Photo/Illutration Author Takeshi Kaiko covers the Closing Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games in October 1964. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) 

Author Takeshi Kaiko (1930-1989) never used a pen name in place of his unusual surname, but once recalled in an essay, “Ever since I was a child, my highly uncommon name has caused me nothing but constant aggravation.”

Most people read the kanji for his surname as Hirakidaka or Kaidaka.

When Kaiko was suffering from writer’s block, someone told him about a young man who picked up Kaiko’s book and started humming, “Kaitakaken,” until it came out sounding like “kaita? kaken!” (Literally, “did you write?” “I can’t write!”)

“Touche” was Kaiko’s spontaneous reaction, as he noted later.

Everyone has their own feelings and anecdotes about the name given to them by their parents. It now emerges that rules are being drawn up with regard to how names may be pronounced.

A committee of the Justice Ministry’s Legislative Council on Feb. 2 compiled recommendations for revising the Family Register Law. The focus of interest here is whether the revision will make it harder for parents to come up with unusual or “bizarre” baby names, referred to as “kirakira nemu” (literally shining names) in Japanese. 

With regard to how a name may be pronounced, the council’s recommendations state “(the pronunciation) must be within generally accepted limits,” while the Justice Ministry calls for “flexibility.”

Well, which is it?

Even though some kind of standard is supposed to be set for the “accepted limits,” I doubt that will be of much help.

A story that ran in The Asahi Shimbun gave three names as “tough” examples: “Marin,” written with one kanji denoting the sea; “Pikachu” written with two kanji characters denoting light and space; and “Michael” written with the kanji for the common Japanese boy’s name of Taro.

How will these cases be judged, I wonder? Different generations will obviously view them differently. I suppose all we can do is to wait for more cases to accumulate and see if they prove helpful in decision-making.

This dilemma originates from the “richness” of the Japanese language that ascribes multiple pronunciations to each kanji character.

Actually, the correct pronunciation of Kaiko’s given name should be Takeshi. But he is said to have frequently signed himself as “Ken.”

Names aren’t easy.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 4

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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