So, after thinking, overthinking, going through invented book titles and author names that weren't meant to be thought through, researching kanji, radicals, meanings and potential meanings, I think I have gotten to the bottom of what Kotoha's real name is. I don't know how to feel about it, and I might be wrong, but stick with me if you want. I would really appreciate if you followed my tracks as I detailed them, but you can also jump directly to the possible answer I have reached. I won't dislike you too much for that!
Please do not read if you are trying to guess the name yourself! I might be wrong, but if I'm not, this is a spoiler.
After a certain point, what I was working with was the following:
- Scheherazade (One Thousand and One Nights, potential symbolism and whatnot);
- Starting with "Yo" (that was always the biggest hint!);
- More than one character (most likely two), perfectly fine by themselves, but that can have a negative connotation together.
And then we had the fact that it was linked to her curse, her destiny, and this was the most challenging element of them all...
As I shared on Twitter, finding out Kotoha's brother's name and connecting it to what Kotoha told Megumi about him, felt like another hint to me. In Episode 2 Kotoha said that her brother is her exact opposite, in every way. Her brother's name is Asahi (旭), which means "morning sun". We all know there's a whole lot of references to night in the series, starting from the episodes being called "Nights" instead of "Episodes", One Thousand and One Nights, Kotoha's lifestyle (spending one night with a different person), her fear of the night, etc.
Then my terror of misjudging hints kicked in. Before we found out about Asahi, I was convinced (due to the other hint - the one about the characters being okay individually but gaining a horrible connotation together) that the name had to be formed by at least (and most likely) two characters. But seeing how both Asahi and the mother (I wonder why they revealed the name in the summary even though it wasn't revealed in the drama) have a name that's made up of a single character, I got a bit confused. What if, for some sort of sense of coherence, Kotoha's name also has one character? But ultimately I decided to stick to the hint, because it was too much emphasized in the show, with Megumi even writing it down.
But knowing the mom's name brought me off track again, because I couldn't help but seeing a pattern. She
called her son Morning Sun (旭), her own name is Sky/Heaven
(天)...wouldn't you end up feeling like there had to be something
connected to nature, light, day/night in Kotoha's name as well? That's where my mind went, so to names starting with Yo, including night, and having to do with nature. What
about something that contrasts the "up high" element of the mother? Like the
sea, the ocean, also very fitting considering the water theme in the series. And so I find myself drawn to names meaning night sky or
night ocean (both start with Yo, of course), but...where's the curse in there? Where's her fate in there?
To let you peek into just the sort of work my mind was doing...when in this process I considered the name 夜海 (night ocean), which reads read as Yomi, I would find myself thinking of 黄泉
which also reads as Yomi but means hell, and her mother is heaven. So
I was basically torturing myself with words, characters, strokes, going nowhere really meaningful.
And when it comes to this, sometimes what helps is to go back to the start.
So, even though - and here again my fear of considering as a hint something that isn't a hint - the way she justified it in episode 5, with her dream of becoming a writer, I went back to Scheherazade.
I went back with all the other hints I had gathered in mind. I went back and also thought of that tweet I saw during week one, of that person commenting about the answer being in the first episode (and there I felt so frustrated, after having gone through all the damn fake book and authors ahah).
And I think I found it. Don't laugh too much at me if I'm wrong. Think of how much time I spent on it and have compassion. 😂 Ready? So...
From episode 1:
Kotoha's real name is Yotogi, written as 夜伽.
Why?
✓ It starts with Yo;
✓ It is very closely linked with Scheherazade and One Thousand and One Nights;
✓ It includes the character for "night", which opposes Asahi's morning sun;
✓ It's made of two characters that are perfectly fine, meaning-wise, when taken individually, but when combined they can bring out a negative connotation.
The first character is night (夜), which is obviously a nice one, with no negativity at all. So is 伽 (togi), which means attending, nursing. But just like spring and selling together make up prostitution (売春), in the example proposed by Tabane in episode 4, the word 夜 and 伽 together can mean...providing sexual companionship (at night). Kotoha's destiny. To offer sexual services at night. She's literally been living up to her name.
