Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 19:24:23 EST Reply-To: Hayao Miyazaki Discussion Group Sender: Hayao Miyazaki Discussion Group From: RyoToyama Subject: Re: Meaning of names in MH First, thanks Shun, for doing this. Like you said, I also hope that Mr. Gaiman would keep the original names as much as possible. I don't know if this much info is needed, but someone the ML might be interested in such details anyway. 1. Ashitaka His formal name is Ashitakahiko. Ashi=Leg, Taka=High, and Hiko is a word used for men's name in ancient Japan. According to Miyazaki-San, He took Ashitaka's name after Nagasunehiko in a Japanese myth. According to the myth (which is the first "official history" of Japan, written by the Yamato government), Nagasunehiko was defeated and killed by the first Japanese emperor. However, in another legend (this one is considered to be written by "outsider"), he fled to the Northwest part of Japan (where Ashitaka came from). Ashitaka is also an old name for the bug, Daddy Longlegs, but I don't think that's where our hero's name came from. ^^; 2. Eboshi Eboshi is a kind of hat worn by men in this Era. There were a kind of prostitutes/dancers who wore men's attire and danced (and slept with customers). And they of course wore Eboshi. It is generally considered that Eboshi used to be a prostitute, and she assumed the name "Eboshi Gozen (Lady Eboshi)" when she was a prostitute. That's probably why she rescues girls who were sold to brothels. 3. Jogo-Boh Actually, that's Jiko, not Jigo. 4. Gonza Don't know, though it sounds a "manly" name to me. :) 7.Kohroku Kou=Shell, Roku=Six. According to Miyazaki-San, Kouroku's name is taken from a name of a bridge near his mountain cabin. It's a kind of name used for a common man (probably he was a sixth child). 8.Okkotonushi The Kanji (Chinese characters) used for this name is Otsu/Koto/Nushi, and it is pronounced as Okkotonushi. Otsu=good, smart, excellent, etc. Koto=thing, and Nushi=Master. The name "Okkoto" is a name of a place near Miyazaki-San's mountain cabin. 9.Nago The formal name of Nago is Nago no Kami, which means Lord Nago. The kanji used for Nago are "Na=Name" and "Go=Protect". Usually, in a name like "Something no Kami" (this "Kami" is a different kanji from the "Kami" which means "God"), this "something" is a name of a place. Nago *could* be a name of mountain or something. 12.Didarabochi Didarabocchi, or often called Daidarabocchi or Daidarabou, is a giant who appears in Japanese legends and folktales. In such legends, it creates moutains, ponds, rivers, and such. In Tokyo, there is a bridge called "Daida Bridge", and that's because the legend says that Daidrabocchi made this bridge (rather, an old bridge which used to be there. The bridge there is of course a modern one today). 13.Shishi-Gami "Shishi" is written in katakana, but in early imageboards, it is written with kanji with "Shishi=Deer", and "Kami=God". (BTW, Yakkle's specie is called "Akashishi". Aka=Red and Shishi=deer.) Ryo ----- Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 03:24:41 EST Reply-To: Hayao Miyazaki Discussion Group Sender: Hayao Miyazaki Discussion Group From: RyoToyama Subject: Re: Meaning of names in MH I forgot something. ^^; Nagasunehiko, the name Ashitaka was based on, means Naga=Long, Sune=Shin, and "Hiko" for a male's name. Also, Gonza *might* mean Gon=sub, vice, or second, and Za=left. Since Gonza is second-in-command, this might be where his name came from. (Gonza's name is written in katakana, which is phonetic. Since we don't know which Kanji (which has a meaning) are used for his name, we can not be sure what his name means.) Ryo