Jugemu

A couple could not think of a suitable name for their newborn son. The father went to the local temple and asked the chief priest to think of an auspicious name. The priest suggested "Jugemu" (), and several other names. The father could not decide which name he preferred, and therefore, gave the baby all of the names. Jugemu's full name is: (the NHK version, partially replaced with kanji) In one version of the tale, Jugemu got into a fight with a friend one day, and the friend suffered a large bump on his head. In protest, he went crying to Jugemu's parents. However, due to the amount of time it took to recite his name, by the time he finished, the bump on his head had already healed. Another version states that Jugemu fell into a well and drowned; everyone who had to pass along the news spent a lot of time reciting his entire name. In yet another variant, Jugemu fell into a lake, and his parents barely arrived in time to save him. ==Interpretation of Jugemu's name==

Each part of Jugemu's name that the priest had suggested has an auspicious meaning: ; Jugemu : "limitless life". ; Gokō-no Surikire : "five of rubbing off (the rock)". In Japanese Buddhist lore, a heavenly maiden would visit the human world once in every three thousand years, leaving friction marks on a huge rock with her dress. Eventually, the rock would wear down to nothing in the span of one , or 4 billion () years. The priest thus blesses the child to live at least 20 billion () years, essentially for eternity. ; Kaijarisuigyo : "gravel in the sea and fish in water". The amount of gravel and number of fish in the world is meant to represent the degree of the child's luck and fortune. ; Suigyōmatsu : "where water eventually goes". Because water is free to go anywhere, the child is blessed with boundless well-being wherever he goes. ; Unraimatsu : "where clouds originally come". Because clouds come from anywhere, this is similar to the above. ; Fūraimatsu : "where wind originally comes". Similar to the above. ; Kuunerutokoro : "places to eat and sleep". It is fortunate to have both food and shelter at any time. ; Sumutokoro : "places to live". Same as above. ; Yaburakōji-no burakōji : "Ardisia japonica (marlberry) bushes in Yabura Trail". The plant's modern Japanese name is :ja:ヤブコウジ|, and it is considered to be imbued with energy year-round. has no inherent meaning, but is inferred to be with the pluralizing suffix. ; Paipo, Shūringan, Gūrindai, Ponpokopī, Ponpokonā : These are invented names of a kingdom and royal family in Ancient China. Paipo was a rich and peaceful kingdom, where King Shūringan and Queen Gūrindai reigned. They gave birth to Princess Ponpokopī and Princess Ponpokonā, and all of them enjoyed longevity. ; Chōkyūmei : "long and lasting life". ; Chōsuke : "blessed for a long time". ==History==

Japanese folklore studies classify "Jugemu" as a variant of tale type The Child with a Long Name. In the English speaking world, children's literature of this type is known by the titles "Tikki Tikki Tembo" and "Nicki Nicki Tembo". An early version of this type is "" ('Sunk down the waters for greed'), in a book of jokes published in 1703, created by comedian Yonezawa Hikohachi. Both names are garbled forms of phrases taken from Sino-Japanese readings of Chinese Buddhist sutras. The punchline is a Japanese pun involving the word . The name by the Confucian is taken from a translated Chinese Confucian textbook about Great Learning. The poem that the tutor referred to, in its original form , is a palindrome of Japanese morae (similar to syllables). The story gives no explanation of the origin or meanings of "Tekitekini". The book was written by a storywriter and storyteller with pen name Tozuisha. and the full story in a 1912 book. According to a memoire published in 1927, there was another performed around the 1880s. In it, the first child is named by a Shinto priest, but dies in infancy; the parents ask a Buddhist priest to name their second child. The name is , taken from a dharani (Buddhist chant) in chapter 26 of the Lotus Sutra. One day the child falls into a well and drowns; the punchline is dark humor relating Buddhist chants to Japanese funerals. This version is titled "". "Jugemu" is performed not only in ( theaters), but also to other audiences and on mass media, especially for children. "Jugemu" was on a 1926 newspaper's radio broadcast program, with the full name printed. There was another broadcast in 1932, this time for children, and the name printed on newspaper again. The story is told in children's magazines from as early as 1926. Even a prominent Japanese dictionary describes the full name, since its 1991 edition. Television stations broadcast it also in children's programs. In 2003, NHK children's TV program ("Let's play with Japanese language") featured a game of reciting the name from memory. The program proved popular. There were schools that make all pupils memorize and recite it. Since 2005, several elementary school textbooks include "Jugemu". ==Cultural references==