This has to be it. I still consider I might be wrong, but it fits everything. It feels right somehow. It can't be a coincidence...can it? I guess it can, but...can it, really?
I also want to say that I believe there is some salvation for this name. It doesn't have to be a curse. That one meaning is not the only one it can have. It can also mean attending someone through the night, as in being beside them, without any sexual connotation at all. Sort of like what Kotoha did when she took care of Megumi when she caught a cold. Oh no, thinking about this just made me cry. I blame it on the fact that I haven't slept last night.
That's it, to all of you who went through this! Thanks for sticking with me through this!
Edit to add something else: as the lovely Solucionista in the comments pointed out, the character paired with night to make Yotogi (伽) appears in the lyrics of Pseudonym, the opening song for the show, as part of the word Otogibanashi (御伽噺). So we almost get to hear Kotoha's name (minus the initial Yo) in the OP. It might seem a bit of a stretch to think it was included on purpose, because the word means fairy tale, and the drama obviously has many references to such a story. Curse, fate, witch...But this got me thinking about something else. That is, that even Kotoha's use of those words to speak about her self, her past and her mother - might be meant to be interpreted as a hint to her name, through the concept of fairy tales, the word itself and the characters that compose it.
*big hug* *screaming in callmeno*
ReplyDeleteCan we enter the cast-closed heaven right now??
I WENT THROUGH THE SIMILAR PATH BACK AND FORTH SO I TOTALLY FEEL YOUR PAAAIN 😭😭😭
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and, I really like 夜海, the one you came up with, I would say the heavy image shows up in my mind of just seeing these two words really fits Kotoha’s deep sorrow eyes. 😢
I’d like to share mine with Sapphic san, if you don’t mind it’s A bit long…
(Too long that I have to use google drive I am sorry if it won’t bother you. 🫠)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14fPfOoX06tJdkwHI1W-Q6c2zVMmx64JtKxnIxzvNScI/edit
I love that we reached the same conclusions while going through somewhat quite different paths!
DeleteI also personally really like how we can - almost - hear her name in the opening song. I wonder if it was intentional in that way too, because the word in the lyrics obviously fits in another way, with the story. I might add that to the post as an addiction.
Thank you for sharing your lovely thoughts. And you haven't bothered me at ALL. On the contrary, it was a joy to read it 🤗
I forgot to add I also find extremely fascinating the similarity with Megumi's surname. The author could've given her any other surname, even while maintaining a similar nuance in terms of meaning. Or she could've used the same characters but with different meanings. I think it's very unlikely that it would be a coincidence!!
DeleteI am relieved to hear you like my sharing! And yes I don’t think it’s a coincidence the lyrics given the potential hints to the name. And I forgot to say one key point, Kotoha said in episode 5 that she dreamt about being a storyteller before she changed her name, because there’s no ‘伽’ in her name anymore, it can’t form the meaning of ‘fairy tale’, just left with ‘噺(話,banashi)’=‘言葉(kotoha)’ with her.
DeleteOf course I liked it!!
DeleteThat new insight sounds very cool but I have to say it doesn't feel right for some reason. 伽 per se is not specifically linked to stories, writing and words. She wouldn't "need it" to be a novelist (now if she would've said a writer of children's book, which would've been a more direct hit to fairy tales, that woud've been very interesting...!).
Megumi points out how Kotoha sounds like "words" (Koto no Ha) and that's when she says that was her past dream, which made it sound like even though Megumi had an interesting hunch with that, the sound similarity between Kotoha and Koto no Ha (and also even more simply Kotoba, the modern word to say the exact same thing) was a coincidence and not intended. I still wonder about it though, because I feel like Kotoha would've chosen her "new" name purposefully!
