And one more name question

[Sakurai Takamori]

Was there any convention for nicknames?

I'm still flailing about in the darkness in nailing down time and place for persona (though am narrowing it down to somewhere within the Muromachi or Momoyama periods.)

It's likely it will be ronin-based . . .our shire is so isolated I have no lord to attach myself to (and likely won't for the foreseeable future) so a ronin's independence rather appeals.

That being said, is there any evidence of a First name/ nick name combination.

(Having started Effingham-sensei's pages on language and seen the 'white dog' example, the temptation is there to retain a connection with my existing persona (saxon dog...complete with a Talbot in his device)

Thoughts? Suggestions? Screams of outrage?

Arigato gozaimasu

veejay

[Ki no Kotori]

Not so much on the name front, but if I could suggest something...ronin = not something you'd want to be. If you currently don't have a lord, just pretend (for the sake of your persona) that you do. The life of a ronin was pretty, well, what's the word I want? Sad? Pathetic? Short and Unhappy?

*Pauses for a moment of aware*

I understand about living in an isolated region--there's not even a shire, really, where I live! (Just a contact group!) No peers around either--but that's okay, we make do just fine.

Suggestion: one easy way to approach things is to read up on the period, and take note of some clan names you find interesting. For example, I took my name (Ki) from a famous poet that I admire, Ki no Tsurayuki. Different families were active during different periods.

You can probably also get inspiration for your other names from the names of historical people. Just don't take one wholesale. Mix and match.

You can also work out your other names from Effingham's excellent site, or look in Solveig's book, Name Construction in Medieval Japan, although I'd check Effingham's site first, because it's easier to understand. Solveig's book does give a lot of options, though, and your local herald may have a copy you can use.

Hope that is helpful! The research is part of the fun!

--Ki no Torahime

[Sakurai Takamori]

Thanks for the kind words.
Will bear your advice in mind.

And fear not. . .I am starting to read as much as I can get my greedy paws on

veejay

[Saionji Shonagon]

Nicknames or use names were very popular with the Japanese. It's considered very rude to address somebody by name unless you are on somewhat intimate terms with them.

Some of the characters in "The Tale of Genji" are known by things like "The Lady Who Lives In The Pawlonia Pavilion." Before Ki-hime chose her name, I called her Lady Who Watches By The River, because she's from an SCA group called River Watch. My own use name is an extremely bad pun.

If you think about how most people get nicknames, it's often some identifying characteristic or trait, or pinned on them by friends after some event. "Longshanks" is an historical example from England. Anybody remember "Ferret Face" from "M*A*S*H*?" It also might be a diminutive version of an existing name.

Going the nickname route is viable, but think very seriously about connotation. My own use name is an extremely bad pun. A recent discussion on another list about sword practice had me wondering just how many readers were forced to surf the gutter while reading about rope wrapped makiwaras. The ronin thing might be like calling yourself "Homeless Man."

Two sen worth,
She who is named for the target

[Sakurai Takamori]

Hmmm, methinks a tad more reading up on things is called for before I start trying to play with 'shiroki inu' in some way.....and I'll bear the ronin comments in mind too...
Ah, well....off to the library and bookstore in the am.

Thanks for the two sen worth.
veejay