#eyami

[kofuku46]

Mizuchi and Yukine, Manga Coloring

Noragami, Chapter 44: Cut + Ties

[justxaxstrayxkid]

Who else has noticed how Mizuchi’s eyes have become much more expressive than they used to be

You can really see her emotions in these panels. Before she was almost always a blank state.

In the second panel she was upset about Yato releasing her, yet her eyes were dark with no apparent emotion.

I noticed this change with her eyes after she spent time with Yukine. I think the first time she was drawn with pupils was when Yukine gave her food under that bridge. It truly shows how she’s developed from the little nefarious stray she was in the beginning ^_^

[kiun]

maybe controversial??? i guess???? but I very much dislike how Yato still calls her Nora, which is something Hiiro has said multiple times that she despises being called. Like she's always made sure to call him Yato instead of Yaboku because she knows he hates that name. And yet Yato can't reciprocate that with her even here. It's just disappointing to me especially since this is supposed to be a moment where he tries to protect her :/

[penguin--rat]

wanderswap eyami and elana!! @arcyane ceo of wanderswap

[surrealpoet]

Koma amathe uma uqhamuka.

Inhliziyo igxume,

Igxumise okwesele.

Washabala

iyadumala.

Uma umamatheka

kucija neziqhomo,

Ngizizwe ngidiyazela.

Izigi zenhliziyo,

zihube icilongo,

Icilongo lothando.

Sifo sini kanti lesi?

Ngabe iphakade lami liyize?

Likhona elami ithuba na?

Imizamo yami iyize na?

Ukumamatheka kwakho kudalwa yini?

Ngivumele ngikubonise uthando.

Kade uzula,

uzula engqondweni yami.

Ngifise ukuba izulu lakho

lasemhlabeni.

Ngifisa ukuguqula lemicabango

yami ngawe,

iphenduke iqiniso.

Abadala bangikhomba encwadini engcwele,

uma ngibuza ngothando olunamaketanga.

Nguwena ongangikhulula,

ngoba eyami inhliziyo iyala ukwamukela,

ukuthi awusiyena owami.

[atlanticcanada]

Strawberry season struggles across the Maritimes

Right inside the door of Trish and Henk’s Quality Produce is a sure sign of summer, but despite the table full of bright red, locally grown, fresh strawberries, this growing season has been anything but easy.

“This wet weather sure is not helping at all because it causes more diseases that we didn’t expect, the berries are starting to rot too early or too fast,” said Henk Tepper.

He has been growing berries for eight or nine years now and this season has seen a few snags.

“It has been pretty slow. The weather was cold to start with and now we’re having lots of rain, so the fields are very wet,” he said.

Right now their fields are currently even too wet to offer u-pick strawberries, but they are picking daily to salvage the crop and provide the produce to the community.

“I feel that strawberries this year are going to be scarce because of the weather and we’ve had no sun,” said Trish Moses.

“They’re soaked and they’re not liking it, but what we do have they’re delicious, they’re local, we know what we’re putting in the ground, we eat them for our family as well and we want to share them with everybody, so our prices are going to be lower.”

Right now, the locally owned store is offering their berries for $6.50 a box, which is helping draw in customers.

“My mom is in the local nursing home and loves fresh strawberries so I’m on Facebook with Trish and Henk’s and saw they have a great price on their berries, so I decided to stop here and pick up three boxes,” said Susan Dryden, a local resident.

“One of me, one for dad and one for my mom.”

While finding ways to manage the problematic forecast, experts say this years challenges actually started earlier across the Maritimes.

“It was definitely a slow start and that was definitely in part due to the cold weather that we had early on,” said Jordan Eyamie, the vice president of Horticulture Nova Scotia.

“I guess if you were to compare it to last year, last year was so hot, like from May to June, and this year we were getting barely in the 20s and last year our first pick was like 300 flats and this year our first pick was 12, so it’s a very very slow start.”

Eyamie says she is also struggling with the wet conditions. She says strawberries can’t be picked during the rain, making it challenging to plan ahead and she is also seeing more disease pressures this season.

“Recently, like in the last few days, it hasn’t been as bad,” she said.

“The forecast has been calling for rain so everyone’s kind of on edge, watching the radar whether on your phone or your computer or watching the news, but it’s just stressful that way.”

