Tamamo - Tamamo

It is an old name for seaweed that grows in water, and does not refer to a specific species of seaweed. "Tama" is a compliment. In the Man'yoshu, "Tamamo" is thought to refer to Hondawara, as in the lines "Today too, the ocean-going Tamamo is like the double-folded white waves, but it is in disarray above" (Volume 7) and "The Tamamo that grows on the bottom of the water does not appear, and at this time of year I will pass through like this" (Volume 11). Hondawara species have many small swim bladders on their body branches, which is thought to be the origin of the word Tamamo, but some are also interpreted as referring to freshwater aquatic plants, and the origin of the word is unclear. For example, the word "tamamo" in "I recall with my hands cutting the tamamo seaweed that swayed in the cove of Mama in Katsushika" (Volume 3) is thought to refer to the seaweed Zostera marina or the brackish water plants Itomo and Ebimomo.

When written in katakana, tamamo refers to the freshwater green algae Chaetophora elegans Agandh. It grows in cold waters and forms bright green, agar-like masses. It is small, less than 1 cm in size, so it is difficult to find unless you are careful.

[Moriaki Shinzaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

水中に生える藻の古称で、特定の藻種をさす語ではない。「玉」は美称。『万葉集』に詠まれている「今日(けふ)もかも沖つ玉藻は白波の八重(やえ)折るが上(え)に乱れてあるらむ」（巻7）や「水底(みなそこ)に生(お)ふる玉藻の生ひ出(い)でずよしこのころはかくて通はむ」（巻11）などの玉藻はホンダワラをさすと考えられる。ホンダワラ類の体枝上にはたくさんの小形うきぶくろがあり、これによって玉藻の語が生まれたとも解されるが、なかには淡水域の水草と解される場合もあり、語の由来ははっきりしない。たとえば「勝鹿(かつしか)の真間(まま)の入江にうちなびく玉藻刈りけむ手児名(てこな)し思ほゆ」（巻3）の玉藻は、海草のアマモか汽水草のイトモ、エビモなどをさすと考えられる。

　なお、タマモと片仮名表記する場合は淡水産緑藻植物のChaetophora elegans Agandhをさす。これは冷たい水域に産し、鮮緑色、寒天質の小塊状体となる。大きさは1センチメートル以内と小さいため、注意しないとみつけにくい。

［新崎盛敏］

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