＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X
<Added on August 6, 2021> Mukai Ikeda wins silver medal in the men’s 20km race walk at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics!
<Added 3/15/2020>
Today, Koki Ikeda (21) (Toyo University), who won the All-Japan Race Walking Nomi Championships, which also served as the final selection tournament for the 20km race walking Olympic team for men and women, is a paternal second cousin of fashion model Miyu Ikeda (21), known by the nickname “Michopa.”
When it comes to ceremonial occasions such as weddings and funerals, it can be difficult to decide how many relatives to inform or call.
When a new generation is born, there will be more relatives whose names you don’t know and whose faces you’ve never seen before. We also know how to refer to relatives, such as grandparents and great-grandparents, direct ascendants, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, cousins, and uncles and aunts, but many people don’t know how to refer to more distant relatives.
When it comes to relatives called “second cousins,” I’m sure there aren’t many people who can immediately tell who they are.
I’d like to think about this in this article.
1. What is a “second cousin”?
A “second cousi（Hatoko）” is a relative like the following. A “Hatoko” is also called a “Mata-itoko” or a “Huta-itoko”.
① Grandchildren of your grandparents’ siblings
② Great nephews and nieces of your grandparents
③ Children of your cousins (uncles and aunts)
④ Children of your parents’ cousins.
This may still be difficult to understand, so to explain it using a family tree, the relationship is as shown in the first image.
Tara-chan and Ikura-chan from the TV anime “Sazae-san” are second cousins.
In legal terms, a second cousin is called a “collateral relative of the sixth degree.” Article 725 of the Civil Code defines the “scope of kinship” as ① blood relatives of the sixth degree, ② spouse, and ③ relatives by marriage within the third degree, so second cousins are just barely included in the definition of “relatives.”
2. What is the kanji for “Hatoko(second cousin)”?
It is written in various kanji depending on the relationship.
(1) Kanji writing based on “older or younger from your point of view”
For an older man, it is “再従兄” and for an older woman, it is “再従姉”. For a younger man, it is “再従弟” and for a younger woman, it is “再従妹”.
(2) Kanji notation by “gender”
If the two are male, it is “再従兄弟”, if the two are female, it is “再従姉妹”, and if the two are male and female, it is “再従兄妹”.
(3) Kanji notation based on whether the parent is a paternal cousin, older or younger
For an older male, it is “従堂兄” (elder brother), for an older female, it is “従堂姉” (elder sister), for a younger male, it is “従堂弟” (younger brother), and for a younger female, it is “従堂妹” (younger sister).
(4) Kanji notation based on gender and paternal cousins
If the two are male, they are called “従堂兄弟(Judo brothers)”, if the two are female, they are called “従堂姉妹(Judo sisters)”, and if the two are male and female, they are called “従堂兄妹(Judo brothers and sisters)”.
(5) Kanji notation based on whether the cousin is older or younger on the mother’s side.
For an older male, it is “従表兄” (elder cousin), and for an older female, it is “従表姉” (elder cousin). For a younger male, it is “従表弟” (younger cousin), and for a younger female, it is “従表妹” (younger cousin).
(6) Kanji notation based on gender for “cousins on the mother’s side”
If the two are male, they are called “従表兄弟” (cousin brothers), if the two are female, they are called “従表姉妹”, and if the two are male and female, they are called “従表兄妹”.
3. Can second cousins marry each other?
The answer is yes, second cousins can marry each other.
Incestuous marriages are prohibited or restricted because they can often result in genetic problems such as unusual genetic traits or birth defects.
Article 734 of the Civil Code prohibits marriage between close relatives, stating that “marriage cannot take place between lineal blood relatives or collateral blood relatives within the third degree of kinship.”
Second cousins are “collateral blood relatives to the sixth degree,” so they do not fall under this prohibition.
Although it is not related to the main topic, cousins are also considered to be “fourth-degree relatives by blood,” so in Japan they can marry each other (the so-called “cousin couples”). However, it is prohibited in Korea, China, and parts of the United States. This is thought to be due to the fact that incestuous marriages are prone to have genetic problems.
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