While the growers are currently struggling with too much rain, Eyamie says it was a different story in the early spring.

“I did ask the former owners of this farm if they’d ever seen a spring like this and they said never, like we’ve never seen weather this dry at this time of year,” she said.

“You know, April showers bring May flowers and we weren’t getting any showers.”

However, right now experts in both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia say that sun is needed for the rest of the strawberry season.

In terms of prices, both Eyamie and Tepper say they are on par with last year.

“Prices are always higher in the start of the season, they will go down as the berries will grow more and we have more,” said Tepper.

“It’s always supply and demand.”

However, some strawberry lovers remember how things used to be.

“I’m old and I remember 50 cent boxes, so it’s a little hard as you see them go up, but everything’s going up so if you want a good summer treat, it’s worth paying for,” said Dryden.

For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/ivSKlJX

[derikisu]

[beautiful-fiscal-siren]

Well, I did the thing. Couldn’t get it out of my head, so here’s the beginnings of a possible Adopted!Nora situation, featuring reluctant Dad!Take. Contains spoilers for Chapter 84. Enjoy...

Takemikazuchi was fed up with how slow the other gods seemed to be moving. Distasteful though it was, he determined he would have to take care of the corrupted hafuri himself, and he was on his way to the binbougami’s house when he saw her. 

“E-Eyami?” 

What a surprise to find her here. Was she alone? Where was the Crafter?

The girl he had named Eyami glanced up. Her eyes were bloodshot and exhausted. She was hunched over on the curb, looking small. All traces of the cunning and satisfaction that Takemikazuchi had previously seen on her face were gone. This was a broken child. 

“What’s happened?” Takemikazuchi demanded. “Is the Crafter nearby?”

Eyami shook her head and then rested it against her knees. She muttered something. Takemikazuchi crouched down to hear her. 

“What did you say?”

Eyami lifted her head and spoke angrily. “He’s gone! And Yukine too.”

“Gone? Which way?”

Eyami pointed. 

Takemikazuchi frowned. “I think you had better explain to me exactly what happened. Quickly.”

To Takemikazuchi’s surprise, Eyami told him everything. Her orders from the Crafter, whom she called “Father;” her release from him; Yukine’s slow decline, of which Takemikazuchi already knew quite a bit; and, most troubling of all, Yukine’s recent departure into the sky to meet the Crafter. Eyami kept her voice flat, but Takemikazuchi was all too familiar with the manner in which children contain their emotions. Eyami’s hands were clenched tightly, her jaw was set, her eyes intently focused on an insignificant patch of concrete. When she was finally finished speaking, Takemikazuchi sighed wearily. 

“I wasn’t planning to confront the Crafter today, but I see that I shall have to.” He stood and brushed off his hakama. 

“No!” Eyami cried. 

Takemikazuchi looked down in surprise. Eyami’s eyes were wide.

“Don’t hurt them. Either of them. Please!” 

Takemikazuchi stared at the pitiful girl before him. Compassion and mercy were not traits associated with Takemikazuchi-sama, great and terrible god of war. But this child before him had no hope left, no one to trust, and for some reason had confided in him… 

Damn it all.

Takemikazuchi grabbed Eyami’s hand and pulled her to her feet. 

“Come on,” he said, and he transported them to Takama-ga-hara with a pop!

Takemikazuchi found himself facing several alarmed shinki just inside the gates of his estate. He tensed. What was he thinking, bringing Eyami back here? She knew the gods’ greatest secret. Pathetic or not, Eyami could destroy his entire clan with just a few words. Kiun rushed forward, looking from Eyami to Takemikazuchi in confusion. 

“Uh, my lord, you—”

Takemikazuchi held up a hand and made his decision. “Not now, Kiun. Please have a suite prepared for Eyami. I want a bath drawn for her, a sleeping mat prepared, a full meal set, and—” he glanced down at her, “—some decent clothing.”

“Um!” protested Kiun.

“Now! And no one is to disturb us until I call.”

Takemikazuchi, still holding tightly to Eyami’s hand, marched around the outside of the main house to a secluded garden, where he sat Eyami on a bench. She looked up at him suspiciously.