AHHHHH, I LOVE having this sort of discussions, you know? It's not so common that a piece of media inspires me so much. And having someone to share it with is WONDERFUL!!! Thank you!
omg you are right on that, I almost forgot Kotoha’s reaction to Meguchi’s comment on her new name, so it’s unlikely she chooses Kotoha with the meaning of “言葉”. and thank you for explaining the wording difference, I certainly can’t figure it out with my own acknowledgment of Japanese language, thanks so much again.☺️
DeleteOne another I found interesting is the cloth both Kotoha and Ten wearing are black, like they are mourning someone.(I think for Kotoha it’s herself, but not sure whom for Ten.) And the term 夜伽 has one meaning we left behind, it’s “Staying with a deceased person the night before the funeral. This is called “tsuya” (通夜) in Japanese.”, I think I will take this one as the hint for Kotoha’s birth name!!
I love this kind of discussion too!!🥹🥹
Oh, first of all, I see you're going with Ten for the mom's name's reading!
DeleteDo you somehow got to know it or is it just your best guess?
The character can also read as Ten, but I assumed her name would be read as Amane or even Sora or Amano; Ten feels somehow off; like what one may call a girl now, but not for a woman that has her age at that point. Or maybe I just feel weird thinking of her as a Ten because it makes me think of Sakurazaka's member eheheh
I completely ignored the third meaning because it somehow felt not relevant (while I really felt like mentioning the other one, how it can actually be so positive🥹), and I still can't place it in context in a way that makes sense to me. But, being it linked to the name or not, the grief element is still interesting. It's easier to just see that black as darkness, but it's more than just that, isn't it?
So grateful to CallMeNo, for how it's inspiring me to think, consider, feel SO MUCH, and with great company 🤗
Ahh I use Ten to reference Kotoha’s mother just because I only know this one hahaha, and yes thanks to Sakurazaka’s Ten chan! I haven’t got much time to dig about the word 天, you are very on point about the read choices regarding to the age difference. My interpretation, Sora (天空) is most likely the actual read, because sora is embracing the day and the night, or even more, it usually refers a commend class, like I can somehow see her mother told the siblings that she is important and she is above the everything.
DeleteThe reason I mentioned the clothes is not only about the color black, but more specifically, the style! Kotoha’s mother wearing black long dress with long sleeves, and in the trailer of ep7, Kotoha is wearing similar styled dress. That’s why I see it as a relevant part.😊
May I know which one meaning you are mentioning here? The positive one?
Eheh, I love that we can't help but think of Sakurazaka's Ten!
DeleteAnyway, meaning wise the witch's name/character would still have the meaning of sky or heavens, regardless of how it's read, so that's not something we have to really worry about. It would be cool if the reading was Sora though! I hope we'll find out next week. I'll keep my bet on Amane or Amano but I'll be happy with Sora too. Ten would weird me out a bit ahah It would be interesting if it's one of the more rare readings instead!
The mother's clothing indeed resembles that of a grieving woman! I don't think Kotoha's clothes look like that in terms of style. Just the color. She's dressed very Kotoha-like, with a mini skirt as usual, just in black! So I feel like focusing mostly on the black, both in terms of Kotoha drowning back, losing her color, and in that of her idea of being just like her mother. The more I think of it the more it hurts!!
As for other meanings of Yotogi, it can refer to being beside someone (someone who is sick, for example - that's why I thought of that scene in episode 4), attending to them all night. In its broader sense, the one you'd find as n°1 in a list of meanings, the word is just about taking care of someone through the night (with no inherent sexual connotation).
I guess what happened to Kotoha made it only possible to understand her name, in that one of its meanings...
Oh, Kotoha...😭
*Sigh* I really like playing wording games. Whenever I start the game it made my mind cheers.
DeleteEven though I initially thought Sora was the answer, after thinking it over, I realized I really love the other one—Amano. I studied Spanish for a while, and seeing that name reminds me of “manos” (hands), which then leads to “a mano” (close at hand) or even “A (English) + mano (Spanish) = one hand.”
Hands are one of the most important symbols in this show, which makes me appreciate how cleverly this game plays with words. But while it’s fun as a guessing game, if someone had to carry that weight in real life, it would be unbearable.
