#tenris

[naarinn]

Non-Rakuzaichi sillies

[brownie-pics]

超望遠持ってなくても、40ｍｍレンズ1本で鳥活できるスポットｗ

’24.8.6 石上神宮にて

[babyjapril]

8.09//8.10

[celaenostudio]

The day is currently ████████ ███

[hestzhyen]

What's in a Name? (Sazanami Clan)

Sincerely sorry for spamming you, dear void. Think of this as a purge of ideas that have been percolating around for a while but were never given time until now. Anyway, let's take a look at the kanji meanings for the Sazanami clan members' names! ( •̀ ω •́ )✧

Much like parents creating a name for their children, authors often put their wishes and intentions for the character into the name selection process. Kagurabachi is no different- the Saznami's names showcase how much thought Hokazono put into creating the characters to fit seamlessly into the story.

I'm not a pro at Japanese so these interpretations are based off of a lot of research only.

Without further ado:

漣 (sazanami, most commonly read as ren) means "ripple". An indirect reference to the inherited isou technique that uses shock waves?

More rarely, it can also mean crying or continuously flowing tears. A hint towards the horrible legacy they've got as a clan, perhaps.

Sazanami Kyora (漣 京羅) - Bizarre name.

京 (kyo) directly means capital city and is often used as shorthand for Kyoto city itself (京都). 羅 (ra) is for lightweight fabrics like silk or gauze... a surface reading is kinda weird. His name is "silk capital", huh...

In a name, 京 (kyo) can confer both grandeur and power. 羅 (ra) can confer the idea of a protective net, or a link of unity and strength. So in my mind, Kyora is meant to be the powerful, uniting force that protects. Protects what? Certainly not his kids! GOTTEM

Sazanami Soya (漣 宗也) - Soya is a special guy for many reasons... 宗 (usually read as mune) is associated with respect for family, ancestry, and following the teachings of a founder (in a religious sense). The so reading is actually pretty rare and means "origin" or "virtuous ancestor". In general it conveys a sense of the child being expected to honor the family's ancestors, legacy, and perhaps being the start of something new and special. Good good this is fine.

也 is pretty interesting too. It's archaic, for one. Thus making it a strange choice for a modern name. The most common readings of 也 (nari and ya) mean "to be" in the sense that something is certain to happen/occur, but there's also a less common one used here (ya) that is questioning- like "will it be?" or "is it"? And when it's included in a name, 也 (ya) often takes on a meaning like "also". In an abstract sense, ya here implies excitement for the baby being born, so at least he's got that going for him.

So IMO the most direct meaning of 宗也 (soya) is "another origin" in reference to his "love" being what helps Hakuri overcome Soya himself and start down his new path, with strong implications that he was expected to honor his family's tradition... but maybe wouldn't be able to. Cool stuff! And really depressing in the context that he was chosen to be the next head of the family! Did his parents not have high hopes for him for some reason? Imagine naming your kid "baby we're excited to have that will respectfully carry on our family legacy" while also throwing it in doubt by deliberately using an archaic kanji lol. Soya never had a chance.

Is that why he treated Hakuri the way he did once his little bro failed to manifest the talent he was assumed to have...?

Sazanami Hakuri (漣 伯理) Our favorite former boyfailure sure has an interesting name...

伯 (haku) means someone with a position of high authority like "chief", "earl", or "count". In a name, it conveys a sense of respect and admiration being due as the highest ranked person in the family. What audacity lmao. I think it's interesting that the middle child was given this name since haku also implies being obligated respect and admiration as the eldest brother/role model of the family. Should his and Soya's names have been swapped?

理 (ri) means reason/logic... and less often, justice or truth. It's interesting that this character was used instead of the more common 裡 (ri) that usually composes the full name (伯裡). This character is for something in the rear or the middle, inside or within- implying they're protected or sheltered. Name implications of 裡 carry connotations of inner strength, security, and comfort; a sense of belonging and connection. ...Things our Hakuri notably lacks. He was never meant to be a strong leader secure in his relationships and protected from harm, I guess. So let's look at why 理 might have been chosen instead.

There are many possible implications when 理 used in a name, but most of them imply that the child will be guided or helped along in a positive way. Whether by order and structure, logic and wisdom, deep empathy... any or all of them. So his name is something like "logical/natural chief" with the implication that something will guide his path through life. Fortunately for him and us, it happens to be empathy (RIP Ice Lady). Not escaping the swapped names theories though since Soya was supposed to be the logical, calculating oldest brother chosen to lead the clan. Hmm.

