What’s In a Name? Part 18

It’s been quite a while since this feature has been chosen! Some of these were requested by a Patreon Super Supporter, and both regular Supporters and Super Supporters can choose what features they want to see. Click on the Patreon tab for more info ^^ Tsuki - 月 Prefix or Suffix: Suffix Old Meaning: Moon New (Standardized) Meaning: Moon Found In: Gion Kobu What could be more poetic than the moon? This simple kanji has an incredibly graceful meaning, yet is incredibly rare in the karyukai ^^ Examples 紗月 Satsuki (Gion Kobu): “Sheer Moon,” the first kanji in her name is that of the sheer, summer fabric often pronounced as “sha,” so you can imagine looking at the moon through sheer silk while trying to keep cool during Kyoto’s humid summers. 美月 Mitsuki (Gion Kobu): “Beautiful Moon,” very self explanatory ^^ Teru - 照 Prefix or Suffix: Both Old Meaning: Shine, Bright New (Standardized) Meaning: Shine, Bright Found In: Gion Kobu, Pontocho, Kamishichiken, and Gion Higashi Teru’s shine comes any form of light, whether that’s the sun or the moon or even a lightbulb! Examples 照古満 Terukoma (Gion Kobu): “Bright and Full Long Lived Life,” an interesting name as the “古” kanji was actually written with hentaigana.  シナ照 Shinateru (Pontocho): “Shining Resolve,” a really unique name as it uses katakana, which has become quite rare for geimei. 照代 Teruyo (Kamishichiken): “Shining Era,” the ““ kanji has been featured before, so this was an easy one ^^ 照子 Teruko (Gion Higashi): “Shining/Bright Child,” another self explanatory name that’s quite cute. Teru/Mitsu/Kō - 光 Prefix or Suffix: Both Old Meaning: Ray of Light New (Standardized) Meaning: Ray of Light Found In: All Five Kagai Oddly enough, the most common pronunciation for this kanji outside of the karyukai is “Hikari,” which is a name or term that most non-Japanese people are aware of (you probably knew of this pronunciation before you learned of any others!). 佳つ光 Katsukō (Gion Kobu): “Beautiful Sun Beam,” a slightly more poetic way of saying “ray of light,” I found that calling it a literal “sun beam” (as many translators will do) worked a bit better with its paired kanji. 光彌 Mitsuya (Pontocho): “Full of Light,” a really nice and bright name! 光三 Mitsuzō/Mitsumi (Kamishichiken): “Three Rays of Sunshine,” this is a very old geimei from a time where the furigana was not present in odori programs, so each given pronunciation is equally valid but does not detract from its meaning. ふく光 Fukuteru (Miyagawa Cho): “Lucky Light” or “Laughing Light” or “Scroll of Light,” due to the use of hiragana this name has many different meanings. 叶光 Kanomitsu (Gion Higashi): “Bright Wish,” a cute and happy name!

Weekend Update 8/1

So, so many happenings this week! Shin Aisatsu and Shigyōshiki have brought the karyukai back to life and there’s so much information that we’ll just get right to it! -The rankings for Gion Kobu showed that Satsuki (紗月) of Tsurui (つる居) has now held the top spot for 5 years in a row! You can read the full ranking list here. -News from Miyagawa Cho has announced that Toshisumi (とし純) of Komaya (駒屋) was #1 in her district. You can see the news about their rankings here. -Mameroku (豆六) of Arai (新井) in Gion Kobu is now wearing sakko! -Marika (茉利佳) of Tsurui (つる居) has been chosen to be the poster model for the 2017 Miyako Odori! -I’ve actually had the names of the Tama minarai listed around the site for over a week now, yet no one has seemed to notice ^^; -Katsuna (勝奈) of Daimonji (大文字) in Kamishichiken is now tying her obiage! This means that she’s within a year of having her erikae. -Ichiaya (市彩) of Masunoya (桝之矢) in Pontocho and Mameryū (まめ柳) of Tama (多麻) in Gion Kobu are now both seniors!  -A new picture of minarai Momika (もみ香) has surfaced!  Blog News -What’s In a Motif? Part 2 looked at Bamboo (竹) -What’s In a Name? Part 16 looked at Ri (利), Ri (理), Ri (梨), No (野), and Sa (早). -What’s In a Kimono? Part 5 looked at an interesting phoenix houmongi. -I wrote up the giant Calendar of Karyukai Celebrations that’s now available as its own tab. -The 12 Days of Fun was a very interesting project and I hope that you’ve all enjoyed it! -Mylo’s Pick of The Week highlighted Ichiharu (市晴) of Nakagishi (中支志) in Gion Kobu. -The Random Fact of The Week looked at yearly kanzashi motifs. You can see listing of known motifs that were used in previous years on the kanzashi tab.  -The amount of questions that I received were astounding! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and curiosities! You sent in 36, which is an average of  5.1 per day! Please feel free to send them in anytime!

