
"Loyalty."
O-Jin
"Tenderness,"—humanity.
O-Jun.
"Faithful-to-death."
O-Kaiyō
"Forgiveness,"—pardon.
O-Ken
"Wise,"—in the sense of moral discernment.
O-Kō
"Filial Piety."
O-Masa
"Righteous"—just.
O-Michi
"The Way,"—doctrine.
Misao
"Honor,"—wifely fidelity.
O-Nao
"The Upright,"—honest.
O-Nobu
"The Faithful."
O-Rei
"Propriety,"—in the old Chinese sense.
O-Retsu
"Chaste and True."
O-Ryō
"The Generous,"—magnanimous.
O-Sada
"The Chaste."
O-Sei
"Truth."
O-Shin
"Faith,"—in the sense of fidelity, trust.
O-Shizu
"The Tranquil,"—calm-souled.
O-Setsu
"Fidelity,"—wifely virtue.
O-Tamé
"For-the-sake-of,"—a name suggesting unselfishness.
O-Tei
"The Docile,"—in the meaning of virtuous obedience.
O-Toku
"Virtue."
O-Tomo
"The Friend,"—especially in the meaning of mate, companion.
O-Tsuné
"Constancy."
O-Yasu
"The Amiable,"—gentle.
O-Yoshi
"The Good."
O-Yoshi
"The Respectful."
The next list will appear at first sight more heterogeneous than it really is. It contains a larger variety of appellations than the previous list; but nearly all of the yobina refer to some good quality which the parents trust that the child will display, or to some future happiness which they hope that she will deserve. To the latter category belong such names of felicitation as Miyo and Masayo.
MISCELLANEOUS NAMES EXPRESSING PERSONAL QUALITIES, OR PARENTAL HOPES
O-Atsu
"The Generous,"—liberal.
O-Chika
"Closely Dear."
O-Chika
"Thousand Rejoicings."
O-Chō
"The Long,"—probably in reference to life.
O-Dai
"Great."
O-Den
"Transmission,"—bequest from ancestors, tradition.
O-É
"Fortunate."
O-Ei
" Prosperity."
O-En
"Charm."
O-En
"Prolongation,"—of life.
O-Etsu
"Surpassing."
O-Etsu
"The Playful,"—merry, joyous.
O-Fuku
"Good Luck."
O-Gen
"Source,"—spring, fountain.
O-Haya
"The Quick,"—light, nimble.
O-Hidé
"Superior."
Hidéyo
"Superior Generations."
O-Hiro
"The Broad."
O-Hisa
"The Long." (?)
Isamu
"The Vigorous,"—spirited, robust.
O-Jin
"Superexcellent."
Kaméyo
"Generations-of-the-Tortoise."
O-Kané1
"The Doubly-Accomplished."
Kaoru
"The Fragrant."
O-Kata
"Worthy Person."
O-Katsu
"The Victorious."
O-Kei
"Delight."
O-Kei
"The Respectful."
O-Ken
"The Humble."
O-Kichi
"The Fortunate."
O-Kimi
"The Sovereign,"—peerless.
O-Kiwa
"The Distinguished."
O-Kiyo
Kiyoshi }
{
"The Clear,"—in the sense of bright, beautiful.
O-Kuru
"She-who-Comes" (?).1
O-Maru
"The Round,"—plump.
O-Masa
"The Genteel."
Masayo
"Generations-of-the-Just."
O-Masu
"Increase."
O-Mië
"Triple Branch."
O-Miki
"Stem."
O-Mio
"Triple Cord."
O-Mitsu
"Abundance."
O-Miwa
"The Far-seeing."
O-Miwa
"Three Spokes" (?).2
O-Miyo
"Beautiful Generations."
Miyuki3
"Deep Snow."
O-Moto
"Origin."
O-Naka
"Friendship."
O-Rai
"Trust."
O-Raku1
"Pleasure."
O-Sachi
"Bliss."
O-Sai
"TheTalented."
Sakaë
"Prosperity."
O-Saku
"The Blooming."
O-Sei
"The Refined,"—in the sense of "clear."
O-Sei
"Force."
O-Sen
"Sennin,"—wood-fairy.
O-Shigé
"Exuberant."
O-Shimé
"The Total,"—summum honum.
O-Shin
"The Fresh."
O-Shin
"Truth."
O-Shina
"Goods,"—possessions.
Shirushi
"Proof,"—evidence.
O-Shizu
"The Humble."
O-Shō
"Truth."
O-Shun
'Excellence."
O-Suki
"The Beloved,"—Aimée.
O-Suké
"The Helper."
O-Sumi
"The Refined,"—in the sense of "sifted."
O-Suté
"The Forsaken,"—foundling.2
O-Taë
"The Exquisite."
O-Taka
"The Honorable."
O-Taka
"The Tall."
Takara
"Treasure,"—precious object.
O-Tama
"Jewel."
Tamaë
"Jewel-branch."
Tokiwa1
"Eternally Constant."
O-Tomi
"Riches."
O-Toshi
"The Deft,"—skilful.
O-Tsuma
"The Wife."
O-Yori
"The Trustworthy."
O-Waka
"The Young."
1 From the strange verb kaneru, signifying, to do two things at the same time.
1 One is reminded of, "O whistle, and I'll come to you, my lad"—but no Japanese female name could have the implied signification. More probably the reference is to household obedience.
2 Such is the meaning of the characters. I cannot understand the name. A Buddhist explanation suggests itself; but there are few, if any, Buddhist yobina.
3 This beautiful name refers to the silence and calm following a heavy snowfall. But, even for the Japanese, it is an æsthetic name also—suggesting both tranquillity and beauty.
1 The name seems curious, in view of the common proverb, Raku wa ku no tané,—"Pleasure is the seed of pain."
2 Not necessarily a real foundling. Sometimes the name may be explained by a curious old custom. In a certain family several children in succession die shortly after birth. It is decided, according to traditional usage, that the next child born must be exposed. A girl is the next child born;—she is carried by a servant to some lonely place in the fields, or elsewhere, and left there. Then a .peasant, or other person, hired for the occasion (it is necessary that he should be of no kin to the family), promptly appears, pretends to find the babe, and carries it back to the parental home. "See this pretty foundling," he says to the father of the girl,—" will you not take care of it?" The child is received, and named "Suté," the foundling. By this innocent artifice, it was form
erly (and perhaps in some places is still) supposed that those unseen influences, which had caused the death of the other children, might be thwarted.
1 Lit., "Everlasting-Rock,"—but the ethical meaning is "Con-stancy-everlasting-as-the-Rocks." "Tokiwa" is a name famous both in history and tradition; for it was the name of the mother of Yoshit-suné. Her touching story,—and especially the episode of her flight through the deep snow with her boys,—has been a source of inspiration to generations of artists.
Place-names, or geographical names, are common; but they are particularly difficult to explain. A child may be called after a place because born there, or because the parental home was there, or because of beliefs belonging to the old Chinese philosophy regarding direction and position, or because of traditional custom, or because of ideas connected with the religion of Shinto.
PLACE-NAMES
O-Fuji
[Mount] "Fuji."
O-Hama
"Coast."
O-Ichi
"Market,"—fair.
O-Iyo
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