With all that context, this panel just makes me so... something:

Is there more to unpack with the Sazanamis after all? Is leadership a meritocracy or something? Because normally you'd expect the oldest son to have the duty passed on to him. Yet I'm not confident that Soya was always the first choice now.

But yeah, with a name like that, no wonder we see him being called special by Kyora at such a young age- Hakuri had a lot placed on his shoulders at birth. It makes me curious as to why he was apparently seen as a better prospect than Soya, but we'll probably never get the details.

Sazanami Tenri (漣 天理) - Another guy with a unisex name that leans feminine lol. Even more parallels to Chihiro!

A lot of fellow anime and manga fans will probably be familiar with 天 (ten)- meaning heaven, sky, sometimes God. No surprises there. 理 (ri) - the same one used in Hakuri's name- once again means reason/logic, and less often, justice or truth. In names, 天 (ten) also adds a sense of natural talent or gifts the child is born with (and we do see Tenri becoming the youngest member of the Tou ever, so he certainly was born with something special like his father claimed).

理 (ri) implications hurt my heart. He was also named with great expectations placed on him, but at least it's a relatively common name unlike his older brothers'.

I think a common, straightforward interpretation is usually best so "heaven's natural law" is the meaning I'd ascribe. But I do like the optional interpretation of "heaven's judgement" being there to echo Mr. Inazuma's "lightning of judgement" that Chihiro delivered on his behalf. Just a fun little thing for me to gnaw on. The additional naming implications make me think he was supposed to be guided by his natural talents to a bright future, but... well...

I kind of want a side story or episode zero about Kyora, Mrs. Sazanami, Tenri, Hakuri, and Soya before Hakuri was ostracized now. Why were they named like this?! Hakuri and Soya in particular have me going insane over implications for their relationship and why Soya might have been so cruel to him...

Anyway, thanks as always for letting me rant in your ambivalent ears, kind internet void. I'll be able to ride out the last hour or so of waiting for spoilers in peace thanks to you.

[xaneix-k]

How Kyora sees his children probably

[hiyukikagari]

i am still losing my mind thinking about the seitei war lore drop.

@seventyeight-moose clocked earlier that the timeline of events we got this chapter is likely abridged from a more propagandistic version of the story, and i’m inclined to agree. it seems all too morally convenient that japan’s enemy was an invading force from a magic island, where its inhabitants were intrinsically magical, resilient, and malicious. i’m willing to believe there was an invasion, but less so that it happened unprovoked. i can’t help but wonder if there was some inspiration drawn from japan’s colonial history with the ainu people.

with that in mind, it is FASCINATING that their downfall, the datenseki which created the enchanted blades, came from their own island. is this the origin of sorcery in japan? maybe not from the war itself, but sometime prior? what was kunishige doing to the datenseki that made it bypass the shokoku immunity? how did they retrieve the datenseki in the first place? why is it native only to that island?

hopefully we get some answers sooner rather than later, but who can think about all that when iori is breaking our hearts!!!

i’m kinda glad she passed out when she did because that girl needs to decompress. can you imagine having a blind spot in your memory for 3/4 of your life, conscious of something in your own mind denying you that memory, and then it’s THAT?

hokazono’s paneling really shines around iori this chapter. in particular, the callbacks to both times iori cast judgment towards chihiro (a killer for better or worse), juxtaposed with the dawning realization that she’d be walking in the shadow of her father’s body count for the rest of her life.

it really drives home how all of this, the seitei war, enchanted blades, hishaku, etc. ripples through the lives of the people around them. people like char, or tenri, fuck even sojo suffered because of their proximity to the datenseki and enchanted blades. nobody comes out unscathed, which makes me want so SO desperately to see iori beat those odds somehow.

but of course, that probably won’t happen, and she’ll end up face to face with seiichi and one way or another will change her life irrevocably for a second time.

i miss hakuri. i think he’d be a nice presence for iori right now.

[arrivemedi]

[erasso]

sazanami trio thoughts...

