Chapter 5 No.5

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."[47] But if the name happen to have three syllables, the honorific "O" is not used. A woman named Kiku? ("Chrysanthemum-Branch") is not addressed as "O-Kiku? San," but only as "Kiku? San."

[47] Under certain conditions of intimacy, both prefix and title are dropped. They are dropped also by the superior in addressing an inferior;-for example, a lady would not address her maid as "O-Yoné San," but merely as "Yoné."

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 ko is written with the Chinese character meaning "child," and must not be confused with the word ko, 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 "?,"[48] signifying "inlet," "bay," "frith,"-sometimes "river." Thus we find such names as Nami? ("Wave-Bay"), Tomi? ("Riches-Bay"), Sumi? ("Dwelling-Bay"), Shizu? ("Quiet-Bay"), Tama? ("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 Nami? or Kikuno is not addressed as "O-Nami? San" or "O-Kikuno San," but as "Nami? San," "Kikuno San."

[48] This suffix must not be confused with the suffix "?," signifying "branch," which is also attached to many popular names. Without seeing the Chinese character, you cannot decide whether the name Tama?, for example, means "Jewel-branch" or "Jewel Inlet."

"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 Shintō 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 ko or the title. Thus "the Lady Ayamé" would not be spoken of as "Ayaméko Sama," but more euphoniously as "Ayamé Sama,"[49] or as "Ayaméko."

[49] "Ayamé Sama," however, is rather familiar; and this form cannot be used by a stranger in verbal address, though a letter may be directed with the name so written. As a rule, the ko is the more respectful form.

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 ?sthetics, 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-Chi? "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-Kané[50] "The Doubly-Accomplished."

[50] From the strange verb kaneru, signifying, to do two things at the same time.

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} {"The Clear,"-in the sense of

Kiyoshi} { bright, beautiful.

O-Kuru "She-who-Comes"(?).[51]

[51] 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.

O-Maru "The Round,"-plump.

O-Masa "The Genteel."

Masayo "Generations-of-the-Just."

O-Masu "Increase."

O-Mi? "Triple Branch."

O-Miki "Stem."

O-Mio "Triple Cord."

O-Mitsu "Abundance."

O-Miwa "The Far-seeing."

O-Miwa "Three Spokes"(?).[52]

[52] 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.

O-Miyo "Beautiful Generations."

Miyuki[53] "Deep Snow."

[53] This beautiful name refers to the silence and calm following a heavy snowfall. But, even for the Japanese, it is an ?sthetic name also-suggesting both tranquillity and beauty.

O-Moto "Origin."

O-Naka "Friendship."

O-Rai "Trust."

O-Raku[54] "Pleasure."

[54] The name seems curious, in view of the common proverb, Raku wa ku no tané,-"Pleasure is the seed of pain."

O-Sachi "Bliss."

O-Sai "The Talented."

Saka? "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 bonum.

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.[55]

[55] 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 formerly (and perhaps in some places is still) supposed that those unseen influences, which had caused the death of the other children, might be thwarted.

O-Ta? "The Exquisite."

O-Taka "The Honorable."

O-Taka "The Tall."

Takara "Treasure,"-precious object.

O-Tama "Jewel."

Tama? "Jewel-branch."

Tokiwa[56] "Eternally Constant."

[56] Lit., "Everlasting-Rock,"-but the ethical meaning is "Constancy-everlasting-as-the-Rocks." "Tokiwa" is a name famous both in history and tradition; for it was the name of the mother of Yoshitsuné. 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.

O-Tomi "Riches."

O-Toshi "The Deft,"-skilful.

O-Tsuma "The Wife."

O-Yori "The Trustworthy."

O-Waka "The Young."

* * *

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 Shintō.

* * *

PLACE-NAMES

O-Fuji [Mount] "Fuji."

O-Hama "Coast."

O-Ichi "Market,"-fair.

O-Iyo "Iyo,"-province of Iyo, in Shikoku.

O-Kawa (rare) "River."

O-Kishi "Beach,"-shore.

O-Kita "North."

O-Kiwa "Border."