“What are you planning?” she asked.

Takemikazuchi rubbed his forehead. “I… if you harm any of my shinki, if you say a word to them about you-know-what… I will kill you.”

Eyami stared at him for several long seconds. Then she said coolly, “If you slay Yukine, I will kill you—you and everyone you love.”

Takemikazuchi laughed. “So you have some spirit left after all! Fine. Several foolish gods seem to feel the same way, fortunately for you, so I’ll bring Yukine to them. They can attempt an ablution, although I doubt it will work.”

“And Father?” Eyami asked.

Takemikazuchi saw the glint of fear in her eyes. “I’m sure the heavens will want to question him, so, annoying as it is, I shall have to capture him alive. Are you satisfied with that?”

Eyami looked at the ground. 

“In the meantime,” Takemikazuchi continued, “you will stay here, in the room my shinki are preparing, and you will not speak to anyone. I will instruct them not to go near you. I will come fetch you when I return.”

Eyami sighed and picked a leaf from the nearest rosebush. “Fine.” 

She was starting to look like her old self. Takemikazuchi wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, but there was nothing to be done about it now. They sat in silence for a few minutes.

“Your room is probably ready by now. Remember what I said—if you say one word…”

Eyami nodded.

“Kiun!” 

After a minute, Kiun came hurrying out of the main house and bowed. “Yes, my lord.” 

“Are Eyami’s quarters ready?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Then take us there. Come along, Eyami.”

Takemikazuchi watched Eyami closely as they walked through the main house, but she didn’t say a word, nor did she even look around. They arrived at her room, which had been filled, as Takemikazuchi commanded, with a sleeping mat, several children’s outfits, and several tables full of food. Eyami stepped inside and looked around, seemingly in a daze. 

“What else do you need?” Takemikazuchi asked. “My shinki will not bring you anything after I’ve left.”

“M-maybe… books?”

Takemikazuchi nodded. “Kiun, please fetch some books.”

Kiun walked off, looking bewildered. 

“The clothes should fit you, but if not, I’ll have my shinki fetch others when I return.”

Eyami crossed her arms. “I’m fine with what I’m wearing.” 

Takemikazuchi raised an eyebrow and eyed her attire. It looked like a too-short tattered robe adorned with some kind of… ears? Was this what modern humans wore? He would never understand fashion. “Suit yourself,” he said. 

Eyami dropped onto the floor in front of one of the tables and stared at the assortment of food for a long time. 

“Is the food not to your liking? I don’t know what else we have in the kitchen, but if nothing else I suppose I could bring something when I return, if you have any requ—”

“It’s fine,” interrupted Eyami. “I don’t usually eat food at all, so this is… fine.”

Takemikazuchi watched as Eyami carefully, almost tenderly picked up a pair of chopsticks. Shinki didn’t need to eat, he knew, but he had never heard of a shinki who didn’t. They still felt hunger, so although it wouldn’t kill them, to deprive a shinki of food… 

“I’ll bring some sweets when I return,” he said. 

Eyami looked up at him with a strange expression—awe?—and he blushed. What was he saying? He didn’t care about the feelings of this treacherous nora. Why was he concerning himself with her? 

“...Maybe,” he added sternly. 

Just then Kiun returned with an armful of ancient-looking books and a few scrolls. 

“I didn’t know which books to bring, so I just selected the ones that you most preferred as a child, my lord—”

“Yes, yes, that’s fine,” said Takemikazuchi. “Set them down and let’s go.”

Kiun set the books on an empty table and Takemikazuchi dragged him out of the room, locking the door behind them.

“No one is to enter that room under any circumstances; is that clear?”

“Y-Yes, but why would you bring her back here? You yourself said she’s dangerous.”

Takemikazuchi sighed heavily. “That’s a mystery to me, as well. I should have released her weeks ago. But apparently the Crafter disposed of her. I found her crying alone near the Binbougami’s house…” 

“Ahh,” said Kiun softly. “Well... perhaps it’s not so strange, after all.” 

Takemikazuchi eyed Kiun suspiciously. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kiun smiled. “Nothing, my lord. Shall I have dinner prepared for you?”

Takemikazuchi frowned. “No, I have some business to take care of in Nakatsukuni. I may return late.”

