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kitayumeverse2010-09-02 09:43 pm
vysnia-cerasus.livejournal.com) wrote in kitayumeverse2010-09-02 09:43 pm
Guide to the prefecture characters (pictures included)
Since there aren't any translations for the profiles of these guys on hand yet, here's a little guide to the different characters in the Kitayume universe! This encompasses both Kitakous and Barjona. Some of these characters only appear in the unfinished game demos and not the comics though, unfortunately. But here they are!
The Prefectures and the characters representing them:
I've included pictures in the links to their names. Most are headshots from the unfinished KitaPure game or the Barjona one, some are comic images or other pictures that I had on hand. Names are listed in Western order for convenience.
Name etymologies for these guys:
Koriyama Kitakou High (old Kitakou)/St.Modern Kitakou High (Pure):
*Noto Kanazawa: Surname comes from the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. Ishikawa was formed from the Kaga and Noto provinces, providing a source for his given name. There is also the Noto peninsula in the prefecture, named after that -han. Noto is also the name of a dialect spoken in this prefecture (as a member of the Hokuriku dialect group). There is also a variant of the Kaga dialect called "Kanazawa".
*Suzuka Akafuku: Given name references a city in Mie, but his surname comes from a mochi made with red bean paste (famous in this prefecture).
*Hinaji Kasukabe: This guy's surname is from a city in Saitama.
*Hatoba Isahaya: His surname's from the city in Nagasaki.
*Rinko Tsugaru: Her surname's from a city of Aomori, and also a peninsula there.
*Miyako Owari: Her surname's a direct reference to Owari -han, which formed Aichi with the Mikawa -han.
*Iriyoshi Toyama: His surname directly references his prefecture, along with its capital city and its dialect.
*Wakasa Fukui: Surname directly references her prefecture. Her given name comes from both the modern town in it and the Wakasa -han that would become its southern part. Amusingly, there are also the two dialects named after these as well (and part of the Hokuriku grouping). The Wakasa dialect is spoken in the southern part of this prefecture, while the Fukui dialect is spoken in the northern part.
*Udonko Sanuki: Her surname derives from the Sanuki -han, predecessor to her prefecture. Udonko comes from the "udon" noodles which were believed to have been first adopted by this province in Japan.
*Mitake Shinshuu: Mitake was a village in Nagano up until 2005, when it was merged with other villages and Kisofukushima to become the town of Kiso. Shinshuu is the traditional name for this prefecture.
Asaka High (old Kitakou)/St.Andreas Azumi High (Pure)
*Matsukage Choushuu: His surname comes from the Choushuu region and -han that would form Yamaguchi Prefecture.
*Imari Hagakure: Her given name comes from the town of Imari in Edo-era Japan, as well as the current city of the same name in Saga Prefecture. Her surname is most likely a reference to the spiritual guide "Hagakure" (also known as the Book of Samurai), introduced by the samurai Yamamoto Tsunetomo, who lived in what would later become Saga Prefecture. Interestingly, this prefecture was originally called Imari after its formation (1871), but was renamed the following year.
*Shijimi Shimane: Given name derives from a type of clam. Surname comes from the Shimane Prefecture and the old Shimane -han.
*Houki Tottori: Given name comes from the town of Houki in the Tottori Prefecture as well as the old -han that formed it, making his surnmae quite self-explanatory as everyone else's.
*Ichizen Ameya: His surname is likely a reference to a street in Ueno, Tokyo.
*Erika Hibiya: Her surname likely references the Hibiya district in Chiyoda, Tokyo.
Iwase Agricultural High:
*Junsa Mito: Junsa means "policeman", Mito is the capital of Ibaraki and was a -han in the Edo-era Japan.
*Kanra Takasaki: Kanra is a town in Gunma and the name of the district it's part of, while Takasaki's a bigger city.
*Ichigo Nikkou: Nikkou is a city in Tochigi. The hiragana used for Ichigo here is definitely the "strawberry" definition. Web translators have a habit of literally rendering his full name as "Strawberry Sunshine".
*Koedo Chiba: Given name is from Kawagoe, also called Koedo ("Little Edo"), surname is her prefecture, natch.
Seiryou Information High:
*Fujiyuki Hamamatsu and Chako Hamamatsu: Their surname comes from a city in western Shizuoka.
*Iyuta Nibutani: His given name likely comes from the iyuta-upopo, a chant in Hokkaido. His surname comes from a district in that prefecture.
*Tira Sugusuku: ...okay I'm lost on this one D:. Interestingly, her first name has been rendered as "Tila" and "Tyla" too, and I've also seen this name spelled "Thira" and "Tera" outside of Himaruya's work.
*Komachi Akita: Surname is her prefecture, given name is most likely the waka poet "Ono no Komachi" who is said to have possibly been born in a place that would become the prefecture.
Barjona Marine High:
*Yamato Nara: His surname's for his prefecture, given name is for the Yamato -han that preceded it.