The Super Mario Bros. video game series includes a cloud-riding turtle-dropping enemy character called Lakitu in English, and called 'Jugemu' in Japanese. The eggs Lakitu drop, which turn into Spinies, are referred to as 'Paipo', another of Jugemu's many names. Lakitu was in the original SMB, and Super Mario Bros. 3 added a new enemy called Spike. The spiked balls thrown by them are called in another reference. Additionally, Paper Mario includes two Lakitus by the name of Lakilester and Lakilulu in English, but are named 'Pokopī' and 'Pokona' in Japanese. Jugemu's full name is quoted in the song by Japanese rock band KANA-BOON. Jugemu (#40) is a colossal underground monster appearing to be only a tiny twig with a single leaf on the surface in the video game Star Ocean: Blue Sphere. "Jugemu-jugemu gokōnosurikire sammy-davis broilerchicken" is the chant Sasami uses to turn into Pretty Sammy in the Japanese anime Magical Girl Pretty Sammy. In a short included as a DVD extra for the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood anime series, the character known only by the mononym "Scar" reveals he shares his name with Jugemu; the character King Bradley (who is known to have adopted the name Bradley, originally bearing only the moniker "Wrath") then reveals that it happens to be his real name as well (though Bradley's voice actor repeatedly misses the third "Paipo"). They continue saying it while preparing for battle, until Scar, in reciting the name, accidentally bites his tongue. ''Gintama's second season features two episodes centered on a small monkey whose full name starts with "Jugem Jugem" and takes almost 30 seconds to recite. The short title of the episode introducing the monkey, "Jugem", contrasts with the usually much longer titles of Gintama'' episodes. Jugemu's full name is recited in the lyrics of , the ending theme to , a manga and anime about a troupe of female performers. Lucy from Servant × Service also shares the similar fate as Jugemu (having a long name with a similar origin) and when she first reveals her name her co-workers remark that she is a "modern day Jugemu Jugemu". In the 2016 game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice, case 4 ("Turnabout Storyteller") contains multiple references to different , including Jugemu. At the beginning of the trial, the prosecutor Nahyuta Sahdmadhi is questioned about his knowledge on , and in response offers to read Jugemu, and begins the story, before being cut off by Athena Cykes in order to return focus to the trial at hand. In the original Japanese version, he instead recites the full name of Jugemu. A character appearing in the case, Geiru Toneido, also has a dog called Jugemu, named after the story. Jugemu's name is featured prominently in an episode of . Two of the main characters perform it for a kindergarten their son attends. In Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Arcade, Miku Flick/02, and Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone, a Vocaloid producer named "Vocaliod-P" made a song named "Jugemu Sequencer" which was inspired by Jugemu. This song has reached the Hall of Fame. In episode 21 of Kamen Rider Fourze, the club can be heard practicing Jugemu when JK and Ryusei come to speak to one of the members. In episode 33 of Tropical-Rouge! Pretty Cure, the five main characters come up with new attack names. Instead of choosing one, they combine them all into a really long attack name with several words from Jugemu's full name being a part of it. In Overlord, many members of the Goblin Troop are named after Jugemu Jugemu, such as "Gokou", "Unlai", and "Yaburo". In the manga series Akane-banashi, the protagonist Akane, a trainee Rakugo performer, is challenged to win a Rakugo competition by performing the Jugemu story. In Episode 8 (SWITCH.8) of the anime Tamon's B-Side (3:51 into the episode), after Utage sees Tamon, she freaks out and reacts by performing the Jugemu story. ==See also==