les in regard to Japanese fema

ays 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

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 syl

. They are dropped also by the superior in addressing an inferior;-for examp

asant 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

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-Set

liar 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

is also attached to many popular names. Without seeing the Chinese character, you ca

h 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 prope

used by a stranger in verbal address, though a letter may be directed

eeling 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 u

IRTUES AND

"Lo

"Intell

"Loy

nderness,

aithful-

orgiveness

the sense of mo

Filial

Righteou

The Way,"

or,"-wifel

e Upright

"The Fa

ty,"-in the ol

"Chaste

Generous,"-

"The

i "T

in the sense of

Tranquil,"-

delity,"-wi

e-of,"-a name sugge

-in the meaning of

u "Vi

specially in the meani

é "Con

he Amiabl

i "The

"The Res

previous list; but nearly all of the yobina refer to some good quality which the parents trust that the child will display, or to som

PRESSING PERSONAL QUAL

e Generous

"Close

housand Re

"-probably in re

i "G

n,"-bequest from a

Fortu

Prospe

"Ch

longation

"Surp

Playful,"-me

"Good

ce,"-spring

Quick,"-li

"Supe

perior Gen

"The

"The Lo

gorous,"-spir

Superex

rations-of-t

The Doubly-A

kaneru, signifying, to do t

The Fra

"Worthy

"The Vic

"Del

The Res

"The H

"The For

Sovereign,

he Distin

e Clear,"-in

{ bright,

e-who-Come

lad"-but no Japanese female name could have the implied signif

The Roun

"The Ge

erations-of

"Incr

Triple

ki "

"Tripl

u "Abu

The Far-

hree Spok

understand the name. A Buddhist explanation suggest

autiful Ge

53] "De

owing a heavy snowfall. But, even for the Japanese, it is an

o "Or

"Frie

i "T

54] "Pl

of the common proverb, Raku wa ku no

hi "B

The Tal

"Prosp

"The Bl

ned,"-in the se

i "F

nnin,"-wo

é "Exu

e Total,"-s

"The

n "Tr

Goods,"-p

"Proof,"-

"The H

ō "T

"Exce

he Belove

"The

ined,"-in the s

Forsaken,"-f

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,"

The Exq

"The Ho

"The

asure,"-pre

a "Je

Jewel-b

"Eternall

us both in history and tradition; for it was the name of the mother of Yoshitsuné. Her touching story,-and especially t

i "Ri

The Deft,

a "The

The Trus

"The

place because born there, or because the parental home was there, or because of beliefs belonging to the old Chinese philosoph

CE-

[Mount]

a "Co

"Market

province of I

(rare)

"Beach

a "No

a "Bo

"Prov

tal,"-metro

hi "T

u?,"-chief c

[57] "

eviation

né "

emple" [S

am only making a guess. It seems to me that the name probably re

[59]

inated in the custom of naming children after the place, or neig

a "Vi

[60] "

could learn nothing about the name, except t

a,"-ancient n

hi "W

n "P

ki "

Place,"-villa

a "Ma

oll-Gate,

Thickwood

ma "I

"Flower

taract,"-o

i "Va

a "Mil

"Moun

na comprised in it. Some are really ?sthetic and pleasing; others industrial

F OCCUPATIONS ESPECIAL

"Damask-

ya[

figured damask brocade of K

Woman's

a "Ta

"Thr

2] "Rice

everal other ugly names in this list are ' names. Servants in old time not only trained their

a "Ca

i "Hai

"Cloth-

to "

t,"-or coo

"Embro

sp,"-ornamen

"The

"Cask,"

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

NOUNS USE

"Sil

i "St

a "R

é "Br

"Air,"-pe

any explanation o

n "G

} "Emerald,

ri

tion as the name Esmeralda. The ruri is not usually green, but blue; an

"Fine

o "Su

i "St

wo "S

na "

zu "

né "

su "I

ging to intellectual work. Four of them, at least, refer to calligraphy,-the matchless c

RARY

"Compo

"Writin

i "Le

u "Wr

a "P

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 tha

WORDS RELAT

hi "

n "T

su "T

su "F

ku "

chi "

hi "E

ū "

"Fifty

he girl was a first-born child, and the fat

o "Ei

"Hundr

seems contrary to rule; but Hyaku is

Eight H

"Tho

"Three T

Ten Tho

housand Ge

ht Thousand

é "Two

"Eight

"Great

na "

"Hal

taking a single character of the father's name-sometimes also a character of the mother's name-to com

"How M

RELATING TO

eginning,"

Next,"-th

a "Mi

"Stop,"

é "L

times given only in reference to the time or season of birth; and the reason for a

ING TO TIME

u "Sp

su "S

"Aut

u "Wi

"Mor

ō "D

"Eve

o "Ni

a "N

ime,"-opp

Year [of

y 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

DS, FISHES,

"Sande

"Tort

"Car

prinus

Filly,"-

ma "

"Dra

ka "D

"Bream

sophris c

ka "

"Cuttle

su "D

a "Ti

ri "

u "Sto

norific "O" before such abbreviations, and to add to the name the suffix "chan,"-as in the case of children's

hi "E

themum, 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

ER-N

"Iri

etosa, or I

Thistle

n "P

"Wistar

taria ch

a "Bl

"Chrysa

"Orc

n "L

"Cherry

"Plumf

ri "

ANTS, FRUIT

ice-in-t

"Maple

"Rush

erata ar

a "Ye

rreya n

"Ches

"Mulb

i "Fi

ocarpus

mé "

ach,"-the

wrong character. There is another yobina, "Momo" signifying

ra "

"Wil

Sprouti

"Frui

"Slender

"Reed

irpus m

"Ceda

ptomeria

é "Ba

a "Ivy

ssus Th

uble-Blos

probably an abbreviation of ya?-zakura, the doub

"Rice-i

"Young

ssica ch

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

NIFYING B

"New Mo

Mikazuki, "the moon of the third

su "L

mo "F

"The Sh

ki "M

he Glossy,

uyu

ki "

OR-

"In

a "R

o "C

"Deep

ark,"-lit

[83] "

i[83] "

llection 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.

ro "W

r the family crest; and heraldry might explain one or two of these yobina. But why a girl should be called a ship, I

e-they c

p, one ti

evermor

teersman,

wheel so f

ver, in a list of family crests, two varieties of design representi

ULT TO CLASS

"Raiment,

same class as O-Nui ("Embroidery"), O

"Ship,"

"Doll,"-a

for amusement,-representing young ladies with elaborate coiffure; and it is also given to the old-fashioned

no "

"Still

"Thunde

"Palanq

"Thu

rt,"-kind

6] "Litt

e 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

nch-of-Lit

"The

Armlet,"

olk,"-com

Arrowhead

"Pair,"

"Rope,

"Bow,"-

d 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 as

FIVE ELEMENTAL-NATURES