O-Kuni "Province."

O-Kyō "Capital,"-metropolis,-Kyōto.

O-Machi "Town."

Matsu? "Matsu?,"-chief city of Izumo.

O-Mina[57] "South."

[57] Abbreviation of Minami.

O-Miné "Peak."

O-Miya "Temple" [Shintō].[58]

[58] I must confess that in classing this name as a place-name, I am only making a guess. It seems to me that the name probably refers to the ichi no miya, or chief Shintō temple of some province.

O-Mon[59] "Gate."

[59] I fancy that this name, like that of O-Séki, must have originated in the custom of naming children after the place, or neighborhood, where the family lived. But here again, I am guessing.

O-Mura "Village."

O-Nami[60] "Wave."

[60] This classification also is a guess. I could learn nothing about the name, except the curious fact that it is said to be unlucky.

Naniwa "Naniwa,"-ancient name of ōsaka.

O-Nishi "West."

O-Rin "Park."

O-Saki "Cape."

O-Sato "Native Place,"-village,-also, home.

O-Sawa "Marsh."

O-Seki "Toll-Gate,"-barrier.

Shigéki "Thickwood,"-forest.

O-Shima "Island."

O-Sono "Flower-garden."

O-Taki "Cataract,"-or Waterfall.

O-Tani "Valley."

O-Tsuka "Milestone."

O-Yama "Mountain."

* * *

The next list is a curious medley, so far as regards the quality of the yobina comprised in it. Some are really ?sthetic and pleasing; others industrial only; while a few might be taken for nicknames of the most disagreeable kind.

* * *

NAMES OF OBJECTS AND OF OCCUPATIONS ESPECIALLY PERTAINING TO WOMEN

Ayakoor } "Damask-pattern."

O-Aya[61] }

[61] Aya-Nishiki,-the famous figured damask brocade of Kyōto,-is probably referred to.

O-Fumi "Woman's Letter."

O-Fusa "Tassel."

O-Ito "Thread."

O-Kama[62] "Rice-Sickle."

[62] O-Kama (Sickle) is a familiar peasant-name. O-Kama (caldron, or iron cooking-pot), and several other ugly names in this list are ' names. Servants in old time not only trained their children to become servants, but gave them particular names referring to their future labors.

O-Kama "Caldron."

Kazashi "Hair-pin."

O-Kinu "Cloth-of-Silk."

O-Koto "Harp."

O-Nabé "Pot,"-or cooking-vessel.

O-Nui "Embroidery."

O-Shimé "Clasp,"-ornamental fastening.

O-Somé "The Dyer."

O-Taru "Cask,"-barrel.

* * *

The following list consists entirely of material nouns used as names. There are several yobina among them of which I cannot find the emblematical meaning. Generally speaking, the yobina which signify precious substances, such as silver and gold, are ?sthetic names; and those which signify common hard substances, such as stone, rock, iron, are intended to suggest firmness or strength of character. But the name "Rock" is also sometimes used as a symbol of the wish for long life, or long continuance of the family line. The curious name Suna has nothing, however, to do with individual "grit": it is half-moral and half-?sthetic. Fine sand-especially colored sand-is much prized in this fairy-land of landscape-gardening, where it is used to cover spaces that must always be kept spotless and beautiful, and never trodden,-except by the gardener.

* * *

MATERIAL NOUNS USED AS NAMES

O-Gin "Silver."

O-Ishi "Stone."

O-Iwa "Rock."

O-Kané "Bronze."

O-Kazé[63] "Air,"-perhaps Wind.

[63] I cannot find any explanation of this curious name.

O-Kin "Gold."

O-Ruri[64] } "Emerald,"-emeraldine?

Ruriko }

[64] The Japanese name does not give the same quality of ?sthetic sensation as the name Esmeralda. The ruri is not usually green, but blue; and the term "ruri-iro" (emerald color) commonly signifies a dark violet.

O-Ryū "Fine Metal."

O-Sato "Sugar."

O-Seki "Stone."

O-Shiwo "Salt."

O-Suna "Sand."