“Very well,” said Kiun, and he turned to leave. 

“Wait!” Takemikazuchi called. “Where can I buy Takenoko No Sato?”

Kiun frowned. “In any convenience store. But why—”

“No reason.” 

And with a flash, Takemikazuchi disappeared. 

[naansni]

some soft grown up mizuchi sketches bc i can dream

[ainhoagm99]

ANOTHER COLOURING

[justxaxstrayxkid]

Small and low quality babygirl running :(

[writtenbybunny]

good bye, forever

So, after a year and 8 months I think I finally want out.

yes, he still makes my heart skip a beat. I still want him beyond any means. I still want to be with him, but I have to face the facts that it's him who doesn't want to be with me.

For months I prayed and prayed, I prayed for him to love me, and guess what? Of course nothing happene.

I finally blocked him from all platform that I can, steam, discord, snap, ig, fb and on my persnal phone too, yet he still managed to get a hold of my email and sent me an email. First email was him tryna contact me and him wanting some explanation. Tbh, I dont have to explain anything to him. To quote him "we're not in a relationship" bith he was acting like we were. Second email I receive is him telling me to forget it and good bye forever. I think that's for the best.

[hechano]

just found your latest post about kiun and wanted to thank you for confirming that he's indeed a fuckboy, it also explains the whole convo about eyami and his habit of oversleeping (yes i want this dumb boy to be safe from ggs) have a nice day!

Thank you for the message! I saw that some people didn't like that post because it apparently ruined their perceptions of him, so I'm glad at least someone liked that post lol!

Yeah, I also love the juxtaposition of his airheaded character surprisingly being the one that gets around the most. He is really good looking after all! I hadn't really thought about how it would connect with his oversleeping habits but it's an interesting point too!

[uthandohlove]

Zulu Omnyama

Mageba sthandwa sami

Bamba nas’isandla sami

Sichothoze kulendlela yothando

          Ungesabi ntombi emhlophe

Njengenyoni enophiko eluphukile

Eyahlangana nenye enentliziyo ephukile,

Zafunda ukucula ndawonye,

Uthando lwetho loba ingoma yabo bonke abalahlakelwe ithemba

Anginakho okuningi, kepha lokho akubaluelkile ngoba konke okomhlaba ngeke kulibone izulu,

Thatha nayi intliziyo yam,

Mina sengiyochaza kokhokho bami ukuthi eyami yathathwa uwena,

Ngala mazwi sthandwa sami ngakha ibhuloho elisuka entliziweni yami liya kweyakho.

Khona ngezinsuku lapho kunzima, ubona engathi umhlaba ukuflathele,

Uthole indlela eya ekhaya.

[noragami-ru-manga]

Shinki Names. Part 1

I should probably add a disclaimer that I don't know Japanese. I did spend a lot of time looking up all the kanji though and also consulted someone who does know some Japanese

 »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»

A name is one the most important things a human can have. In ancient times, it was used to separate humans from nature, to guard them from evil spirits. Nowadays it’s more of a necessity, a primary part of one’s identity; a person without a name virtually doesn’t exist in the society.

In Noragami names, their meanings and functions are key elements of the magic universe created by Adachitoka. This two-parter is devoted to one of the name groups present in the manga – those belonging to shinki.

General rules of forming

Since shinki names are a part of Noragami’s magic system, there are certain rules for making them up. Many (if not most) of the readers of this post must already know those rules but I’ll list them just in case.

1. A shinki’s name is always (well, almost always, but we’ll get to that in Part 2) is written using a single kanji – a character that came into Japanese from Chinese. A kanji can have several meanings, one of which is chosen to be the name. The meaning’s two respective readings become two shinki names: kun-yomi, or Japanese native reading, refers to a shinki as a person while on-yomi, or Chinese sound reading, refers to their instrument name.

2. Even though shinki names are represented on their bodies by a single kanji, the kanji reading isn’t generally used as a name on its own. Another kanji is added to the kanji forming a shinki’s personal name to make yobina, which is the name a god uses when referring to their shinki in everyday life. Generally it’s a kanji that the gods use towards all of their shinki, i.e. their family/clan name. Here are examples of family names in Noragami:

音 – “ne”, Yato’s shinki’s family name. Means “sound”.

