＜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
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・「盆の窪」「襟足」「顳顬」「二の腕」「鳩尾」という面白い名前の体の部位
There are several body parts that I’ve thought had interesting names since I was a child. This time, I’d like to introduce some of these body parts with slightly unusual names.
1. The Hollow at the Back of the Neck (Bon no Kubo)：盆の窪（ぼんのくぼ）
The “hollow at the back of the neck” (Bon no Kubo) is the hollow in the center of the nape of the neck, as shown in the image above. It’s also called the “cervical fossa” (Keika：「頸窩（けいか）」).
In English, it’s called “hollow at nape of the neck” or “hollow of the neck.”
The acupoints on either side of the “hollow at the back of the neck” are called “Tenchu” (「天柱（てんちゅう）」) (the areas circled in red in the image above).
There are several theories about the origin of the term “Bon no Kubo.”
① One theory suggests that “Bon（盆）” is an ateji (当て字：phonetic equivalent) and originally comes from “Bon no Kubomi（「坊（ぼん）の窪み」）” (a hollow in the head), meaning “a shaved head(「坊主頭」).”
During the Edo period, a hairstyle in which children’s heads were shaved except for a small amount of hair at the back of the neck was also called “Bon no Kubo.”
② Another theory suggests that “Bon” represents the head and means “a hollow in the head（「頭の窪み」）.”
③ A third theory suggests that “Bon” is an ateji and originally a corrupted form of “Hone no Kubo（「骨の窪み（骨窪）」）” (a hollow in the bone).
2. Nape of the neck (Eriashi)：襟足（えりあし）
“Nape” refers to the area where the hairline extends downwards from the ears to the nape of the neck. It’s the part of the neck where the hairline meets the hair.
The name “nape” comes from the fact that when the hair is tied up, the strands extending to the sides resemble legs.
In English, it’s called “hairline along the neck” or “nape.” It seems that Westerners don’t have the same delicate aesthetic sense regarding the nape as the Japanese do.
3. Temples(Komekami)：顳顬（こめかみ）
The “temple” (顳顬) is the area on the head behind the outer corners of the eyes, roughly halfway between the eyes and ears, where the bone (temporal bone) is located just beneath the skin. As you can see in the image above, it’s quite clear.
It can also be written as “蟀谷”.
There’s a muscle called the temporalis muscle that connects the “temple” to the lower jaw, and the “temple” moves in conjunction with jaw movements.
This term, “komekami” (米噛み）, comes from the fact that this area moves when chewing food. This is because rice was the staple food of the Japanese, and in the past, people ate hard, raw rice, requiring thorough chewing.
As an adult, I’ve learned to immediately recognize when I have a cold or a headache because the “temple” area becomes painful.
Although it’s called “temple” in English, it has no relation to “temple” (寺). The word originates from the Latin word “tempus,” meaning “time,” which became “temples” in Old French and then “templis” in Middle English.
The temples were considered the “clock of the mind,” where the pulse beats and time is kept. Incidentally, English words derived from “tempus” include “temporary（一時的な）” and “tempo（拍子）.”
As a side note, the bone in the temple area is thin and vulnerable to blows. In boxing and other martial arts, it’s called the “temple” and, along with the chin, is considered a “vulnerable point.” A blow to the temple is said to easily cause a concussion.
4. Upper arm(Ninoude)：二の腕（にのうで）
The term “upper arm” refers to the area from the shoulder to the elbow. It’s also called the “upper arm” (上膊). This is where the biceps (biceps brachii) develops. In English, it’s called the “upper arm.”
The “two” in “upper arm” (二の腕) refers to the second part; historically, there was a part called the “first arm” (一の腕).
The 1603 Japanese-Portuguese dictionary defines the “upper arm” as “the arm between the elbow and wrist,” while “the first arm” is defined as “the arm from the shoulder to the elbow.”
Therefore, it’s thought that “first arm” became “upper arm” due to misuse.
However, since “arm” (腕) originally referred to “from the elbow to the wrist,” it’s unlikely that this area would be called the “upper arm.” Furthermore, arms are usually counted from the extremities, so counting from the shoulder is unnatural.
Therefore, it’s possible that the meaning isn’t reversed, but rather that the Japanese-Portuguese dictionary is incorrect.
If the “Japanese-Portuguese Dictionary” is incorrect, then “first arm” would mean “the arm between the elbow and wrist,” and “second arm” would mean “the arm from the shoulder to the elbow.”
5. Solar plexus（Mizoochi）：鳩尾（みぞおち）
“Mizoochi（鳩尾）” refers to the hollow area between the chest and abdomen. It is also known as “Suigetsu（「水月（すいげつ）」）” or “Shinka（「心窩（しんか）」）.” In English, it is called the “solar plexus.”
In traditional Chinese medicine’s meridian theory, “Mizoochi（鳩尾）” is an acupoint on the Ren Meridian, which runs along the midline of the body.
A blow to the “Mizoochi（鳩尾）” area causes intense pain. This is because the celiac plexus deep within the “Mizoochi（鳩尾）” area contains numerous sympathetic nerves, making it highly sensitive to pain.
Furthermore, a blow can momentarily stop the movement of the diaphragm, leading to respiratory distress. Therefore, the “Mizoochi（鳩尾）” is considered one of the body’s vital points, and attacks targeting the “Mizoochi（鳩尾）” (stomach blows) are important techniques in martial arts such as boxing, karate, and Muay Thai.
The word “mizoochi” (solar plexus) originates from “mizuochi（「みずおち（水落ち）」）” (water falling), originally meaning the place where drunk water falls. It is not “Mizoochi（「溝落ち」）” (ditch falling).
Furthermore, the kanji characters “鳩尾” (hatoo) are used because this area resembles the shape of a dove’s tail.