The 12 Days of Fun

To make them all easier to find you can check out this handy list ^^ Day 1: What’s In a Name? Part 15 Day 2: Random PSA on The People Who Actually Run Things Part 1: Okasan/Okamisan Day 3: What’s In a Book? Part 20 Day 4: What’s In a Motif? Part 1 Day 5: Random PSA on Dating Kimono Day 6: Random PSA on The People Who Actually Run Things Part 2: Geisha Union and Kenban Day 7: The Karyukai Summary of 2016 Day 8: What’s In a Kamon? Part 5 Day 9: What’s In a Motif? Part 2 Day 10: What’s In a Name? Part 16 Day 11: The Calendar of Karyukai Celebrations Day 12: What’s In a Kimono? Part 5

Weekend Update 1/1

Happy New Year everyone! The karyukai will be pretty quiet for the next week as we await Shigyōshiki, so look forward to more updates around here to compensate! Karyukai News -It seems as though Momika (もみ香) of Yamaguchi (やまぐち) in Pontocho’s misedashi has been pushed into January, so right now we’re looking forward to three misedashi this month: Momika’s and the two Tama minarai in Gion Kobu. -There have been rumors surrounding the names of the Tama minarai, but I won’t post them here until I have more confirmation. I do know that they will both be of the -Ha line though ^^ Blog News -The Twelve Days of Fun started on the 25th and are still going! So far there’s been: Day 1: What’s In a Name? Part 15 Day 2: Random PSA On The People Who Actually Run Things Part 1 - Okasan/Okamisan Day 3: What’s In a Book? Part 20 Day 4: What’s In a Motif? Part 1 Day 5: A Random PSA On Dating Kimono Day 6: Random PSA On The People Who Actually Run Things Part 2 - Geisha Union and Kenban Day 7: The Karyukai Summary of 2016 Day 8: What’s In a Kamon? Part 5   I wonder what else will be in store for the coming days ;) -The Random Fact of The Week looked at Pontocho’s pre-erikae hairstyles. -Mylo’s Pick of The Week focused on Koeri (小衿) of Hiroshimaya (廣島屋) in Gion Kobu. -You’ve sent me so many varied and insightful questions again this week! I’m happy that you’re all so engaged with this blog and I think I learn as much from your questions as you learn from me. Thank you everyone! -For people who may not be aware: when I post about the questions sent in during the past week I include links to all of the questions into each thank you sentence. Sometimes I get the number of words correct, other times I need to write more, and often times I add extra because I wanted to finish a thought. I just wanted you all to know that this feature exists as mobile and some PC users can’t see the underlines that are usually displayed on the desktop version to indicate that a word has a link associated with it.