O-Suzu "Tin."

O-Tané "Seed."

O-Tetsu "Iron."

* * *

The following five yobina are ?sthetic names,-although literally signifying things belonging to intellectual work. Four of them, at least, refer to calligraphy,-the matchless calligraphy of the Far East,-rather than to anything that we should call "literary beauty."

* * *

LITERARY NAMES

O-Bun "Composition."

O-Fudé "Writing-Brush."

O-Fumi "Letter."

O-Kaku "Writing."

O-Uta "Poem."

* * *

Names relating to number are very common, but also very interesting. They may be loosely divided into two sub-classes,-names indicating the order or the time of birth, and names of felicitation. Such yobina as Ichi, San, Roku, Hachi usually refer to the order of birth; but sometimes they record the date of birth. For example, I know a person called O-Roku, who received this name, not because she was the sixth child born in the family, but because she entered this world upon the sixth day of the sixth month of the sixth Meiji. It will be observed that the numbers Two, Five, and Nine are not represented in the list: the mere idea of such names as O-Ni, O-Go, or O-Ku seems to a Japanese absurd. I do not know exactly why,-unless it be that they suggest unpleasant puns. The place of O-Ni is well supplied, however, by the name O-Tsugi ("Next"), which will be found in a subsequent list. Names signifying numbers ranging from eighty to a thousand, and upward, are names of felicitation. They express the wish that the bearer may live to a prodigious age, or that her posterity may flourish through the centuries.

* * *

NUMERALS AND WORDS RELATING TO NUMBER

O-Ichi "One."

O-San "Three."

O-Mitsu "Three."

O-Yotsu "Four."

O-Roku "Six."

O-Shichi "Seven."

O-Hachi "Eight."

O-Jū "Ten."

O-Iso "Fifty."[65]

[65] Such a name may record the fact that the girl was a first-born child, and the father fifty years old at the time of her birth.

O-Yaso "Eighty."

O-Hyaku "Hundred."[66]

[66] The "O" before this trisyllable seems contrary to rule; but Hyaku is pronounced almost like a dissyllable.

O-Yao "Eight Hundred."

O-Sen "Thousand."

O-Michi "Three Thousand."

O-Man "Ten Thousand."

O-Chiyo "Thousand Generations."

Yachiyo "Eight Thousand Generations."

O-Shigé "Two-fold."

O-Ya? "Eight-fold."

O-Kazu "Great Number."

O-Mina "All."

O-Han "Half."[67]

[67] "Better half?"-the reader may query. But I believe that this name originated in the old custom of taking a single character of the father's name-sometimes also a character of the mother's name-to compose the child's name with. Perhaps in this case the name of the girl's father was Hanyémon, or Hanbei.

O-Iku "How Many?"(?)

* * *

OTHER NAMES RELATING TO ORDER OF BIRTH

O-Hatsu "Beginning,"-first-born.

O-Tsugi "Next,"-the second.

O-Naka "Midmost."

O-Tomé "Stop,"-cease.

O-Sué "Last."

* * *

Some few of the next group of names are probably ?sthetic. But such names are sometimes given only in reference to the time or season of birth; and the reason for any particular yobina of this class is difficult to decide without personal inquiry.

* * *

NAMES RELATING TO TIME AND SEASON

O-Haru "Spring."

O-Natsu "Summer."

O-Aki "Autumn."

O-Fuyu "Winter."

O-Asa "Morning."

O-Chō "Dawn."

O-Yoi "Evening."

O-Sayo "Night."

O-Ima "Now."

O-Toki "Time,"-opportunity.

O-Toshi "Year [of Plenty]."

* * *

Names of animals-real or mythical-form another class of yobina. A name of this kind generally represents the hope that the child will develop some quality or capacity symbolized by the creature after which it has been called. Names such as "Dragon," "Tiger," "Bear," etc., are intended in most cases to represent moral rather than other qualities. The moral symbolism of the Koi (Carp) is too well-known to require explanation here. The names Kamé and Tsuru refer to longevity. Koma, curious as the fact may seem, is a name of endearment.

