122 Shadowings 



"San" (abbreviation of Sama, a word origi- 

 nally meaning "form," "appearance"), when 

 placed after a female name, corresponds to either 

 our " Miss " or " Mrs." Placed after a man's 

 name it has at least the value of our " Mr. ", 

 perhaps even more. The unabbreviated form 

 Sama is placed after the names of high per- 

 sonages of either sex, and after the names of 

 divinities : the Shinto Gods are styled the Kami- 

 Sama, which might be translated as " the Lords 

 Supreme " ; the Bodhisattva Jizo is called Ji^o- 

 Sama, " the Lord Jizo." A lady may also be 

 styled "Sama." A lady called Ayako, for in- 

 stance, might very properly be addressed as 

 Ayako Sama. But when a lady's name, inde- 

 pendently of the suffix, consists of more than 

 three syllables, it is customary to drop either 

 the ko or the title. Thus " the Lady Ayamd " 

 would not be spoken of as " Ayameko Sama," 

 but more euphoniously as " Ayame Sama," l or 

 as " Ayameko." 



So much having been said as regards the 

 etiquette of prefixes and suffixes, I shall now 



1 " Ayam Sama," however, is rather familiar; and this 

 form cannot be used by a stranger in verbal address, 

 though a letter may be directed with the name so written. 

 As a rule, the ko is the more respectful form. 



