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Midwinter Names

~ A winter harvest of names

Midwinter Names

Category Archives: Japanese

Haruki

13 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by Bree in Japanese, names, nature names, unusual

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Meaning: Mutiple, from “spring child”, to “sun, sunlight” to “radiance or shine”.
Gender: Male
Pronunciation: hah-ROO-kee (I think)
Origin: Japanese
Other forms of the name: N/A

A perfect name for a Spring baby. There are many different kanji used for this name, like most Japanese names, so it doesn’t have just one meaning. Other meanings are “clear up” or “hope/rare”.

Spring is one of my favorite seasons, I was born during Spring, and I love the weather, although it is more like Summer than Spring down here in the south. In Spring the days become longer because the axis of the Earth is starting to tilt towards the Sun. Because of this, the Earth starts to warm, allowing plants to grow. Spring is a time of revival, and new life. There are many Spring festivals, the most famous probably being Easter, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ in Christian mythology.

A famous namesake is author Haruki Murakami. He is said to be one of the greatest living novelists. His most recent novel is “1Q84” which came out in 2009.

Hotaru

16 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by Bree in Japanese, names, nature names, unusual

≈ 1 Comment

Meaning: “Firefly”
Gender: Female
Pronunciation: HOH-tah-roo
Origin: Japanese
Other forms of the name: N/A

Fireflies are beautiful things, I have only seen them a few times in my life, I know I caught some once before with my siblings and father, but that is about all I recall. I think to be named after such a lovely little insect would be an honor. Those who are fans of “Sailor Moon” may recognize it as Sailor Saturn’s Japanese name.

There are surprisingly few myths about fireflies, but I read a Japanese myth that I thought was especially beautiful. I’m not sure if this is an actual common myth in Japan but I thought it was interesting nonetheless.

A long time ago a woodsman and his wife lived in a pretty little house on the edge of a forest below Mount Fujiyama. However they were not happy. So one night the wife went out and laid at the base of the Mountain and begged for a child, as she prayed a tiny flicker of light appeared high up on the mountain and floated down until it landed on the branch of a bamboo tree. It was a moonchild that had been sent by the Lady of the Moon. She raised the moonchild until it grew into a beautiful young woman. The Emperor’s son even fell in love with her though she declined his offer of marriage, saying her mother the Lady of the Moon said she must return back to her when she turned twenty. So soon it was time for her to leave and the Emperor’s son, the woodsman and his wife all said goodbye. The Lady of the Moon sent down a moon beam for her to ride on and the girl cried silver tears that grew wings and began to fly over the land, searching for her loved ones.

Another Japanese legend about fireflies is that a man returning home from a wedding party saw a firefly outside of his house, which he thought was strange as it was so cold out. As he approached it, it flew towards him and he poked at it with a stick causing it to fly to the garden. He went to bed and the next morning went to his neighbors to tell them the strange story. His betrothed was the eldest daughter of the neighbor’s and when he went inside their house she came and told him that the night before she had a dream that she had turned into a firefly and had waited for him outside his house. When he arrived she flew towards him to tell him she had learned to fly but he swiped at her with a stick and frightened her off; the man had nothing more to say, probably from shock I’d say!

Shinju

16 Sunday Oct 2011

Posted by Bree in Japanese, mythology, names, nature names, unusual

≈ 1 Comment

Photograph by Katrin Kirojood

Meaning: “Pearl”
Gender: Female
Pronunciation: SHIN-joo (I think)
Origin: Japanese
Other forms of the name: N/A

Sometimes you just come across a name you really, really love. This one of those. But like most great things in the world, this name has a rather cumbersome association. When spelled Shinjū (and using different kanji) it means “double suicide” and is used for lovers who make a pact to kill themselves, popular in puppet shows. However that really doesn’t seem to be a problem for people in Japan. “Shinjū” is the name of a science-fiction novel written by Laura Joh Rowland in 1994 that tells the story of a yoriki or low-ranking police officer in 1689 Genroku-era Japan as he tries to solve the mystery of double murder disguised as a lovers suicide. A lot of Japanese dragons are depicted with pearls which can mean anything from good luck to prosperity or wisdom. Buddhists thought pearls were one of the eight treasures, the heart of Buddha, and pure intentions. The “Flaming Pearl” is recognized by both Buddhists and Hindus as the crystallisation of light, transcendent wisdom, spiritual consciousness, and spiritual essence of the universe. Christian also associate it with Heaven. The pearl is the only gem that can be worn in its natural form, it does not need to be cut or redesigned in any way.

Hello and welcome to Midwinter Names! I'm Bree and I'm the author of this blog. Feel free to peruse the archives and enjoy learning about new names! If you are so inclined come and suggest some names for me to write about on the About page.

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  • Appellation Mountain 10
  • Baby Names from Yesteryear 10
  • Bewitching Names 10
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  • eponymia 10
  • Ich und die Namen 10
  • Legitimate Baby Names 10
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