* * *

NAMES OF BIRDS, FISHES, ANIMALS, ETC.

Chidori "Sanderling."

O-Kamé "Tortoise."

O-Koi "Carp."[68]

[68] Cyprinus carpio.

O-Koma "Filly,"-or pony.

O-Kuma "Bear."

O-Ryō "Dragon."

O-Shika "Deer."

O-Tai "Bream."[69]

[69] Chrysophris cardinalis.

O-Taka "Hawk."

O-Tako "Cuttlefish."(?)

O-Tatsu "Dragon."

O-Tora "Tiger."

O-Tori "Bird."

O-Tsuru "Stork."[70]

[70] Sometimes this name is shortened into O-Tsu. In Tōkyō at the present time it is the custom to drop the honorific "O" before such abbreviations, and to add to the name the suffix "chan,"-as in the case of children's names. Thus a young woman may be caressingly addressed as "Tsu-chan" (for O-Tsuru), "Ya-chan" (for O-Yasu), etc.

O-Washi "Eagle."

* * *

Even yobina which are the names of flowers or fruits, plants or trees, are in most cases names of moral or felicitous, rather than of ?sthetic meaning. The plumflower is an emblem of feminine virtue; the chrysanthemum, of longevity; the pine, both of longevity and constancy; the bamboo, of fidelity; the cedar, of moral rectitude; the willow, of docility and gentleness, as well as of physical grace. The symbolism of the lotos and of the cherryflower are probably familiar. But such names as Hana ("Blossom ") and Ben ("Petal") are ?sthetic in the true sense; and the Lily remains in Japan, as elsewhere, an emblem of feminine grace.

* * *

FLOWER-NAMES

Ayamé "Iris."[71]

[71] Iris setosa, or Iris sibrisia.

Azami "Thistle-Flower."

O-Ben "Petal."

O-Fuji "Wistaria."[72]

[72] Wistaria chinensis.

O-Hana "Blossom."

O-Kiku "Chrysanthemum."

O-Ran "Orchid."

O-Ren "Lotos."

Sakurako "Cherryblossom."

O-Umé "Plumflower."

O-Yuri "Lily."

* * *

NAMES OF PLANTS, FRUITS, AND TREES

O-Iné "Rice-in-the-blade."

Ka?dé "Maple-leaf."

O-Kaya "Rush."[73]

[73] Imperata arundinacea.

O-Kaya "Yew."[74]

[74] Torreya nucifera.

O-Kuri "Chestnut."

O-Kuwa "Mulberry."

O-Maki "Fir."[75]

[75] Podocarpus chinensis.

O-Mamé "Bean."

O-Momo "Peach,"-the fruit.[76]

[76] Yet this name may possibly have been written with the wrong character. There is another yobina, "Momo" signifying "hundred,"-as in the phrase momo yo, "for a hundred ages."

O-Nara "Oak."

O-Ryū "Willow."

Sana? "Sprouting-Rice."

O-Sané "Fruit-seed."

O-Shino "Slender Bamboo."

O-Sugé "Reed."[77]

[77] Scirpus maritimus.

O-Sugi "Cedar."[78]

[78] Cryptomeria Japonica.

O-Také "Bamboo."

O-Tsuta "Ivy."[79]

[79] Cissus Thunbergii.

O-Ya? "Double-Blossom."[80]

[80] A flower-name certainly; but the ya? here is probably an abbreviation of ya?-zakura, the double-flower of a particular species of cherry-tree.

O-Yoné "Rice-in-grain."

Wakana "Young Na."[81]

[81] Brassica chinensis.

* * *

Names signifying light or color seem to us the most ?sthetic of all yobina; and they probably seem so to the Japanese. Nevertheless the relative purport even of these names cannot be divined at sight. Colors have moral and other values in the old nature-philosophy; and an appellation that to the Western mind suggests only luminosity or beauty may actually refer to moral or social distinction,-to the hope that the girl so named will become "illustrious."

* * *

NAMES SIGNIFYING BRIGHTNESS

O-Mika "New Moon."[82]

[82] Mika is an abbreviation of Mikazuki, "the moon of the third night" [of the old lunar month].

