What’s In a Name? Part 13

This section has been on hiatus for a while as I try to do more and more background stuff, but as it’s now officially autumn (to which I loath), it’s time to get back into the swing of things! Today’s topic is Super Rare/Unique Kanji Part 2 and since I haven’t done an entry in a while I will cover one name from each hanamachi ^^ 琳 - Rin Prefix or Suffix: Prefix Old Meaning: Jewelry New (Standardized) Meaning: Jewelry Found In: Gion Higashi A while ago I commented that this kanji is one of my favorites as it is linked to what I do for a living (I sell vintage and antique jewelry). This kanji is actually a bit hard to translate properly into English as it can also act as an onomatopoeia with the “rin” sound being the “tink” sound in English that gems and jewels make when they move or hit together. Example: 琳子 Rinko (Gion Higashi): “Jewelry Child”, it could also be translated as “Jewel Child” due to its double meaning. 糸 - Ito Prefix or Suffix: Suffix Old Meaning: A Thread to Tie New (Standardized) Meaning: A Thread to Tie Found In: Miyagawa Cho This example was mentioned earlier in “What’s In a Name? Part 5″ that was the first part of the rare kanji series. “糸” (Ito) is now the standardized kanji for “〆” (Shime), but it’s still very rare to see and I have only seen one name out of 2,000+ that has used it. Example: 小糸 Koito (Miyagawa Cho): “Small Thread”, this is the second geimei of the current okasan of the Kaden (花傳) okiya in Miyagawa Cho (her original geimei was Fukumame - ふく豆). In Komomo’s book she likened Koito to the thread that kept the okiya together, and since Kaden is still doing quite well her bond must be quite strong.  惷 - Shō Prefix or Suffix: Prefix Old Meaning: Manoeuvre or Mischief New (Standardized) Meaning:  Manoeuvre or Mischief Found In: Kamishichiken A really interesting and old kanji that I couldn’t help but giggle when I saw for the first time. For a woman to be given this name she must have been a bit of a trouble maker ^^; Example: 惷子 Shōko (Kamishichiken): “Mischievous Child”, a name that I admire for a woman who must have been truly unique!  淳 - Jun Prefix or Suffix: Prefix Old Meaning: Pure/Purity New (Standardized) Meaning: Pure/Purity Found In: Pontocho I swear I’m not picking names that all have “ko” in them, it just happens to be an odd coincidence that these unusual kanji are being paired with such a common kanji/sound! This kanji has a very serene meaning and I kinda wish that it was used a bit more. Example: 淳子 Junko (Pontocho): “Pure Child”, also a common girl’s name in Japan. It’s short and promotes the theme of “Yamato Nadeshiko”.  鼓 - Tsutsumi/Tsuzumi Prefix or Suffix: Root Old Meaning: Hand Drum New (Standardized) Meaning: Hand Drum Found In: Gion Kobu A really interesting choice of kanji for a geimei since it is the exact same kanji and pronunciation used for one of the most common musical instruments that maiko and geiko use: the hand drum. You can read more about “tsutsumi/tsuzumi” in the Karyukai Glossary. Example: 鼓 Tsutsumi (Gion Kobu): “Hand Drum”, a name for a woman who was likely a jikata geiko and/or excelled at the use of the drum.