喩 – «yu», Tenjin’s shinki’s family name. Means “metaphor”.

大 – «dai», Kofuku’s shinki’s family name. Means “great”. The only prefix in this list.

麻 – «ma», Bishamon’s shinki’s former family name. Means “flax”.

巴 – «ha», Bishamon’s shinki’s current family name. See the meaning in the family names paragraph.

弥 – «mi», Ebisu’s shinki’s family name. When read as “mi” isn’t really a noun. One of the meanings is “more and more”.

云 – «un», Takemikazuchi’s shinki’s family name. Means “cloud”, “to talk”.

Known exceptions:

Noras: three out of four of Nora’s known names – Hiiro, Eyami, Mizuchi – do not include a family name (“chi” in “Mizuchi” isn’t actually a kanji for a family name, it’s part of kanji 螭's reading). Tenjin also refused to give Kugaha the “yu” clan name when gave him the name “Saku”;

Sakura and Nana, who aren’t noras but still have no family names;

Daikoku and Daigo – their clan name is added to their instrument name, not their name as a person

3. The instrument name also isn’t used on its own: kanji “ki” 器 (“instrument”) is added to it. As seen in the manga, characters in Noragami prefer to use “name + ki” when talking about a shinki’s instrument form.

Keeping these rules in mind, I’ve made this table that I borrowed from Wiki and expanded upon:

On the one hand, it seems like there’s no common theme in the names of the shinki belonging to the same god. There’s also no connection between a shinki’s name and instrument form in most cases. All in all, gods appear to name their shinki intuitively without actually thinking much about the meaning of the name. If we take Yato’s shinki as an example, three of them were named based on whatever Yato saw nearby: Yuki (snow) – it was snowing that day; Tomone (partner) – he just wished for someone to stay beside him; Sakura (sakura) – they met under a sakura tree. Momo has got a name that actually corresponds to his instrumet form – 100-yen store scissors; Hiiro’s (scarlet) and Kazune’s (calendar) seem to be a little more symbolical. Father, on the other hand, seems to be the only one to choose the names of his shinki deliberately. He gave Mizuchi the name of the monster that she turns into as an ayakashi; Edachi is literally his “servant”; and now he has Hagusa as well, “something that appears good, but isn’t”.

On the other hand, everything is not as simple as it seems. For example, look at these two translation notes about Nana’s name (Volume 16):

Moreover, “shi” means “death” in Japanese. Anything that sounds like “shi” has a connotation of “death”. A warrior is also “shi”. Number 4 is “shi”, number 7 is “shichi”. The Japanese mostly say 4 and 7 in kun-yomi in order to avoid saying “death” as much as possible. Bishamon, on the contrary, invites it. She is a warrior (“shi”), calling “shichi” to her service by her instrument name (on-yomi) – all of that does not bode well for any Japanese.

And here’s another example with Kiun’s name form Volume 17. When he recalls the day he was named by Take, he says that he was given “a very noble name” Ki.

Yellow is also the color of Amaterasu and her descendants, the Imperial dynasty. There are even several shades of yellow that can be used for dyeing the emperor’s clothes only.

So the reason why there’s no clear theme in the names of shinki of the same god and why they usually have nothing to do with shinki’s instrument forms is because each name has unique circumstances that surround it.

(BTW, regarding the “seven tools”: it’s a little far-fetched, but Yato technically has all of them as well. Yukine is his long sword and short sword while Kazuma is the rest – clothes (armor), bow, arrows, the scarf that also covers his head (helmet & cloak), and katana, because sure, why not).

Naming incantations

To give shinki a name, either for the first time or to someone who’s had a name before, a special incantation needs to be used.

This translation note was super helpful back when I first started reading Noragami. However, it was made in Volume 1, when little to nothing was known about the significance of names in the lore of Noragami, so I’m going to update it a bit.