Another thing I found online is that 天橋立 (Amanohashidate) is actually a landscape in Japan. I’m not sure if that’s where the author got the idea for Kotoha’s mother’s name, but the words 橋 (bridge), 立 (standing), and 天 (heaven/sky) immediately connect in my mind to the footbridge scenes—the heavy night sky hanging over Meguchi and Kotoha. If it rained at that moment, the paper rings would surely fall apart right then and there. Just thinking about how fragile a promise is makes me feel an inevitable sadness… Sorry I gone too far.🥲
Anyway! Regarding the meaning of Yotogi in terms of career, I also think that might be something Kotoha was searching for—to prove that she wasn’t cursed by her name, that she would one day meet someone who wouldn’t expect repayment.
We really have to stay strong if we want to make it to the finale. 🥹
Never feel sorry for letting out what you feel and think, even when it goes beyond what's strictly in the drama! I loved reading your message.
DeleteAbout Amano Hashidate, I researched the place when I read the mom's name in the summary. The origins story is about a Japanese deity who built stairs to connect the heavenly realm and the earth one. But the ladder fell into the sea and ultimately formed that strip of land that is known as Amano Hashidate.
I love your thoughts about the bridge and the frailty of it all...
My first thoughts when it came to the bridge character being in both the mom's surname and in Kotoha's was more linked to wondering if it was intentional that Kotoha gave herself "old bridge" as a surname, while her mother's signifies "bridge-raising" (if we follow the logical meaning taking in consideration the order of the characters - which I prefer) or "standing bridge" (which meaning wise would be more captured by 立橋 (like the furu comes before the hashi in old bridge).
If that is intentional that way, Kotoha is keeping part of what her mother has raised, part of her "real/old/whatever we wanna call it" self, into her new name...
I know we can and will be strong! Episode 7 promises to be quite an emotional one, and we have time to get ready!
I believe in us eheh!!!
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DeleteFor the meaning of 橋立天, there is a tale about 天橋立 that says if you bend over and look at the sea between your legs, you’ll see the sandbars stretching all the way to the sky—just like a bridge. That’s what I found on the Mandarin Wikipedia, and the image made me think of how the first shot in Episode 1 shows Megumi walking down from the footbridge. It’s incredible if the two are intentionally connected… I really love moments when words are beautifully visualized. Like magic.🥺
DeleteAs for the name 古橋琴葉, I always thought Furuhashi was a surname from her father or someone related—simply because of legal reasons? I don’t know much about Japanese law, but in my country, an adult can change their surname once in a lifetime by their own choice. Seeing your explanation, I think it’s highly possible that Kotoha chose her own surname after becoming an adult! Like you said, 古橋 might contain one character from her mother’s surname, and Furu here means “old” or “past.”
As for Kotoha, I have a theory that it carries two meanings at once:
1. 琴葉 as a solid term refers to “things about names,” where こと means “things,” and 葉 comes from 万葉仮名.
2. 古橋琴葉 as a whole means “a mother’s punishment to a child in the past.”
—琴 (こと) sounds similar to こども (子供)’s こど, which she splits into こ (子) and ども (供). Later, she abandons the dakuten from ど. ども can also be used as a plural form, like in 私ども (“us”), which, from what I know, is an older but more formal way to express plurality. (This might relate to how she often emphasizes that she acts like a child.)
—葉 (は)—if you add a Dakuan, it becomes ば, which connects to 罰 (ばつ, punishment).
I think she abandoned the Dakuan to show her separation from her brother, the sun. Originally, it was こどもをばつ, but now that she’s alone, she turns everything in her name singular.
Therefore, combining her surname, 古橋琴葉 could mean “a mother’s punishment to a child in the past.” I don’t know if you find this interpretation interesting or fitting for the story—I tried to make it sound less messy 😂😂😂
That would indeed be a very cool representation for the "bridge"!
