Kotobagari ( 言葉狩り, "word-hunting") refers to the censorship practices used in removing discriminatory or obscene words from Japanese media. This can result in more acceptable terms being found as replacements, if writing and media isn't merely banned or the offending words censored or muted out.
Kotobagari can be seen to be utilized in later Akatsuka reprints for understandable reasons when it comes to some language used, in some cases with more successful changes than others. However, there also exist fans that find the practice to be inauthentic, and that while it is good to be aware of the harmful effects of some words, that pretending that they didn't ever exist could also create problems. As well, such word lists may serve more to protect media from embarrassing scandals rather than appropriately address the roots of discrimination. There are also those that feel it hampers the fidelity to the original printings, as sometimes the censorship is also sloppily-handled.
Over the years, the NHK has produced a handbook involving words that are to not be used on television and that would be discriminatory in language use otherwise. The issues are divided into categories such as those involving derogatory words for jobs, colloquial terms for people with disabilities, human rights-related matters in regards to race and gender, words that may compromise peoples' dignity or character, and so on.
This article will cover instances in which such edits were applied, as well as what words came to be inappropriate over the years in his publishing career.
Examples of Prohibited Terms[]
While some terms are entirely unacceptable no matter the instances, others seem to be left as-is with context in mind as well as measuring the weight of such words.
- めくら, mekura; blind. Many references to this term have been scrubbed out in later reprints, particularlyOsomatsu-kun. The one-shot Vampire Domecula has also been unseen since its sole reprint in the early 1970s (as extra material in the The Shinigami Death Akebono release) due to the word being part of the title.
- 白痴/ はくち , hakuchi; idiot/idiocy. Although The Great Stupid Detective Kogoro Hakuchi was successfully reprinted as recently as the Shogakukan DVD-ROM set, there is speculation that there may be trouble with reprinting it further due to Kogoro's surname being the very word as well as him being the embodiment of such.
- きちがい, kichigai; crazy, lunatic, madman and such synonyms. An infamous term in itself with quite the usage in many older manga and anime, this one is definitely removed and substituted with any lighter insults. In some cases, puns related around the word were also swapped out, such as a case in The Genius Bakabon where Bakabon (in response to Papa asking him how he looks) states Papa looks kichigai and the response is "kichi ga imasu"("I am crazy"). The exchange was altered to have Bakabon state Papa looks zure; "out of place"/"off", and Papa answering "hazure desu" ("I am off"/"a mistake"). Another notable instance had the word replaced with henna; "strange".
- 狂 kyou: lit. lunatic and similar definitions to the word above. Seen to be part of the title of Fujiko Fujio A's Madman Army (Kyoujin-gun), leading to part of why it was banned from reprints along with A refusing to accordingly modify the title.
- 片輪, katawa; lit. "one wheel", imperfect, crippled. Very unacceptable due to its usage against those with disfigurement and deformities.
- せむし, semushi; hunchback. Unacceptable and discriminatory to those with spinal problems.
- バタ屋, bataya; trash-picker, trash shop. Similar words like kuzuya and gomiya are also banned; it is more appropriate to call such people by the more literal 廃品回収 haihin kaishū gyōsha; "waste collection business". A chapter of Osomatsu-kun titled "The Bataya Prince" was notably re-titled "Osomatsu's The Prince and the Pauper" to remove the insulting word.
- While がき, gaki; "demon brat" (essentially a harsh term for child) is officially considered a prohibited term, this is not applied to Akatsuka manga. Titles like Noragaki, and other instances of the word manage to be freely applied.
- うんこ, unko; "poop" is also considered an offensive term, yet still slips by freely for Akatsuka manga perhaps due to the fact there was so much usage of it that such crudeness would be reasonable (as well as the fact that when weighed against actual discrimination terms, such censorship would be rather frivolous).
- ルンペン, runpen (from German term "lumpen"); "beggar", while seen in some older Akatsuka works, is considered a rather rude and discriminatory term these days for the homeless. こじき kojiki, which also pops up in the works, is also a word one shouldn't be using for them either. The loanword of "homeless" itself is seen to be satisfactory. Even so, "kojiki" still made it in for the renamed "Osomatsu's The Prince and the Pauper" as the Japanese title of the fairy tale it references is "The Beggar (Kojiki) Prince".
- 三助, sansuke; "bath man" is considered an unacceptable term to use these days when the more appropriate and literal 浴場従業員 yokujō jūgyōin (bathhouse employee) exists. Akatsuka just so happened to use such a term as the literal name of a youngster named Sansuke in O-chan's Eleven Friends, who was the son of a sento couple.
- インチキ inchiki (scam, false) and うそつき usotsuki (liar) are to not be used on television in reference to frauds, and are seen as particularly rude and potentially libelous words in themselves. Still, as far as Akatsuka's manga go, they manage to make the cut as far as text goes in reprint.
- 外人 gaijin; "foreigner" has fallen away for the more proper gaikokujin.
- オナニー onani (masturbation) is very inappropriate for usage, and has quite the appearances in Nyarome's Fun Sexual Education Classroom. Words such as that and copyright issues are speculated to be behind why it won't receive modern reprints.
- インディアン, Indian. Obviously an inaccurate and insulting term to refer to Native Americans by no matter the language, and has been regulated in manga and television as well if it is used (for actual people of India, the term "Indo-jin" is seen as more proper). One such instance occurs in Bakabon dialogue, where starting with the Takeshobo reprints, Bakabon and Papa's game of playing a Western had Bakabon's remarks altered to remove him referring to Papa as "Indian" and just say "Papa".
- おかま okama, also depicted in katakana, is an Edo-era slang term for effeminate gay men and had originated from a crude way of describing sex (a literal okama is a rice pot which formed the basis for the slang). While there are those who self-identify with and reclaim the term, it is considered a pejorative as well due to the history of insulting usage. There are some Akatsuka works which have the term uncensored in reprints to this day (and it is uncensored when referring to Kaoru-chan), while some others have had the word "bleeped" out with 〇〇 marumaru marks. This can especially be seen with a usage of the word in the Bakabon 88-page giant special in the Shogakukan DVD-ROM set.
External Links[]
- "Some Cases of Word-Hunting in The Genius Bakabon" (Japanese, Ameblo.jp)
- Directory of broadcast prohibited terms and other language (Japanese, Webarchive cache)
- PDF of broadcast prohibited terms (Japanese)