Weekend Update 25/12

The last weekly update of the year is here~!  Karyukai News -Masano (満彩野) of Man (まん) in Gion Higashi had her misedashi on Tuesday (December 20th). -Chikasome (千賀染) of Komaya (駒屋) in Miyagawa Cho had her misedashi on Wednesday (December 21st) -Momika (もみ香) of Yamaguchi (やまぐち) in Pontocho is expected to have her misedashi this week. Blog News -What’s In a Kimono? Part 4 looked at a unique Taisho girl’s furisode. -The 12 Days of Fun started today! The first day ushered in What’s In a Name? Part 15 that took a look at Sono (園), Some (染), and Yuki/Kō/Sachi (幸). -The Random Fact of The Week looked at the patronage that geiko pay to their local shrines. -Mylo’s Pick of The Week once again looked at Mameroku (豆六) of Arai (新井) in Gion Kobu with an amazing composition. -There were so many, many questions asked this week (29 of them!)! Thank you for your great comments and questions throughout the year and feel free to keep them coming! -I was wondering if anyone would be interested in watching me do a live stream in the new year. You could send in your questions ahead of time or ask them live and I’d take an hour or so to flesh them out. If this is something you’d be interested in seeing me do then drop me a note or feel free to send in your thoughts and suggestions on the topic. -Many new names were added this week (and in a few weeks past when I forgot to update this part), so here’s the final count of names this year: Gion Kobu: 1,057 Pontocho: 481 Kamishichiken: 165 Miyagawa Cho: 333 Gion Higashi: 189  That’s 2,225 names! I hope you’ve enjoyed my work ^^

What’s In a Name? Part 15

On the first day of holidays I give to all of you.. a new entry in the ongoing kanji series! Since this is a happy time of year we’re going to be looking at some happy kanji! Sono - 園 Prefix or Suffix: Both Old Meaning: Garden New (Standardized) Meaning: Garden Found In: All Five Hanamachi Thinking about flowers in beautiful gardens is a nice change from the cold outside! The kanji itself kind of resembles an old, stately garden with high walls and a water feature running through the middle Examples 晃園 Kōsono (Gion Kobu): “Clear Garden”, can also be translated as “Garden of Clarity,” a name that eludes to finding inner peace or enlightenment through meditation in a garden. 市園 Ichisono (Pontocho): “First Garden,” the most stunning garden of them all, possibly referring to a woman with many highly cultivated gei. 勝園 Katsusono (Kamishichiken): “Victorious Garden” or “Garden of Victory,” a name that brings to mind a garden that celebrates the triumphs of its owner. 園ハ Sonoha (Miygawa Cho): “Eight Gardens,” likely put together to make a sound rather than a deeper meaning, but it’s quite unique ^^ つね園 Tsunesono (Gion Higashi): “Constant Garden,” likens to a place that can weather any storm and still be beautiful. Some - 染 Prefix or Suffix: Both Old Meaning: Color New (Standardized) Meaning: Color Found In: All Five Hanamachi What would a flower be without color? This kanji is sometimes linked with dyes, specifically for kimono, but I don’t want to over complicate it too much ^^ Examples 染蝶 Somechō (Gion Kobu): “Colored Butterfly,” could also be “Colorful Butterfly.” It’s a lovely name either way! 福染 Fukusome (Pontocho): “Lucky Color,” another very happy sounding name. 尚そめ Naosome (Kamishichiken): “Esteemed Color,” the hiragana form of the kanji that still holds the same meaning. It brings to mind colors that are used for formal situations and hold special connotations.  菊染 Kikusome (Miyagawa Cho): “Colorful Chrysanthemum,” pretty straightforward. 染友 Someyū (Gion Higashi): “Colorful Friend,” it’s hard to have a boring name when it’s full of color, so a colorful friend must be just as exciting ^^ Yuki/Kō/Sachi - 幸 Prefix or Suffix: Both Old Meaning: Happiness, Being Blessed New (Standardized) Meaning: Happiness, Being Blessed Found In: All Five Hanamachi How can we talk about happy kanji without the kanji that symbolizes happiness!? We can’t, so of course it has to be showcased! Examples 幸苑 Yukizono (Gion Kobu): “Blessed Garden” or “Garden of Happiness,” the “苑” kanji, also pronounced as “some” (or “zome” in this case), also means garden (it’s like name-ception!). 幸子 Sachiko (Gion Kobu): “Blessed Child” or “Happy Child,” a name I had initially overlooked and had forgotten about, but it was brought to my attention as it has such a unique pronunciation.  久幸 Hisakō (Pontocho): “Long Time Blessings” or “Long Time Happiness,” a name likely given to a woman who was always smiling. さと幸 Satoyuki (Kamishichiken): “Village Fortune (Fortunate Blessings)” or “Village Happiness,” even bigger than a garden, so a woman with wide reaching happiness. 叶幸 Kanayuki (Miyagawa Cho): “Blessed Wish” or “Happy Wish,” given to a girl with a promising future who makes others happy. 幸べん Kōben (Gion Higashi): “Blessed Flower Petal” or “Happy Flower Petal,” a bit more difficult than the others since “ben” can have many meanings, but flower petals seem to work best in a world of flowers and willows.