DeleteAs far as I've been able to gather through my research, it is absolutely possible to change surname as well, when legally changing names. The court would have to get involved though, but we know there was legal stuff with the mother...
I always have been thinking about the name a lot.
I think your theory is definitely fascinating and interesting, and I love that it's obvious how you put time and effort into it. At the same time I have to admit I don't see the vision, so to speak. I can't in my mind see how you can get to make it mean that, and the explanation is not convincing to me. Also, you wouldn't say こどもをばつ in Japanese, but こどもにばつ (を) or こどもへ(の)ばつ.
In addition, I'm not sure the idea of punishment fits. But this is just what comes to mind reading that.
My personal approach to the new name has been different. I've started with the characters' meanings, then moving to their readings and starting to make words with the various readings, but I didn't reach anything convincing. The most recent way I'm trying to see it is, as an anagram (with individual syllables)! But then again, I haven't found a combination that satisfies me yet!
I'll let you know if I do!!
Thanks, as always, for sharing your thoughts with me!!🤗
Aww thanks for the corrections as always!!🥹 sigh… I hope they will give us some explanations about how Kotoha chose the new name in the show or in the novel. (I start to learning basic acknowledgment for the Japanese language, but I don’t think I will have large process in short time so for now I am just expecting the press to publish the translated version.😂)
DeletePlease do let me know if you find something that interest you!! Or publish a new post, I will definitely check it out. 💪
Omg well done! You’re amazing for catching onto Yotogi, 夜 being completely opposite of 旭, and uncovering kanji 夜伽 were embedded repeatedly in the earlier episodes. Expanding from your detective work, I wonder if 夜伽 is still too direct, especially the hint was the Kanji is beautiful/poetic, with negative connotation when read out loud. I asked chatGPT to provide other kanjis that are phonetically Yotogi, but has beautiful and poetic meaning when read on paper, it gave me the following options: 夜翔 (night flight), 夜萩(night bush clover), 夜凪(night calm), 夜灯(night lantern), 夜幻( night illusion). I feel like we need one more hint to confirm the second kanji?
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting!!
DeleteRight now, I have to say I personally feel it's not too direct, it's just as direct as it feels like it should. It really seems to fit everything to me. While I don't feel 100% sure about it (how could I?), I feel quite at peace with it. It seems and feels right! I don't think the suggestions artificial intelligence came up with for fit the hints (not linked to Scheherazade, don't allude to the curse/destiny, and they also don't form words with negative connotations), while I believe Yotogi does, every single one of them.
Don't stop looking into it though. Maybe you'll get the right one! ☺️
Ah, I hear you. Don’t get me wrong, I think whatever the kanji might be, the pronunciation for the name i agree is likely Yotogi (amazing work by you for this). But I just remember Kotoha saying her name reads poetically on paper, but 夜咖as kanji already has a sexual implication and is not so innocent or poetic. I think it might be more sinister if the kanji has a more poetic implication, but the pronunciation being Yotogi implies the hidden 夜伽 true meaning. But I think we are missing one more hint to confirm the second character aka we don’t know it based on current hints. Or this might just be my over thinking, as I tend to do some time lol
DeleteEheheh if it comes to overthinking, then we're definitely on the same boat! I think it's great how this series it's getting us to use our brains so much!
DeleteAnyway, what Kotoha says is that the name is made of characters that might be considered pretty (it might look pretty), but depending on context the meaning might be awful. After discussing it with Tabane, the hint Megumi gets from that (the one she writes exactly like this on her sheet), is that when the characters - for the name - are taken individually there's no issue whatsoever with them, meaning wise; but things change when they're arranged together (just like in the example Tabane uses, which I included in the post). I believe 夜伽 fits the hint perfectly. The individual characters don't have anything bad about them (both in terms of appearance and meaning). But among the meanings of the word they make together, is one with a terrible connotation. The sexual connotation is not intrinsic into the word; it's only one of its meanings.
We shall soon discover the truth, anyway!
But it's been really nice trying to find an answer for Kotoha's name-guessing game! 🤗