2008-08-07

Jugemu Jugemu Go-Kō-no-Surikire Kaijari-suigyo no Suigyō-matsu Unrai-matsu Fūrai-matsu Kū-Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro Yaburakōji no Burakōji Paipo Paipo Paipo no Shūringan Shūringan no Gūrindai Gūrindai no Ponpokopii no Ponpokonaa no Chōkyūmei no Chōsuke

"Jugemu" is, as Wikipedia puts it, "one of the most famous rakugo in Japan." The setup is simple: a couple can't think of a name for their baby, so the father goes to the local temple and asks the priest to think of an auspicious name guaranteeing his child long life.

"How about 'Jugemu'?" suggests the priest. "It means 'limitless life'."

"Not bad," says the father. "Got any other suggestions?"

"Sure, okay. 'Go-Kō-no-Surikire'? That one's from a story about a heavenly maiden brushing a rock with her garment once every three thousand years. It takes five to rub the rock in two (surikire). Five adds up to about twenty billion years."

"Hmm, that's okay, but I feel like there has to be something better..."

And so on. Eventually he stops pestering the poor priest and decides to just give his child all of the suggested names. So the kid's name is:

Jugemu Jugemu Go-Kō-no-Surikire Kaijari-suigyo no Suigyō-matsu Unrai-matsu Fūrai-matsu Kū-Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro Yaburakōji no Burakōji Paipo Paipo Paipo no Shūringan Shūringan no Gūrindai Gūrindai no Ponpokopii no Ponpokonā no Chōkyūmei no Chōsuke.

Well, eventually Jugemu etc. grows up, makes some friends, and gets into healthy little-boy fights with them. One day he whacks his pal Kin-chan a good one on the head. Kin-chan, developing a lump, runs off to tattle to Jugemu etc.'s parents.

"Waa! Waa! Jugemu Jugemu Go-Kō-no-Surikire Kaijari-suigyo no Suigyō-matsu Unrai-matsu Fūrai-matsu Kū-Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro Yaburakōji no Burakōji Paipo Paipo Paipo no Shūringan Shūringan no Gūrindai Gūrindai no Ponpokopii no Ponpokonā no Chōkyūmei no Chōsuke hit me and gave me a lump on my head"

"What? Our Jugemu Jugemu Go-Kō-no-Surikire Kaijari-suigyo no Suigyō-matsu Unrai-matsu Fūrai-matsu Kū-Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro Yaburakōji no Burakōji Paipo Paipo Paipo no Shūringan Shūringan no Gūrindai Gūrindai no Ponpokopii no Ponpokonā no Chōkyūmei no Chōsuke hit you and gave you a lump on your head? I'm so sorry! Honey, did you hear that? It seems that Jugemu Jugemu Go-Kō-no-Surikire Kaijari-suigyo no Suigyō-matsu Unrai-matsu Fūrai-matsu Kū-Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro Yaburakōji no Burakōji Paipo Paipo Paipo no Shūringan Shūringan no Gūrindai Gūrindai no Ponpokopii no Ponpokonā no Chōkyūmei no Chōsuke hit Kin-chan here, and gave him a lump on his head!"

"Really? Our Jugemu Jugemu Go-Kō-no-Surikire Kaijari-suigyo no Suigyō-matsu Unrai-matsu Fūrai-matsu Kū-Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro Yaburakōji no Burakōji Paipo Paipo Paipo no Shūringan Shūringan no Gūrindai Gūrindai no Ponpokopii no Ponpokonā no Chōkyūmei no Chōsuke did that? We'd better call Jugemu Jugemu Go-Kō-no-Surikire Kaijari-suigyo no Suigyō-matsu Unrai-matsu Fūrai-matsu Kū-Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro Yaburakōji no Burakōji Paipo Paipo Paipo no Shūringan Shūringan no Gūrindai Gūrindai no Ponpokopii no Ponpokonā no Chōkyūmei no Chōsuke in here and sort this out. Can I see your lump, Kin-chan?"

"It took so long to explain, the lump's already gone down!"

Rimshot. Here's a full version on the story in Japanese.

Being able to recite this name (or at least having kids who can) is a traditional party trick in Japan, and there are plenty of sites that explain what the various bits and pieces mean. But there aren't many in English, so here's your handy guide to the various parts of Jugemu Jugemu Go-Kō-no-Surikire Kaijari-suigyo no Suigyō-matsu Unrai-matsu Fūrai-matsu Kū-Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro Yaburakōji no Burakōji Paipo Paipo Paipo no Shūringan Shūringan no Gūrindai Gūrindai no Ponpokopii no Ponpokonā no Chōkyūmei no Chōsuke's name:

WordJapaneseMeaning
Jugemu寿限無Limitless life
Go-Kō-no-Surikire五劫の擦り切れLength of time it takes to break a rock in two merely by rubbing it gently occasionally (approx. 20 billion years)
Kaijari-suigyo海砂利水魚Gravel in the sea, fish in the water (limitless things)
Suigyō-matsu Unrai-matsu Fūrai-matsu水行末 雲来末 風来末Where water goes, where clouds and wind come from (things with neither beginning nor end)
Kū-Neru Tokoro ni Sumu Tokoro食う寝る処に住む処Place to eat and sleep, place to live (vital things for humans)
Yaburakōji no Burakōjiヤブラコウジのブラコウジverbal Riffs on yabukōji (Ardisia japonica), a hardy plant which sprouts leaves in spring, flowers in summer, fruits in the autumn, and goes red to guard against frost in the winter
PaipoパイポAllegedly a kingdom in ancient China
ShūringanシューリンガンLong-lived king of Paipo
Gūrindai グーリンダイLong-lived concubine of Shūringan
PonpokopiiポンポコピーLong-lived eldest daughter of Shūringan and Gūrindai
PonpokonāポンポコナーLong-lived younger sister of Ponpokopii
Chōkyūmei長久命Very long life
Chōsuke長助Just a regular boy's name, although the chō means "long" (implying "-lived")

Popularity factor: 4

Leonardo Boiko:

Guess my bi mind must be too dirty then to read 長助 as “long boy” in another sense :)


Morgan:

Interesting! The story of Rikki Tikki Timbo (No Sa Rimbo Chari Bari Ruchi Pip Peri Pembo) was a favorite as a child, but even then I knew there was no way it could be of Chinese provenance, as it claimed to be.

Also, record for longest No-Sword post title ever?


Matt:

Leo: It gets better! They all lived in nagayas.

Morgan: Very astute of you. I was quite taken in by the plausible Germanicity of John Jacob Jingleheimerschmidt.


Charles:

Don't forget classic comedy like the story of Johann Gambolputty (de von Ausfern..) of Ulm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HevM-35hJUE

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