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.

What’s in a Name? Part 6

Last week looked at kanji that go outside the boundaries of normal naming conventions in Japan, so this week will look at a bit more special kanji: those who have naming lines that are unique to their hanamachi. Although there have been thousands of names in the history of the karyukai, there are some that have managed to stay within their own neighborhoods and produced an entire line of girls who have carried that name for decades. While some are ongoing, others have sadly died out, but not before becoming a cornerstone of their community. Taka - 孝 Prefix or Suffix: Prefix Old Meaning: Piety New (Standardized) Meaning: Piety Found In: Gion Kobu An interesting kanji that describes a bit of an abstract ideal, so the best way to apply it is to make it describe its paired kanji. It was used by the Kaida (貝田) okiya for over 60 years before their closing in 2013. Examples: 孝比呂 Takahiro (Gion Kobu): “Pious Posture (When Seated in Meditation)”, I love using this example to showcase the unique ways in which the karyukai breaks naming boundaries. Takahiro itself is actually a common boy’s name in Japan, so this is a way that having a traditionally male name shows the strength and independence of the woman who uses it as her geimei. Besides being a male name, it uses incredibly unique kanji that aren’t found in any other names. “比“ means “ratio” and “呂” means “spine”. Putting them together would literally mean “Piety (in) Ratio (to) Spine” which refers to the seated posture used by the Buddha and Bodhisattvas in Buddhist iconography, but doesn’t translate well back into English. Since it takes a lot of background information to understand, I chose to simplify it and put it as “Pious Posture (When Seated in Meditation).”      孝丸 Takamaru (Gion Kobu): “Pious Circle,” the last onesan of the Taka- line, this name also invokes Buddhist imagery as circles and mandalas are common items of reflection. After her retirement in 2012 Takamaru went on to open a successful bar that she still owns and operates in the heart of Gion Kobu.   U - 卯 Prefix or Suffix: Prefix Old Meaning: Rabbit New (Standardized) Meaning: Rabbit, Widely replaced by 兎 Found In: Pontocho A cute kanji that invokes curiosity and wonder, it was used by a long line of Jikata geiko for over 30 years. In each case it’s paired with “の” that shows possession and directs the reader to apply the following kanji as an adjective to “卯”. This is also a rare example of an animal kanji making its way into a name. Examples: 卯の静 Unoshizu (Pontocho): “The Quiet Rabbit”, a very fitting name for an animal that is often seen but rarely heard. It’s possible that the woman who had this name played a softer instrument such as the flute compared to the loud and commanding sounds of the shamisen and the drums. 卯の葉 Unoha (Pontocho): “The Rabbit’s Leaf”, a cute name that brings to mind the image of a rabbit eating leaves under a forest canopy.   Nao - 尚 Prefix or Suffix: Prefix Old Meaning: Esteem or More to Come New (Standardized) Meaning: Esteem or More to Come Found In: Kamishichiken Used by the Nakasato (中里) okiya for decades, it’s an interesting kanji since it can mean both “someone held in esteem” or “a marker of more to come”. Sometimes it’s a bit hard to decide which meaning is the more appropriate one when being translated back into English, so it’s always best to see what kanji it’s paired with and then to choose which makes the most sense. Examples: 尚あい Naoai (Kamishichiken): “Esteemed Love” or “Love That is Coming”, one of the few examples where both meanings of the “尚” kanji make equal sense when translated back into English, so I decided to list them both.   尚鈴 Naosuzu (Kamishichiken): “Esteemed Bell”, sounds a bit more permanent than its alternative (which would be “a bell that is coming”) and also makes a bit more sense. While Miyagawa Cho and Gion Higashi do have some unique name lines, their kanji are not unique and can be found in most hanamachi.