梓弓

梓弓

Japanese

Kanji in this term
梓	弓
あずさ Jinmeiyō	ゆみ Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Etymology

From Old Japanese.

From 梓 (azusa, “Japanese cherry birch (Betula grossa)”) +‎ 弓 (yumi, “bow”).

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
• (Tokyo) あずさ​ゆみ [àzúsáꜜ yùmì] (Nakadaka – [3])[1]
• IPA^(key): [a̠zɨᵝsa̠ jɯ̟ᵝmʲi]

Noun

梓(あずさ)弓(ゆみ) • (azusa yumi) ^{←あづさゆみ (adusayumi)?}

1. a bow made from the wood of the Japanese cherry birch, Betula grossa [early 700s]
   • 905–914, Kokin Wakashū (book 1, poem 20)

     あづさ弓(ゆみ)押(お)して春雨(はるさめ)けふふりぬあすさへふらば若(わか)菜(な)つみてむ

     azusa yumi oshite harusame kyō furinu asu sae furaba wakana tsumiten

     Today there fell rains for spring, season calling tautened birchwood bows. If they but fall tomorrow, we will be picking young greens.[2]

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:梓弓.

   Synonym: 梓 (azusa)

2. a small musical bow used by 梓巫女 (azusa miko) to summon spirits [early 1600s]
3. allusion to いる (iru), はる (haru), or ひく (hiku)

   from the pulling of an azusa yumi bowstring, punning the verbs 射る (iru, “to shoot”), 張る (haru, “to stretch”), or 引く (hiku, “to pull”)

4. allusion to もと (moto)

   from the base part of an azusa yumi bowstring, punning 元 (moto, “origin, base”)

5. allusion to かへる (kaferu → kaeru)
   • 1124–27, Kin'yō Wakashū (book 8, poem 480; second version)

     あづさ弓(ゆみ)かへるあしたの思(おも)ひには引(ひ)きくらぶべきことのなきかな

     azusa yumi kaeru ashita no omoi ni wa hiki-kurabu beki koto no naki kana

     (please add an English translation of this example)

   from the return of the azusa yumi bowstring after shooting an arrow, punning 返る (kaeru, “to return”)

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:梓弓.

References

1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
2. Helen Craig McCullough (1985) Kokin Wakashū: The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry : with Tosa Nikki and Shinsen Waka, illustrated, reprint edition, Stanford University Press, →ISBN, page 18

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Old Japanese

Etymology

From 梓 (adusa, “Japanese cherry birch (Betula grossa)”) +‎ 弓 (yumi₁, “bow”).

Noun

梓弓 (adusa yumi₁) (kana あづさゆみ)

1. a bow made from the wood of the Japanese cherry birch (Betula grossa)
   • 711–712, Kojiki (poem 51)

     知波夜比登宇遅能和多理邇和多理是邇多弖流阿豆佐由美麻由美伊岐良牟登許許呂波母閇杼伊斗良牟登許許呂波母閇杼母登弊波岐美袁淤母比傅須恵幣波伊毛袁淤母比傅伊良那祁久曾許爾淤母比傅加那志祁久許許爾淤母比傅伊岐良受曾久流阿豆佐由美麻由美

     tipaya-pi₁to₂ Udi no₂ watari ni watarize ni tateru adusa yumi₁ mayumi₁ i-ki₁ramu to₂ ko₂ko₂ro₂ pa mo₂pe₂do₂ i-to₂ramu to₂ ko₂ko₂ro₂ pa mo₂pe₂do₂ mo₂to₂pe₁ pa ki₁mi₁ wo omo₂pi₁de suwepe₁ pa imo₁ wo omo₂pi₁de iranake₁ku so₂ko₂ ni omo₂pi₁de kanasike₁ku ko₂ko₂ ni omo₂pi₁de i-ki₁razu so₂ kuru adusa yumi₁ mayumi₁

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:梓弓.

   Synonym: 梓 (adusa)

2. allusion to い (i), いる (iru), はる (paru), or ひく (pi₁ku)

   from the pulling of an azusa yumi bowstring, punning the verbs 射る (iru, “to shoot”), 張る (paru, “to stretch”), or 引く (pi₁ku, “to pull”)

3. allusion to もと (moto₂), すゑ (suwe), or つる (turu)

   from the names of parts of an azusa yumi bow, punning 元 (moto₂, “origin, base”), 末 (suwe, “end, tip”), or 弦 (turu, “bowstring”)

4. allusion to よる (yo₁ru)

   from the point between the origin and end when pulling an azusa yumi bowstring, punning the verb 寄る (yo₁ru, “to approach, draw near”)

5. allusion to おと (oto₂) or や (ya)

   from the sound of releasing the bowstring when shooting an arrow, punning 音 (oto₂, “sound”) or 矢 (ya, “arrow”)

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:梓弓.

Descendants

• Japanese: 梓弓 (azusayumi)

See also

• 槻弓 (tuki₂yumi₁, tukuyumi₁, “bow made from the wood of the Japanese zelkova, Zelkova serrata”)
• 檀弓 (mayumi₁, “bow made from the wood of the Japanese spindle tree, Euonymus hamiltonianus”)