*Kalom Hikone: Given name comes from "carrom", a game played in Shiga Prefecture (so his name should be something like that or "Carom" or "Karom"...), surname comes from a city in that prefecture too.
*Tsukomi Hoke: His given name is a reference to the manzai comedy popularized in Osaka.
*Sunki Udono: This is an odd case. Udono is a village in Mie Prefecture, while Sunki's prefecture is Gifu.
*Nishinomaru Hunai: There's a Nishinomaru garden in Osaka Prefecture, so maybe it was inspiration for this? Doesn't match up too much with Ooita though.
*Homare Aizu: Surname references the Aizu -han of Edo Japan, and the current Aizu area in Fukushima. Homare could be a reference the WWII aircraft engine used by the imperial army and navy.
*Minatsu Iyo: Iyo is a city in Ehime.
*Matsuri Hakata: His surname is from the Hakata ward in Fukuoka, while "Matsuri" comes from a festival in that prefecture.
*Minato Mirai: This whole name is a direct pun on a development in Yokohama, the "Minato Mirai 21".
*Kamome Yuri: Given name comes from the Kamome express train in Tokyo.
Other Characters (Unknown schools):
*Hagina Sendai: Sendai is Miyagi's capital.
*Nishiki Yonezawa: Her surname comes from the city in Yamagata.
*Keiko Yoshino: Surname comes from the town Yoshino, in Nara.
*Azuki Shougoin: Surname is a city in Kyoto. Azuki beans are an important crop in this prefecture.
*Hiyori Akasaka: His surname comes from a district in Minato, Tokyo.
And as another note: Minato, Nishiki, and Kamome are adult characters at the respective ages of 28, 31, and 21. I've heard Hagina might be one too but information on her is so hard to find, it's crazy.
Feel free to give any corrections or comments to these listings! I hope these will be handy for people wanting to get more into these series or to tell all the characters apart.
The Prefectures and the characters representing them:
I've included pictures in the links to their names. Most are headshots from the unfinished KitaPure game or the Barjona one, some are comic images or other pictures that I had on hand. Names are listed in Western order for convenience.
- Hokkaido: Iyuta Nibutani
- Aomori: Rinko Tsugaru
- Miyagi: Hagina Sendai (on the far right in the picture)
- Akita: Komachi Akita
- Yamagata:Nishiki Yonezawa
- Fukushima:Homare Aizu
- Ibaraki: Junsa Mito
- Tochigi:Ichigo Nikkou
- Gunma:Kanra Takasaki
- Saitama:Hinaji Kasukabe
- Chiba:Koedo Chiba
- Kanagawa:Minato Mirai
- Tokyo:Kamome Yuri,Erika Hibiya,Ichizen Ameya,Hiyori Akasaka
- Toyama:Iriyoshi Toyama
- Ishikawa:Noto Kanazawa
- Fukui:Wakasa Fukui
- Nagano:Mitake Shinshuu (blond guy in middle)
- Gifu:Sunki Udono
- Shizuoka:Fujiyuki Hamamatsu , Chako Hamamatsu ("Yunyun")
- Aichi:Miyako Owari
- Mie:Suzuka Akafuku
- Shiga:Kalom Hikone
- Kyoto:Azuki Shougoin
- Osaka:Tsukomi Hoke
- Nara:Yamato Nara, Keiko Yoshino
- Tottori:Houki Tottori
- Shimane:Shijimi Shimane
- Yamaguchi:Matsukage Choushuu
- Kagawa:Udonko Sanuki
- Ehime:Minatsu Iyo
- Fukuoka:Matsuri Hakata
- Saga:Imari Hagakure
- Nagasaki:Hatoba Isahaya
- Ooita:Nishinomaru Hunai
- Okinawa:Tira Sugusuku
Name etymologies for these guys:
Koriyama Kitakou High (old Kitakou)/St.Modern Kitakou High (Pure):
*Noto Kanazawa: Surname comes from the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. Ishikawa was formed from the Kaga and Noto provinces, providing a source for his given name. There is also the Noto peninsula in the prefecture, named after that -han. Noto is also the name of a dialect spoken in this prefecture (as a member of the Hokuriku dialect group). There is also a variant of the Kaga dialect called "Kanazawa".
*Suzuka Akafuku: Given name references a city in Mie, but his surname comes from a mochi made with red bean paste (famous in this prefecture).
*Hinaji Kasukabe: This guy's surname is from a city in Saitama.
*Hatoba Isahaya: His surname's from the city in Nagasaki.
*Rinko Tsugaru: Her surname's from a city of Aomori, and also a peninsula there.
*Miyako Owari: Her surname's a direct reference to Owari -han, which formed Aichi with the Mikawa -han.
*Iriyoshi Toyama: His surname directly references his prefecture, along with its capital city and its dialect.
