Eight heads - Yatsugashira

Japanese: 八頭 - やつがしら

〘Noun〙① A cultivated variety of taro. Seven to nine parent tubers of almost the same size grow from a seed tuber, which are tightly packed together to form a mass about 15 centimeters in diameter. The baby tubers are small and spherical, and there are very few of them. The leaf stalks are short and purple-red, and are eaten as "zuiki." Eight-headed taro. Nine-sided taro. [Season: Autumn] [Natural History Teaching Method (1876-77)]② A little before eight o'clock. Also, the time just after turning eight. *Ukiyo-zoshi, Shinshoku Gokansho (1698), vol. 1 "The sunlight at the eighth hour makes my heart race, and I cannot leave." ③ One of the techniques used in Noh theater, the large and small drums. Eight strong, high-pitched strikes ( kashira ) are used. *Kaden Zuiunoki (around 1584), Kanjo-no-maki "If it is the worst, strike the eight heads."

Hachi-gashira [eight heads]

〘Noun〙 One of the radicals of Chinese characters. The “eight” part of characters such as “public” and “six.”

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

Japanese:

〘名〙① サトイモの栽培品種。種芋からほとんど同大の親芋を七～九個生じ、密着して径一五センチメートルぐらいのかたまりとなる。子芋は小形で球形、数はごく少ない。葉柄は短く紫赤色、「ずいき」として食用にする。八頭芋。九面芋。《季・秋》〔博物図教授法（1876‐77）〕② 八つ時の少し前。また、八つになったばかりの時刻。※浮世草子・新色五巻書（1698）一「八つがしらの日ざしに心をいそがせ立わかれぬ」③ 能楽の大鼓・小鼓の手の一つ。強い高音を出す音（頭(かしら)）を八つ打つもの。※花伝髄脳記（1584頃）灌頂之巻「乙ならは、八かしらを打おさめよ」