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Otohime)
-Urashima-p08.jpg)
Oto-hime or Otohime ( Japanese: 乙姫), in the Japanese folktale of Urashima Tarō, is the princess of the undersea palace Ryūgū-jō.
Second daughter
Oto-hime (Princess Oto)'s name consists of the character also read otsu meaning "No. 2". [a] [1] Thus Oto-hime must have been the 'second daughter' or 'younger princess' of the Dragon King ( Ryū-ō), as explained by folklorist Yoshio Miyao in his bilingual edition of the In Urashima fairytale. [1] Miyao whimsically wonders whatever became of Kō-hime, the elder daughter never mentioned. [2]
Explanatory notes
- ^ This is otsu as in the stock phrase kōotsu meaning "No. 1 and No. 2", as Miyao explains. Further explanation: kō and otsu are the first two of ten heavenly stems, which combined with the twelve earthly branches ( Chinese zodiac) complete the Sexagenary cycle system. The kō can also be read as "ki-no-e", and otsu as "ki-no-to", literally "wood-elder" and "wood-younger"; thus each stem is a combo of the five elements and either yang/ying.
References
- ^ a b Miyao (2009), p. 198: "乙姫は甲乙の乙であるので次女、二女、妹姫となります".
- ^ Miyao (2009), p. 198.
Bibliography
- Miyao, Yoshio [in Japanese], ed. (2009). "Urashima". Taiyaku nihon mukashibanashishū 対訳日本昔噺集 [Japanese Fairy Tale Series] (in English and Japanese). Vol. 2. Translated by Chamberlain, Basil Hall. Kobayashi Eitaku (illustr.). Sairyūsha. pp. 25ff, 301ff. ISBN 9784779113710.
External links
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