O-Mitsu "Light."

O-Shimo "Frost."

O-Teru "The Shining."

O-Tsuki "Moon."

O-Tsuya "The Glossy,"-lustrous.

O-Tsuyu "Dew."

O-Yuki "Snow."

* * *

COLOR-NAMES

O-Ai "Indigo."

O-Aka "Red."

O-Iro "Color."

O-Kon "Deep Blue."

O-Kuro "Dark,"-lit.,"Black."

Midori[83] "Green."

Murasaki[83] "Purple."

[83] Midori and Murasaki, especially the latter, should properly be classed with aristocratic yobina; and both are very rare. I could find neither in the collection of aristocratic names which was made for me from the records of the Peeresses' School; but I discovered a "Midori" in a list of middle-class names. Color-names being remarkably few among yobina, I thought it better in this instance to group the whole of them together, independently of class-distinctions.

O-Shiro "White."

* * *

The following and final group of female names contains several queer puzzles. Japanese girls are sometimes named after the family crest; and heraldry might explain one or two of these yobina. But why a girl should be called a ship, I am not sure of being able to guess. Perhaps some reader may be reminded of Nietzsche's "Little Brig called Angeline":-

"Angeline-they call me so-

Now a ship, one time a maid,

(Ah, and evermore a maid!)

Love the steersman, to and fro,

Turns the wheel so finely made."

But such a fancy would not enter into a Japanese mind. I find, however, in a list of family crests, two varieties of design representing a ship, twenty representing an arrow, and two representing a bow.

* * *

NAMES DIFFICULT TO CLASSIFY OR EXPLAIN

O-Fuku[84] "Raiment,"-clothing.

[84] Possibly this name belongs to the same class as O-Nui ("Embroidery"), O-Somé ("The Dyer"); but I am not sure.

O-Funé "Ship,"-or Boat.

O-Hina[85] "Doll,"-a paper doll?

[85] Probably a name of caress. The word hina is applied especially to the little paper dolls made by hand for amusement,-representing young ladies with elaborate coiffure; and it is also given to the old-fashioned dolls representing courtly personages in full ceremonial costume. The true doll-doll-baby-is called ningyō.

O-Kono "This."

O-Nao "Still More."

O-Nari "Thunder-peal."

O-Nibo "Palanquin" (?).

O-Rai "Thunder."

O-Rui "Sort,"-kind, species.

O-Suzu[86] "Little Bell."

[86] Perhaps this name is given because of the sweet sound of the suzu,-a tiny metal ball, with a little stone or other hard object inside, to make the ringing.-It is a pretty Japanese custom to put one of these little suzu in the silk charm-bag (mamori-bukero) which is attached to a child's girdle. The suzu rings with every motion that the child makes,-somewhat like one of those tiny bells which we attach to the neck of a pet kitten.

Suzu? "Branch-of-Little-Bells."

O-Tada "The Only."

Tamaki "Armlet,"-bracelet.

O-Tami "Folk,"-common people.

O-Toshi "Arrowhead,"-or barb.

O-Tsui "Pair,"-match.

O-Tsuna "Rope,"-bond.

O-Yumi "Bow,"-weapon.

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Before passing on to the subject of aristocratic names, I must mention an old rule for Japanese names,-a curious rule that might help to account for sundry puzzles in the preceding lists. This rule formerly applied to all personal names,-masculine or feminine. It cannot be fully explained in the present paper; for a satisfactory explanation would occupy at least fifty pages. But, stated in the briefest possible way, the rule is that the first or "head-character" of a personal name should be made to "accord" (in the Chinese philosophic sense) with the supposed Sei, or astrologically-determined nature, of the person to whom the name is given;-the required accordance being decided, not by the meaning, but by the sound of the Chinese written character. Some vague idea of the difficulties of the subject may be obtained from the accompanying table. (Page 143.)

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PHONETIC RELATION of the FIVE ELEMENTAL-NATURES to the JAPANESE SYLLABARY

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