Apparently, imina is the real name of a deceased person or a noble that is changed to a posthumous name; a forbidden, avoided name. Early on, before I reached the part with the gods’ greatest secret, I assumed that imina referred to the kun-yomi reading of a shinki’s name (like Yuki for Yukine). I thought that the reason gods added a family name to the kun-yomi reading was, just like it says in this note, to avoid the repetition of that name. But then there are noras, who almost always don’t get a family name, and shinki like Sakura and Nana, who are not noras and still don’t have family names either. So imina can’t possibly be the kun-yomi reading - if it really is an “avoided name” that shouldn’t be used for any purpose other than reverting a shinki from their instrument form, surely gods wouldn’t risk using it as a yobina (the name the gods call their shinki in everyday life, like Yukine) as well? That’s why I think that the first two lines of the incantation are a literal description of how the god’s greatest secret works. The god “grasps”, i.e. learns and conceals, a deceased person’s actual name – grasping thy true name, I bind thee here – and replaces it with the name that he/she makes up for that person – with borrowed name, I dub thee my servant. Karina, or the borrowed name, is the one that seals away the true name that should never be spoken. Lines 3 and 4 are pretty much an instruction for using a shinki. And the part about “mei” meaning both “command” and “destiny”,“life” explains why the last line was translated as “I use my life to make you my servant” in the anime. Wiki says that the reason why gods and shinki have this connection that can end up killing the god is because they use their life to create shinki, and I support the notion. After all, if there’s a line or word in Noragami that has more than one meaning, it’s 99% chance that it’s intentional. The last line shows that a shinki isn’t just a servant but a huge responsibility that a god may end up paying for with their life.

There aren’t any specific conditions to be met when naming a shinki (apart from the fact that a corrupted soul can’t become one, and even that’s… debatable); a spirit can receive a name voluntarily or forcefully. With regular ghosts who get a name for the first time it’s often not consensual since they don’t even know that’s a possibility (though there’s actually a cute scene in which Yato tries to persuade an old lady spirit to become his shinki freely). A shinki who has been released before can ask another god to name them, like Sakura did. Or, they can ask for a name without being released and become a nora. Finally, a god can forcefully give a name to a shinki who’s already serving another god, which is what Tenjin did to Kugaha. This, however, doesn’t mean that a shinki is defenseless against a god who wants to name them against their will, as shown in this scene with Yato, who wanted to make Kazuma a nora “for a bit” but helped him learn how to use borderlines instead:

Another interesting detail regarding the naming incantation is that it can only be used once – a god doesn’t get to name their former shinki for a second time (chapter 72).

Apart from the naming incantation used on shinki, there’s also a similar one for ayakashi (chapter 27).

The name Ebisu gives the ayakashi is Ryōki (菱鬼).It sounds like a shinki name (Mineha’s instrument name is also Ryōki), except here “ki” means “ghost”, “demon”. The first two lines of the incantation are very similar to the one used on shinki. Which is strange if you think about it, ‘cause unlike shinki, ayakashi don’t really have a name that must be concealed. Though they are born from human emotions, and some of them are even former humans (former shinki), so maybe that’s it. The difference in the first two lines of the two incantations is that an ayakashi is also tied to a mask. And there’s an entire translation note to be made about the rest of it.

The “one visage” probably really is the god using the incantation since Ebisu seemed to get blighted by his ayakashi the way shinki sting their masters when they sin – not on a surface level but with a deep, indelible blight.

Also, an ayakashi gets only one name, not two.

Finally, there’s also a hybrid incantation Father used in chapter 84 in combination with kotonoha to give names to shinki who started turning into ayakashi.

The first lines aren’t shown but they are probably the same as the ones in the regular incantation. Like any other shinki, Hagusa receives two names, as a person and as an instrument. The part resembling the incantation for naming ayakashi is the line about “obeying one name”, though with ayakashi it was “one face”. The last line is unique to this version of the incantation – using the kotonoha, Father orders Hagusa to retain his human form (in fact, we don’t know for sure if the incantation is actually necessary or if Father is simply imitating the gods while the only thing really needed for the naming is the brush).

Family names

Kazuma explains the existence of family names in chapter 18.

As mentioned earlier, “ne” and “yu” mean “sound” and “metaphor” respectively. The reason for the “ne” name, as we know, is very personal, while “yu” might have something to do with Tanjin being the god of learning and also a poet in his human life. Explaining the “ha” name will take a little longer.

