＜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) on X
Following on from last time, we’ll introduce some interesting etymologies and origins of Japanese words.
1. The End of the End (ageku no hate：挙句の果て)
This phrase is used in the title of a sci-fi romance comic called “Ageku no Hate no Kanon,” set in a near-future Tokyo invaded by extraterrestrial life forms. What is the origin of this phrase?
We often say things like, “This is the end result of all my hard work.” “Ageku no hate” means “the final result of trying everything; in the end; in the end.” It is used when a bad result occurs or is expected.
“Ageku” refers to the last “7-7” verse in a linked verse or renku poem, as opposed to the first “5-7-5” verse called “hokku（発句）.” It means a concluding or finishing verse. Incidentally, “hokku” became independent to become “haiku（俳句）.”
Because it is the last phrase, it has come to signify the final result or conclusion, and can also be used on its own as “After doing ____”, and written as “ageku (揚句)”.
To emphasize that it is the final result, the word “hate（果て）”, which means “the edge of something”, “the end”, “the end of something”, “conclusion”, or “the end”, was added, resulting in “agaku no hate”.
2. In the End（Todo no tsumari ：とどのつまり)
There’s a school-themed comic called “Todo no tsumari no Uchoten(とどのつまりの有頂天)” (Ecstatic at End) that uses this phrase in the title, but what is the origin of this phrase?
“Todo no tsumari” means “in the end; where it ends up.” It is often used when something ends up with an undesirable outcome.
“Todo” refers to the fish “mullet (鰡/鯔).” As “mullet” grows, it changes its name from “haku(ハク)” to “oboko (オボコ),” “subashiri(スバシリ),” “ina(イナ),” and “bora(ボラ),” and is called by many different names, but ultimately becomes “todo（トド）,” which is why the name “todo no tsumari” is commonly believed to be derived from that.
As an aside, another fish that changes its name as it grows is the “suzuki (鱸).” “Suzuki” goes through “koppa(コッパ),” “seigo(セイゴ),” and “fukko(フッコ)” before finally becoming “suzuki（スズキ）.” In the Kansai region, “buri” (黄鰤) becomes “tsubasu（ツバス）,” “hamachi（ハマチ）,” “mejiro（メジロ）,” and “buri（ブリ）,” but in Tokyo it becomes “wakashi（ワカシ）,” “inada（イナダ）,” “warasa（ワラサ）,” and “buri（ブリ）.”
However, since the fish “Todo（トド）” is also thought to have been named with the meaning of “todome” (stop), there is also a theory that “tsumari(ツマリ)” (clogged) is added to “todo” from “to stop” or “tomari.”
3. Last Minute(Dotanba ：土壇場)
“Dotanba” means “a desperate situation; the final scene.”
“Dotanba” literally means a platform built of earth, and has been used since before the Edo period.
In the Edo period, the word came to mean “the execution ground for beheadings,” as criminals were made to lie on the platform when executions were carried out.
The meaning of “execution ground” further evolved to mean a hopeless situation, a scene where a final decision must be made, or a desperate situation.
By the way, “dotakayan(ドタキャン）” means “cancelling at the last minute.”
4. Plot Twist（Donden-gaeshi：どんでん返し）
“Plot Twist” means “a complete reversal of the plot or events; a reversal of the situation or position.”
The term originates from the early modern Kabuki stage technique of tilting a prop 90 degrees backward and then standing it upright to transition to the next scene, and the device itself was called “donden-gaeshi.”
Kabuki “donden-gaeshi” was originally called “robbery gaeshi” (強盗返し) because it resembles a “gandō chochin（強盗提灯）” (robber lantern), a device with a rotating mechanism inside.
The term “donden-gaeshi” is said to have evolved from “gandō-gaeshi” to “donden-gaeshi” because of the “donden-donden” (robber lantern) sound or the sound of the prop being toppled.
The “ninja house door trick” is also called “donden-gaeshi.”
As an aside, there is a directing technique in ancient Greek theater known as “deus ex machina.”
This is a technique in which, when the content of a play becomes complicated and tangled like a tangle of threads, a being with absolute power (a god) appears, throws a stone into the chaotic situation, leads to a solution, and brings the story to a conclusion. It is a directing technique that is somewhat similar to a “plot twist.”