I think soya is a pretty interesting character... I set out intending to write this about him, but it ended up being more general

kyora seems to have many children, but there's 3 he clearly values more than the rest: soya, hakuri, tenri

soya is 5 years older than hakuri. it's interesting. it's a pretty big age difference for manga siblings, I think.

from how he acts, I get the impression soya was loved and put above the rest as "special" for years. he's pretty confident in the things he does, and doesn't seem to be so fixated on conforming and doing everything "for the family" like everyone else we see. after all, you can't be a leader if all you know is following directions.

but then hakuri was born, and, a year later, tenri...

do you see soya there in the background? if you haven't thought about it before, it's worth taking another look. soya is always in the background in these flashbacks. he's there, but he's not acknowledged. he's an afterthought.

look at the panel of them at the funeral. tenri and hakuri are in kyora's arms. soya wants to be in the inner circle, but he can't.

sure, hakuri is treated like an idiot now. no one respects him and he's considered trash... but I think he really was the one being raised to be the next heir, once upon a time.

he's goofy so it's easy to think he's dumb, but look at how he acts in battle... he's really a genius, and I don't think kyora would've missed that. in one day, he picked up so many techniques he's never used before in his life. he has a great ability to understand how other people work. see: syncing up with chihiro flawlessly, trusting that his dad would hold out until the end, using himself as bait for soya...

hakuri's also very brave and proactive. even though he was powerless, he tried to escape with the ice girl... and after what happened with that, he still left on his own. he saved a little girl and tried to fight the yakuza, and approached chihiro himself even though chihiro was in the middle of a yakuza killing spree... then he took hiyuki's attack head on...

alright, alright, that's enough hakuri praise. I love him though. I could probably talk about him forever

(I know you will, hakuri)

kyora's hands shake when he was about to kill hakuri. he says it's from rage, but I don't think that's really all he was feeling. love and hate...

if kyora never had any love for him at all, I don't think he would have let him run away when he could have just teleported him back any time... and would he have ever felt like this if hakuri didn't matter to him?

it really seems like hakuri was someone kyora put his hope into until it seemed like hakuri couldn't do sorcery at all... it even seems like hakuri was given more leniency than other sazanami when it came to learning.

we're told sazanamis are expected to be able to focus spirit energy by age 8, and to use isou by 12. kyora gave up on hakuri at 12, but that's 4 years of extra focus when he didn't show any ability at all the entire time...

...and I think all this is why hakuri is treated so badly, and why soya hates him so much. soya knows he's just the backup. and the one meant to take on the role he's been given is right here, a complete failure

he can't get angry at his dad for treating him like this, but he can get angry at hakuri... and the rest of the family can be angry at hakuri for "letting down" kyora as well, so he becomes the perfect punching bag

I think soya was already bullying hakuri before hakuri became considered a failure, but only in small ways that he could have gotten away with, teasing him, annoying him, pretending it was all out of "love". this might have been one of the reasons why hakuri didn't show any sorcery ability... or maybe he was just a late bloomer... or maybe both!

and the abuse just ramped up higher and higher once nothing was stopping him

now, tenri... the youngest ever member of the tou. he's special, but he doesn't think for himself. he follows directions absolutely. he was never set up to be a leader, and so I doubt soya ever bothered messing with him.

tenri exists so that there's no space for soya as either the strongest nor the leader. I think this is also one of the reasons why soya is so unhappy when he's told he's going to be the next head. if tenri could be the next head, he could at least be happy knowing he was the strongest, but he isn't

the way tenri acts is also good contrast to how soya and hakuri behave.

I don't have much to say about him beyond that. he plays his role well and that is all

[hwashitape]

"Go on, or your eye's an ashtray."

[naarinn]

tenr and shib

[brownie-pics]

'24.8.6 石上神宮にて

今月初め、暑い日の写真。散策してると汗がじわじわと湧いてきました。

[kattitude130]

rereading rakuzaichi arc for the ???th time i cant stop thinking about how in flashbacks it seems like hakuri, tenri, and soya were really close. tenri and hakuri make sense since they were only a year apart, but soya is five years older; he's closer in age to tamaki yet he's always there with hakuri and tenri. i think he used to take the role of cool older brother seriously and really did care about them before he kinda lost it. it just makes me Hurt since they are the ones who died and even if hakuri ever reconciles with his surviving siblings he can never be with the ones he was closest to again

[ati-nevershut]

The Sazanami clan in Kagurabachi are suuuuch a well written toxic family. I love it. The combination of love and duty are so well shown through the differences and similarities between Tenri/Kyora/Hakuri/Soya. I love that Hakuri hasn't escaped it just by joining Chihiro. Its a mess. They're all a mess. Also it makes such a good parallel to Chihiro, his father, and his mission.

[babyjapril]

Grey's Anatomy 8.09

Dark Was the Night

[sapphirebluejewel]

Endless List of Romantic Relationships That I Love - Henry Burton and Teddy Altman

"What's wrong with a good story?"