*Wakasa Fukui: Surname directly references her prefecture. Her given name comes from both the modern town in it and the Wakasa -han that would become its southern part. Amusingly, there are also the two dialects named after these as well (and part of the Hokuriku grouping). The Wakasa dialect is spoken in the southern part of this prefecture, while the Fukui dialect is spoken in the northern part.
*Udonko Sanuki: Her surname derives from the Sanuki -han, predecessor to her prefecture. Udonko comes from the "udon" noodles which were believed to have been first adopted by this province in Japan.
*Mitake Shinshuu: Mitake was a village in Nagano up until 2005, when it was merged with other villages and Kisofukushima to become the town of Kiso. Shinshuu is the traditional name for this prefecture.
Asaka High (old Kitakou)/St.Andreas Azumi High (Pure)
*Matsukage Choushuu: His surname comes from the Choushuu region and -han that would form Yamaguchi Prefecture.
*Imari Hagakure: Her given name comes from the town of Imari in Edo-era Japan, as well as the current city of the same name in Saga Prefecture. Her surname is most likely a reference to the spiritual guide "Hagakure" (also known as the Book of Samurai), introduced by the samurai Yamamoto Tsunetomo, who lived in what would later become Saga Prefecture. Interestingly, this prefecture was originally called Imari after its formation (1871), but was renamed the following year.
*Shijimi Shimane: Given name derives from a type of clam. Surname comes from the Shimane Prefecture and the old Shimane -han.
*Houki Tottori: Given name comes from the town of Houki in the Tottori Prefecture as well as the old -han that formed it, making his surnmae quite self-explanatory as everyone else's.
*Ichizen Ameya: His surname is likely a reference to a street in Ueno, Tokyo.
*Erika Hibiya: Her surname likely references the Hibiya district in Chiyoda, Tokyo.
Iwase Agricultural High:
*Junsa Mito: Junsa means "policeman", Mito is the capital of Ibaraki and was a -han in the Edo-era Japan.
*Kanra Takasaki: Kanra is a town in Gunma and the name of the district it's part of, while Takasaki's a bigger city.
*Ichigo Nikkou: Nikkou is a city in Tochigi. The hiragana used for Ichigo here is definitely the "strawberry" definition. Web translators have a habit of literally rendering his full name as "Strawberry Sunshine".
*Koedo Chiba: Given name is from Kawagoe, also called Koedo ("Little Edo"), surname is her prefecture, natch.
Seiryou Information High:
*Fujiyuki Hamamatsu and Chako Hamamatsu: Their surname comes from a city in western Shizuoka.
*Iyuta Nibutani: His given name likely comes from the iyuta-upopo, a chant in Hokkaido. His surname comes from a district in that prefecture.
*Tira Sugusuku: ...okay I'm lost on this one D:. Interestingly, her first name has been rendered as "Tila" and "Tyla" too, and I've also seen this name spelled "Thira" and "Tera" outside of Himaruya's work.
*Komachi Akita: Surname is her prefecture, given name is most likely the waka poet "Ono no Komachi" who is said to have possibly been born in a place that would become the prefecture.
Barjona Marine High:
*Yamato Nara: His surname's for his prefecture, given name is for the Yamato -han that preceded it.
*Kalom Hikone: Given name comes from "carrom", a game played in Shiga Prefecture (so his name should be something like that or "Carom" or "Karom"...), surname comes from a city in that prefecture too.
*Tsukomi Hoke: His given name is a reference to the manzai comedy popularized in Osaka.
*Sunki Udono: This is an odd case. Udono is a village in Mie Prefecture, while Sunki's prefecture is Gifu.
*Nishinomaru Hunai: There's a Nishinomaru garden in Osaka Prefecture, so maybe it was inspiration for this? Doesn't match up too much with Ooita though.
*Homare Aizu: Surname references the Aizu -han of Edo Japan, and the current Aizu area in Fukushima. Homare could be a reference the WWII aircraft engine used by the imperial army and navy.
*Minatsu Iyo: Iyo is a city in Ehime.
*Matsuri Hakata: His surname is from the Hakata ward in Fukuoka, while "Matsuri" comes from a festival in that prefecture.
*Minato Mirai: This whole name is a direct pun on a development in Yokohama, the "Minato Mirai 21".
*Kamome Yuri: Given name comes from the Kamome express train in Tokyo.
Other Characters (Unknown schools):
*Hagina Sendai: Sendai is Miyagi's capital.
*Nishiki Yonezawa: Her surname comes from the city in Yamagata.
*Keiko Yoshino: Surname comes from the town Yoshino, in Nara.
*Azuki Shougoin: Surname is a city in Kyoto. Azuki beans are an important crop in this prefecture.
*Hiyori Akasaka: His surname comes from a district in Minato, Tokyo.
And as another note: Minato, Nishiki, and Kamome are adult characters at the respective ages of 28, 31, and 21. I've heard Hagina might be one too but information on her is so hard to find, it's crazy.
Feel free to give any corrections or comments to these listings! I hope these will be handy for people wanting to get more into these series or to tell all the characters apart.