Names and Months

This page was created to introduce you about the archaic names for month in Japanese. I observed that there are many SS characters' names come from these archaic months. The name of the months appeared in the lunar calendar. Although they are hardly used in modern Japanese, sometime we can see them as name of people. It is so interesting and let's see and you may find your Japanese friend's name here.

I separate into 2 parts : Part 1 - Name of archaic months and their meaniings and Part 2 - The meaning of SS characters relate to archaic months.

Thank to C.K Gan who allow me to link to his page!


Part 1 - Names of Archaic months and their meanings

1.Mutsuki - (Mutsuki-Kanji)

The archaic name for January. Also read as "Mutsubizuki". Etymological word was unknown but in poetry, it always means the month of affection when members of family, relatives and friends join to celebrate the New Year.
 

2.Kisaragi - (Kisaragi-Kanji)

The archaic name for February. Etymological word was said to be (Kisaragi-Kanji2) (Kisaragi) means the rebirth of plants and trees, or (Kinusaragi-Kanji) (Kinusaragi or Kisaragi)  means putting more clothes against the cold weather. (In Japan, February is said to be the coldest month of the year)
 

3.Yayoi - (Yayoi-Kanji)

The archaic name for March. Etymological word was said that it was transformed from (Yayoi-J) (ya-oi) means the thickly growth. The word (Ya-Kanji) (ya or iya) is a prefix, sometime it means "many".
 

4.Uzuki - (Uzuki-Kanji)

The archaic name for April. It means the month in which (Unohana-Kanji) (U no Hana) or the flower of Deutzia  blooms.
 

5.Satsuki - (Satsuki-Kanji)

The archaic name for May. The word "Sa", is omitted from (Sanaezuki-Kanji1) (Sanaezuki), means the month of planting rice shoots. Sometime it also can be written as (Satsuki-Kanji2) (Satsuki). The word (Sa-Kanji) is a prefix, no meaning. For another example : (Saotome-Kanji) (Sa-otome)
 

6.Minazuki - (Minazuki-Kanji)

The archaic name for June. Also read as "Minatsuki". Although literally, it means the "waterless month", etymological word has various views. Some said that "Mi" refers to water and "Na" is a word added for euphony. So, the original meaning may be "Mi no tsuki" or "Month of water". (June is the month which has the most rain of the year).
 

7.Fumizuki - (Fumizuki-Kanji)

The archaic name for July. Also read as "Fuzuki" or archaic, "Funzuki". Literally, "month of letter". It has various views on etymology. Some peoplementioned that the original was from the late Heian period (794-1192) which said that July was the month for writing a letter with casual language. Some people that because of Tanabata Festival (on July 7), people wrote a poem in Chinese characters. So it can be said that it was the month of poetry.
 

8.Hazuki - (Hazuki-Kanji)

The archaic name for August. Also read as "Hatsuki". Etymological word was unknown, but It refers to  the month of falling leaves. In an ancient story, it said that around this time, leaves on the moon changed into light yellow which made the moon became more delight.
 

9.Nagatsuki - (Nagatsuki-Kanji)

The archaic name for September. Also read as "Nagazuki". Literally, "Long month", or sometime refers to "Long moon". Because poets appreciated the beauty of full moon through out long nights of the spring.
 

10.Kannazuki - (Kannazuki-Kanji)

The archaic name for October. Also read as "Kaminazuki" or "Kamunazuki". Literally, "godless month". The legend said that large numbers (Yao-yorozu)of gods from places in Japan, leave their homes to assemble at Izumo Taisha or the Grand shrine of Izumo (now located in Shimane Prefecture) to match soul mates for human. So, there were no gods remains in local shrines. In Izumo, people called this month (Kamiarizuki-Kanji) (Kami-arizuki) or "month of gods".

Large Number, in this case, is the word (Yaoyorozu-Kanji) (Yao-yorozu). Although literally means 8 million, in Archaic Japanese, the word "Ya" means "many". So, the word Yao-yorozu should means "great numbers".
11.Shimotsuki - (Shimotsuki-Kanji)

The archaic name for November. Literally, "month of frost", because in Japan, winter begins at early November. Dew becomes frozen from  the northeast of Japan. It was named to reminds farmers to get ready for winter.
 

12.Shiwasu - (Shiwasu-Kanji)

The archaic name for December. Also called (Gokuzuki-Kanji) (Gokugetsu) or (Gokutsuki). The word "Shi" refers to a priest, literally, "running priests". It always means to "month of busy priests". In the past, it was a custom that priests must went to houses to attend religious services to Buddhists. Around the end of a year, priests would be busy going to places and it also showed how people be busy at the end of a year.


Part 2 - The meaning of SS characters relate to archaic months

1. Hazuki (Hazuki-Kanji)

It is the name of the younger sister of Kazama brothers, "Kazama Hazuki". Don't expect that she was named "Hazuki" because of her birth month. In fact, her birthday is March 20, 1772. I think that her name was just named harmoniously with her brothers', for the word (Tsuki-Kanji) (moon or month). And  it is possible that the designer want Kazama brothers' appearance as primary colour (Sogetsu : blue <water>, Kazuki : red <fire>, Hazuki : green <leaf>).
2. Minazuki (Minazuki <name>-Kanji)
It is the surname of Zankuro. It is homonymic and different  from the archaic name of June in the first letter. The archaic name for June is (Minazuki-Kanji). (see meaning of the letters at the part 1)

The first letter of the surname (Mizunoe-Kanji), is a character of Jikkan or the Ten Celestial stems. The full reading is "Mizu-no-E", means the big brother of water. (Please see more details about Jikkan here)

So, (Minazuki <name>-Kanji), by literally, may means "month without big brother of water". But, is it possible that "na" is just a word added for euphony like the archaic name for June? If it is, its meaning will be changed into "month of big brother of water".
 

3. Yayoi (Yayoi-Kanji)
This name does not directly concern to SS story. It is a name of an additional character in Sogetsu and Kazuki's short Drama of SS4 Arrange Soundtrax CD. If you want to read the story of the drama, please see CK Gan's SS4 Drama page.

I guess that the name Yayoi, may be something like a duplicated Hazuki. From the story, we know that Yayoi looks very similar with Hazuki. So, I think is it  possible that the writer of the story chose Hazuki's birthmonth to named for this character? (I just guess, because no any detail about this character)


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