Naganoyama

News of abdication and new reign

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I'm guessing the intended meaning is something like "Harmonious Edict".

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Another meaning of the first character is excellent/good/auspicious, especially in the classical usage. According to the announcement and the follow up media coverage, "auspicious abating" would be closer to the intended era name.

Much as Reagan liked to say, "It's morning in America", this is a somewhat akin, "It's springtime in Japan".

Edited by Otokonoyama
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And so along about 2033 or 2034 we will meet the first rikishi born in the Reiwa era.

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The Reiwa Era: Explaining Japan’s New Era Name

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At 11.30am on April 1st, the Japanese government announced the name of Japan’s new era. In one month’s time, the Heisei era will end with the abdication of the current Emperor, Akihito, and the country will enter the 令和 reiwa era.

The new name is taken from classical Japanese literature – it appears in the Man’yōshū, the oldest known collection of Japanese poetry which dates back to the late 700s. The first character 令 rei means “command” or “decree” and has never previously been used in an era name, while the second character 和 wa meaning “harmony” or “peace” (and often used as a shorthand for Japan itself) is among the most commonly used characters in historical era names.

The meaning and intention behind the new era name will likely be a topic of discussion for scholars for some time. Prime Minister Abe focused on the Man’yōshū poem from which it is drawn in his explanation...

https://www.tokyoreview.net/2019/04/the-reiwa-era-explaining-japans-new-era-name/

 

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1 hour ago, Fukurou said:

And so along about 2033 or 2034 we will meet the first rikishi born in the Reiwa era.

Who is "we"?

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Inosuke is writing the new era name in sumo-ji for the jungyo today in Gojo, Nara

20190401s00005000183000p_view.jpgo

Writing the banzuke for the first Reiwa era basho is Kimura Jodo - he's the responsible for that since Kyushu 2007. It takes him 2 weeks, 8 hours a day, starting after the banzuke compilation conference on Wednesday: "To avoid mistakes, simply writing without thought, the feeling is not different from any time before."

till with Heisei on this pic

spo1904010015-p1.jpgo

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Takakeisho wants a yusho in the new year 1  o

f_12202122.jpg

Edited by Akinomaki
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14 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

Who is "we"?

Do you think I'm one of those whack jobs who think being a fan makes them part of the "team"? Only thing I can think of since you apparently want me to defend my choice of pronoun from my native language.

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1 hour ago, Fukurou said:

Do you think I'm one of those whack jobs who think being a fan makes them part of the "team"? Only thing I can think of since you apparently want me to defend my choice of pronoun from my native language.

Again, you are missing the point. Some of us ancient ones won't make it to 2034.

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2 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

Again, you are missing the point. Some of us ancient ones won't make it to 2034.

It’s only 15 years. Hang in there.

After you’re gone, we’ll have to have a new era name to mark the arrival of whoever takes over the sumo video digest mantle.

Edited by Eikokurai
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The wide shows had of course nothing but reiwa. The first era name not taken from Chinese classics but a Japanese classic - the oldest collection of Japanese song-poems - but written in Chinese text (kanbun), so not much difference. Wa is the same as in Showa and has its 20th appearance in an era name, joint 5th, rei is the first time ever in one - again like the last 2 times, one of the kanji a first timer.

The 2 kanji appear in the introduction header for a group of 30 poems about plum flowers - the hanami favorite of the time. The rei now lets one think of meirei, command, order, but it is used in the meaning (for the month of blossom): everything fine and beautiful. So it's not harmony on command, but is meant to express the wish for the "beautiful Japan" (wa is short for Japanese - style, language etc.), which both the politicians (esp. Abe, who may from the experts proposals have decided alone for reiwa) and the tourism associations use as their everyday slogan.

Selection criteria for the era name included: not connectable to vulgarity - but with the multitude of common words which all sound "rei", the comedians and storytellers won't run out of joke potential about the era.

The Japanese input system is already updated to show 令和

I like nilharmony (as a word possibility)  零和 - 零 rei is 0 - if you search for that you get zero sum game pages in Chinese

Sumo and other budo starts and ends with a 礼rei - bow - will we get a 礼和 basho?

例 Rei is example and habit

霊 Rei is spirit (also a ghost)

冷 Rei is cold - the easiest to slip through as a mistake - and maybe we are heading for a cold and unfriendly future

Edited by Akinomaki
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22 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

Again, you are missing the point. Some of us ancient ones won't make it to 2034.

 

20 hours ago, Eikokurai said:

It’s only 15 years. Hang in there.

After you’re gone, we’ll have to have a new era name to mark the arrival of whoever takes over the sumo video digest mantle.

In the year Reiwa 25, if man is still alive, if woman can survive, they may find... 

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20 hours ago, Eikokurai said:

It’s only 15 years. Hang in there.

After you’re gone, we’ll have to have a new era name to mark the arrival of whoever takes over the sumo video digest mantle.

Oh, that will happen waaaay before 2035..

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There are 2 possible ways to write the rei of Reiwa - both officially allowed. What you usually find in print is the one the chief cabinet secretary presented - 令

l_dk_zaizen_02_w330.jpg

The NSK uses it for banzuke purposes and on the gomen-fuda

20190417s00005000042000p_view.jpg

but most people are rather used to write it in this form

l_dk_zaizen_04.jpg

which is used in the original ManYoshu text from which the kanji were taken Man'y%C5%8Dsh%C5%AB_Reiwa.jpg

http://www.itmedia.co.jp/business/articles/1904/04/news034.html

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8 minutes ago, Kamitsuumi said:

That sounds fishy as there is no single original copy of the Manyoshu

Kanji structures evolve over the centuries.  Think of it as this is the structure in use at the time that the Manyoshu was created.

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1 hour ago, Asojima said:

Kanji structures evolve over the centuries.  Think of it as this is the structure in use at the time that the Manyoshu was created.

I respectfully disagree. Even today where the government actually controls the allowable forms of kanji, a (somewhat) free variation persists between the forms. Even in the linked picture above there are characters that would be considered variants today. (In fact in Chinese calligraphy one would use different glyphs when repeating the same hanzi, in order to show one's knowledge.)

Although [亼卩] [亼マ] would be a possible glyphs in kaisho, in gyosho (in which the oldest Manyoshu are written) or sosho it would have been a choice between  [亼丶] and [亼マ] . I don't see how one could assert that a particular form is used in the original Manyoshu without having the original text.

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7 hours ago, Kamitsuumi said:

I don't see how one could assert that a particular form is used in the original Manyoshu without having the original text.

There are many different types of "original". Any faithful copy of what you think is original represents the original to 100%

Shrines and other old buildings have their substance replaced permanently and still remain original - just like your body: is it still your original one after each atom has been replaced several time in your lifetime?

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