Tachi Ojo

Today I will talk about the Japanese term "tachi ojo".

"Tachi" means "to stand", "ojo" means "to die", so "tachi ojo" refers to "to die while standing."

Yesterday I talked about "Benkei".

It is believed that Benkei was shot by a lot of arrows from surroundings in the battle of Koromogawa, and he died while standing supported by his long halberd called naginata.

From this story, "tachi ojo" can also refer to a state that someone is incapable of moving or something is dead-end.

By the way, I found that "Benkei's tachi ojo" was translated into "the last stand of Benkei" in English on the Internet.

立ち往生

今日は「立ち往生」という日本語を紹介します。

「往生」は「死ぬこと」であるため、「立ち往生」は「立ったまま死ぬこと」を意味します。

昨日、私は弁慶について話しました。

弁慶は衣側の戦いで前後から無数の矢を受け、薙刀を支えに立ったまま死んだと言われています。

これが転じて、「立ち往生」は「身動きが取れない状態」や「何かが行き詰った状態」も表します。

「弁慶の立ち往生」は英語で "the last stand of Benkei" と表すようです。