Kazuma might think that family name is “really nothing”, but gods would clearly disagree. One of the things indicating that they don’t consider a family name “a nothing” is refusing to give one to noras. Tenjin did not give Kugaha the “yu” name when made him his nora Saku. Nora only has one name that has a family name attached to it – Tsutsumi, which she received from Ebisu. Ebisu himself is an exception though since he would name any shinki capable of drawing a borderline, so all of his shinki have the “mi” name, whether they are a nora or not. Another exception is Kazune but that is a special case since Yato and Kazuma have known each other for a long time; no wonder Yato decided to give Kazuma his family name.

Yato’s first two shinki, Sakura and Hiiro, didn’t have family names either, but that’s because Yato didn’t know he could or was supposed to give them one. Kazuma’s guess about creating a family bond through a common name is also correct – Bishamon explicitly states she doesn’t want to give Nana the “ha” name ‘cause she doesn’t want to become too attached to the girl who’s supposed to be her “disposable” weapon.

Finally, gauging the importance of a family name without knowing its backstory is hasteful. Yato’s family name “ne” simply meaning “sound” doesn’t seem to be very important at first. But to Yato it’s more than just a sound:

And Bishamon had a similar reason for not giving Kazuma the “ha” name after the Ma clan was wiped out.

This makes the names Father gives to his shinki – like Mizuchi and Edachi - all the more interesting. They sound like they have a family name “chi” but are actually written with a single kanji. So Father is basically creating an illusion of a family name that isn’t there. Another notable thing is that he did not choose a name ending with –chi for Hagusa. Does it mean that Father doesn’t want to make him a part of this “family”, however fake it is?

Summoning a shinki

To summon a shinki, all you need to do is call their instrument name. There are some nuances though. Firstly, sometimes shinki can have a delayed response, like how Yukine only answered to Yato’s call after his second attempt in chapter 26.

It’s hard to tell whether all shinki are capable of this. Yukine is a hafuri here, so we can’t be sure if his new status affects his ability to resist his master’s call or not. It’s also not clear if Yukine decided to help out on his own or if he couldn’t refuse his nature as an instrument after all. There are, however, other instances of shinki not coming after being summoned. Takemikazuchi’s senior shinki outright refused to respond to his call the night they killed him:

And then there’s Kiun who apparently can simply sleep through being summoned.

The reason why this is important is because it influences our understanding of the nature of the bond between a god and a shinki and shinki’s level of autonomy. Are shinki bound to transform because of a magical contract embodied in their name, or can they choose freely? The second option suggests a more trust-based connection between shinki and their masters. If they are able to ignore the summoning but willingly come to the gods’ aid without questioning the need to do so, it means they want to support their masters no matter what. New shinki can’t resist the call though, as seen here:

Secondly, there’s an entire group a shinki who definitely can choose whether to respond to a call or not – noras. Hiiro ignored Yato several times: when Yato and Ebisu called her at the same time, she chose Ebisu; when Yato was calling for her to fight off the masked ayakashi, she did not respond.

Noras’ ability to choose if they want to take their instrument form or not makes sense regardless of whether it’s something all shinki can do or just them. Even if they are magically bound to transform when called, in a situation with two masters summoning then at the same time they will have to do something eventually. If they can’t ignore the summoning and also can’t split into two different instruments, it makes sense that they’d be at least able to choose whose call to answer. And as for Hiiro ignoring Yato’s call in a situation where there was no need to choose, there are several different explanations here. Maybe the ability to choose is simply always present for them, even when they aren’t summoned by two gods at the same time. After all, noras are resistant to name-binding spells in general. Another explanation can be that Hiiro is a half-shinki, half-yakashi who was named using the kotonoha. If her bond with Father is stronger than with any of her other masters because of that, then no wonder ignoring Yato was so easy for her.

Another thing I’m curious about is long-distance summoning. It wasn’t a thing in the beginning of the series – Yato did not call for Sekki when Kugaha attacked him near Suzuha’s sakura tree; the seven gods of fortune didn’t even try to summon their shinki when they were under arrest by the Heaven’s guard. However, Takemikazuchi calls his shinki from Takamagahara to Earth like no big deal (well, except for Kiun, who overslept).

