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Talk:Shinatama: Difference between revisions
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:Apart from sleight-of-hand, "shinatama/shinadama" designates (or used to designate) the art of juggling. The modern Japanese term for juggling tends to be '''jaguringu ジャグリング''', and the aforementioned '''tejina 手品 (てじな)''' is sometimes used to designate juggling rather than sleight-of-hand, too. "Shinadama", however, goes way back to the Edo era, when juggling was a popular form of street performance. Since '''tama/dama 玉''' commonly means "ball", or "ball game" when used as a suffix, it is possible that the juggling connotations of "shinatama/shinadama" are the more fundamental ones (as in "doing with various objects as if they were balls"), whereas the sleight-of-hand meaning came slightly later, because of how both acts require a similar level of playful dexterity. | :Apart from sleight-of-hand, "shinatama/shinadama" designates (or used to designate) the art of juggling. The modern Japanese term for juggling tends to be '''jaguringu ジャグリング''', and the aforementioned '''tejina 手品 (てじな)''' is sometimes used to designate juggling rather than sleight-of-hand, too. "Shinadama", however, goes way back to the Edo era, when juggling was a popular form of street performance. Since '''tama/dama 玉''' commonly means "ball", or "ball game" when used as a suffix, it is possible that the juggling connotations of "shinatama/shinadama" are the more fundamental ones (as in "doing with various objects as if they were balls"), whereas the sleight-of-hand meaning came slightly later, because of how both acts require a similar level of playful dexterity. | ||
;Trickster puppet | ;Trickster puppet | ||
:One of the Edo-era entertainment automata ([[ | :One of the Edo-era entertainment automata ([[wp:Karakuri_puppet|karakuri puppets]], or '''karakuri ningyō からくり人形''') is called '''shinatama ningyō 品玉人形''', with '''ningyō 人形''' meaning "doll/puppet" and '''shinatama 品玉''' designating the parlor tricks that the puppet is capable of (as opposed to the core "trick" of having an autonomously operating puppet – which is what "karakuri" itself refers to). In the case of '''shinatama ningyō''', a typically seated puppet repeatedly lifts a large box off the ground or table, revealing different items each time. | ||
;Shina meaning "Chinese" | ;Shina meaning "Chinese" | ||
:Although the core meaning of '''shina 品''' is "objects/items/goods/wares", it is interesting to note that '''shina 支那''' is also an old Japanese term for "Chinese", nowadays considered pejorative. | :Although the core meaning of '''shina 品''' is "objects/items/goods/wares", it is interesting to note that '''shina 支那''' is also an old Japanese term for "Chinese", nowadays considered pejorative. | ||
:Of particular interest in this respect is the half-humorous, half-chauvinistic cartoon [http://www.myjapanesehanga.com/home/artists/kiyochika-kobayashi-1847-1915-/juggler-of-the-chinese-ball "Juggler of the Chinese ball"] (Shinadama-tsukai or Shina tama-tsukai 支那玉遣ひ). A Japanese officer is simultaneously performing two acts: a balancing act with some military gear, and a juggling act with balls that are shaped as caricatural Chinese people. In line with the intended pun ("doing with the Chinese as if they were balls" – and only needing one hand, too!), the caption combines the ordinary term '''shinadama/shinatama 品玉''', by replacing the ordinary/neutral '''shina 品''' with the pejorative '''shina 支那'''. | :Of particular interest in this respect is the half-humorous, half-chauvinistic cartoon [https://web.archive.org/web/20211127055141/http://www.myjapanesehanga.com/home/artists/kiyochika-kobayashi-1847-1915-/juggler-of-the-chinese-ball "Juggler of the Chinese ball"] (Shinadama-tsukai or Shina tama-tsukai 支那玉遣ひ). A Japanese officer is simultaneously performing two acts: a balancing act with some military gear, and a juggling act with balls that are shaped as caricatural Chinese people. In line with the intended pun ("doing with the Chinese as if they were balls" – and only needing one hand, too!), the caption combines the ordinary term '''shinadama/shinatama 品玉''', by replacing the ordinary/neutral '''shina 品''' with the pejorative '''shina 支那'''. | ||
:Also interesting is how some descriptions of the '''shinatama ningyō 品玉人形''' puppet specifically mention that the doll is wearing Chinese-style clothes (chūgoku kaze no fukusō 中国風の服装). There are no pejorative connotations in this case, and '''shina 支那''' does not appear explicitly either, but possibly we are looking at a "running gag" in Japanese culture, where the '''shina 品''' radical can act as a magnet for Chinese stereotypes, regardless of context. | :Also interesting is how some descriptions of the '''shinatama ningyō 品玉人形''' puppet specifically mention that the doll is wearing Chinese-style clothes (chūgoku kaze no fukusō 中国風の服装). There are no pejorative connotations in this case, and '''shina 支那''' does not appear explicitly either, but possibly we are looking at a "running gag" in Japanese culture, where the '''shina 品''' radical can act as a magnet for Chinese stereotypes, regardless of context. | ||
;Standalone meanings of 品 and 玉 | ;Standalone meanings of 品 and 玉 | ||
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::--[[User:Paradox-01|Paradox-01]] | ::--[[User:Paradox-01|Paradox-01]] | ||
::Indeed. Shinatama is never "spelled out" in kanji form anywhere in Oni (and the Japanese version uses katakana), so anything goes. And even it Oni ''did'' specify the name as being '''Shinatama 品玉''', there is still this Japanese phenomenon when people go creative with their children's names (or their own) by using homophonic kanji. Thus, in a hypothetical remake/sequel/epilogue, Konoko (or someone from Kerr's team) may very well write Shinatama as 品魂 rather than 品玉, splicing the original idea of "dexterity"/"trickery" with the "spirit"/"soul" concept. By the way, that alternative '''tama 魂''' kanji is a doubly nice find, as it's built around '''oni 鬼''' (ghost). --[[User:Geyser|geyser]] ([[User talk:Geyser|talk]]) 11:55, 3 August 2021 (CEST) | ::Indeed. Shinatama is never "spelled out" in kanji form anywhere in Oni (and the Japanese version uses katakana), so anything goes. And even it Oni ''did'' specify the name as being '''Shinatama 品玉''', there is still this Japanese phenomenon when people go creative with their children's names (or their own) by using homophonic kanji. Thus, in a hypothetical remake/sequel/epilogue, Konoko (or someone from Kerr's team) may very well write Shinatama as 品魂 rather than 品玉, splicing the original idea of "dexterity"/"trickery" with the "spirit"/"soul" concept. By the way, that alternative '''tama 魂''' kanji is a doubly nice find, as it's built around '''oni 鬼''' (ghost). --[[User:Geyser|geyser]] ([[User talk:Geyser|talk]]) 11:55, 3 August 2021 (CEST) | ||
[[Category:Characters]] | |||