North Pillow - Kitamakura

Japanese: 北枕 - きたまくら

〘Noun〙① Sleeping with one's pillow facing north. When Shakyamuni passed away, he lay with his head facing north and his face facing west, hence the practice of making the dead, in particular, sleep with their pillow facing north. This is generally taboo. ※Miroku Shangsheng Sutra, praising the early Heian period (around 850) "Shakyamuni's head turned north " ※Taiheiki (late 14th century) 1 "He cut his stomach in a cross shape and lay with his pillow facing north" ② On their wedding night, a married couple sleep with their pillow facing north. [Collected Words (around 1797)] ③ A marine fish of the pufferfish family. It grows to a total length of about 20 centimeters. It is thought that this name came from a popular belief that if you eat it, you will die and your pillow will face north, but the skin of this species is highly poisonous, the liver and intestines are less poisonous, and the ovaries and meat are non-toxic. Body color varies widely, but is generally dark brown with many thin, irregular blue-green lines on the back. Young fish are dark gray with two dark brown vertical stripes. Distributed in warm seas south of central Honshu. Usually found alone near the shore. Not edible. [Season: Winter] [Revised Honsho Komoku Keimou (1847)] ④ Another name for the fish "akame fugu (red-eyed pufferfish)." [Revised Honsho Komoku Keimou (1847)]

Source: The Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary About the Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary Information

Japanese:

〘名〙① 枕を北に向けて寝ること。釈迦が涅槃(ねはん)の時、頭を北にし、顔を西に向けて臥したことから、特に死者を、枕を北にして寝かせること。普通には、これを忌む。※彌勒上生経賛平安初期点（850頃）「釈迦の北首(キタマクラ)にして」※太平記（１４Ｃ後）一「腹十文字にかき切て、北枕にこそ臥たりける」② 婚礼の夜、夫婦が北へ枕を向けて寝ること。〔俚言集覧（1797頃）〕③ フグ科の海産魚。全長約二〇センチメートルになる。食べると死んで北枕になるからという俗信からこの名が出たと思われるが、本種の皮膚は強毒、肝臓と腸は弱毒、卵巣と肉は無毒。体色は変異が大きいが、一般に暗褐色で、背方に多くの青緑色の不定形細線がある。幼魚は暗灰色で二本の暗褐色の縦帯がある。本州中部以南の暖海に分布。岸近くに普通単独ですむ。食用にはしない。《季・冬》〔重訂本草綱目啓蒙（1847）〕④ 魚「あかめふぐ（赤目河豚）」の異名。〔重訂本草綱目啓蒙（1847）〕

出典　精選版日本国語大辞典精選版日本国語大辞典について　情報

<<: Kidama-sama - Kidama-sama

>>: North front - Kitamae-mawari