And he also expects them to appear in Takamagahara if he summons them there:

I can see two possibilities here. 1) There had to be a reason why gods didn’t try to summon their shinki in the the cases mentioned. Like Yato not wanting Yukine to find out that Suzuha was dead, or the seven gods of fortune not wanting to get their shinki into trouble with the Heavens. 2) Adachitoka didn’t think of long-distance summoning in the beginning of the series and added it later.

Finally, shinki only answer to their master. Someone else pronouncing their name as an instrument or name as a person won’t work. There’s only one exception – the ruler of Heavens, the goddess of sun Amaterasu, who knows the name of all the gods and shinki and can call them. She was able to summon Sekki to put him into the box where he was supposed to spend the rest of the eternity. She also reverted Kokki by calling his name “Kuro” when she saw how he was trying to do something on the ground.

Releasing shinki from the name

Gods can release their shinki on their own will and upon request; no special incantation is needed. All a god needs to do is to write the name in the air and say that they release their shinki. After that the kanji tattooed on the shinki’s skin breaks and vanishes.

A released shinki looses their abilities (such as using borderlines) until they find themselves a new master but other than that the procedure is harmless.

However, there’s also Liberation, which breaks shinki names forcefully. Saying their original human name in the presence of a shinki or a direct question about the cause of their death leads revealing the gods’ greatest secret. That destroys their god-given name and the shinki turns into an ayakashi under the weight of all the regrets about the life they could have lived. There are only two shinki known to have survived the Liberation – Nana and Mizuchi. Mizuchi can even reveal the secret herself, although that power seems to be limited to her Chiki form.

Finally, there’s another unpleasant aspect of the lore that’s tied to releasing a shinki: if a god vanishes before taking the name from their servant, that name still remains. It’s one of the reasons some shinki end up being noras – a name no one can call is useless, so the only way to get a home and a shelter from ayakashi is to find another master. It’s not as easy as it sounds since the gods’ distaste towards noras is so strong that simply having a name given by another god is a reason enough not to take in an abandoned shinki.

Conclusion

 I think it’s brilliant – to use the linguistic peculiarities of the Japanese language to form this unbelievably interesting and probably one the most memorable aspects of the magic system. I’m even more amazed at how much significance it has for the plot and characterization of the manga’s, well, characters. This theme will probably be further developed in the series, so I can’t wait to read new chapters of Noragami to find out other secrets of shinki names that Adachitoka have in store for us.

[fast-moon]

Noragami Chapter 79-2

And here’s the second half of the chapter.  Don’t know if chapters going halfsies is going to become a thing like it has recently, but it sure makes my job easier since I don’t have to spend as much time with it.  Especially like THIS chapter which had a ton of difficult text formatting.

Google mirror Mediafire Mirror

Preview Images:

Translation Notes:

Page 2:

Yami-nabe is a game where you have a hot pot of broth and people secretly add ingredients to it, typically those that are not traditionally found in a hot pot like cookies, ketchup, etc.

Page 3:

I love how this series actually thinks about the logical conclusions of its plot devices like... what happened to the real Fujisaki’s family?

Page 5:

Tenjin seems to like naming his shinki with characters than have different readings when said alone than within a name.  “Minami” is “Nayu”, while “Ayumu” is “Ayu”.  We’ve already seen Mayu’s name when spoken as just the character is “Makoto”.

Page 7:

Tenjin: “Here’s a charm to help you with romance, now let me proceed to DESTROY YOUR HOPES”

Page 9:

Tenjin throws shade at guys with body pillow waifus.

Page 13:

I think it’s more unfair that Nora can’t exactly run in that constraining kimono.

Page 14:

Remember when Kofuku threatened to trash Take’s house a few chapter’s ago in retribution for the lightning strike?  Pepperidge Farm remembers.

Page 15:

The character on Nora’s hip is for her “Tsutsumi” name under Ebisu. The one on her wrist is her “Eyami” name under Takemikazuchi.

Page 18:

When your girlfriend comes out of the shower wearing your hoodie...

Page 19:

“Hey, babe, wanna come to my Laplace and double integrate?  Honey, I wanna plot you on the horizontal axis.”

Page 22:

“Living With Trash: A Memoir by Nora”

Page 25:

Fujisaki plays ding-dong-ditch.