Skill

## Introduction

At this point, it will be hardly surprising if he will suddenly appear at the world summit as the chairman.

His tone of words is the most majestic and sophisticated in One Piece for native Japanese speakers.

His usual speaking is like Gorousei, and his unusual speaking is poetic, like the ancient stones, with some syllable/mora pattern. He doesn't speak rough as pirates and Marines speak with their dialect/accent.

We feel that he is a man of dignity.

But I wouldn't be surprised if he appeared at Universala Kongreso de Esperanto or Tokyo Game Show. His usual speaking method is like a programming language based on Japanese.

We cannot fail to consider his unique speaking before talking about his personality and relationship.

One Piece is the story around history and language. I've never read such an interesting Manga that gives so much consideration to language, being particular about the details.

For example, the author gives his original unique dialect to the inhabitants in Mokomo Dukedom on Zou (elephant). But the emigrations away from Zou speak without their own dialect, according to their working group. Their singularity is shown in the first/second/third person in grammar. So I'm not sure that there are same effects in English context.

Zou's original dialect is based on such differences as tu/vous in French, but there are a lot of vocabulary of person in Japanese standard and dialect. Besides, there are a lot of interpersonal expressions according to person expression. The combination of them is so complex and troublesome that Mihawk cut them all with his sword, like Occam's razor or 唯と阿と相い去ること幾何ぞ (What's the difference between "yes" and "yeah"?)

Mihawk has an unique abnormal normal formal speaking method which we can call Mihawk language.

Mihawk's language is a combination of three arrows.

(1) His usual words have no locality: free from horizontal position.

(2) His usual words have no hierarchy: free from vertical position.

(3) His unusual word tone is classical poetic: historical vagabond.

(1) and (2) are aspects of "langue" of synchronic linguistics. Mihawk is an ideal speaker without personal fluctuation, and (3) is range of "parole" of synchronic/historical linguistics.

Only one arrow is weak and strange as natural language speaking. But the suit of three is crazy strong in Japanese context.

His strength is backed with his unique communication skill.

His behavior reminds me of many historical persons and maxims from all times and places such as "Occam's razor", "唯之與阿相去幾何", "三本の矢(The Three Arrows)". Remarkably, he reminds me of the genealogy of Japanese poetic vagabonds, anarchic Buddhist bonze (monk).

一休さん:Ikkyu-san, a Zen Buddhist bonze and poet, is known as a strange loiterer with a large sword on his back or a skull stick in his hand. His 道号:dougou (monk's pseudonym self-chosen/given from his master), "一休( literally a rest, a break)" came from his poem as an answer to a 公案:Kouan.

##### **一休さん:Ikkyu-san (一休宗純:Ikkyu Soujun)**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikky%C5%AB

> 有漏路より無漏路へ帰る 一休み
>
>

> Uroji yori / Muroji (h)e Kaeru / Hitoyasumi
>
>

> 雨ふらば降れ
>
>

> Ame Furaba Fure
>
>

> 風ふかば吹け
>
>

> Kaze Fukaba Fuke
>
>

> *I have a break while going back to nirvana way from kleshas way.*
>
>

> *Rain, fall as you like.*
>
>

> *Wind, blow as you like.*
>
>

## (1) Mihawk's Usual Words Have No Locality

His usual word tone is neutral and impersonal.

His laugh "わはは:Wa-ha-ha" is the most normal phonetic notation of men in books. It is not his unique laugh, but we have often heard at 宴(utage:banquet). People in banquet after win to be free laugh わはははは(Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha) in background handwriting.

He usually speaks correct bookish Japanese decently with no local accent, no dialect, no jargon, no slang, no rough words which give tight-membership of the group or clue of one's birth, one's background of community.

Besides, He never speaks with shortened rough euphonic changes as other pirates and Marines do. He speaks every normal syllable/mora without euphonic change such as Te/Ni/Wo/Ha(postpositional particle) and Ko/So/A/Do(pronouns) one by one, even in his home, in his monologue except one scene.

This speaking has no powerful punch(迫力) nor great presence(貫禄), just regular(几帳面). No random irregular euphonic change is proxy reading of the computer system, like Franky Robo-mode speaking.

Only (1) speaking is very weak, but anyway, his usual speaking is free from locality rule in One Piece.

-> Details are described in : Mihawk's Usual Words Have No Locality

## (2) Mihawk's Usual Words Have No Hierarchy

His usual words are normal/formal but not polite.

It sounds so-called 天上天下唯我独尊(I am the center of the universe) or 傍若無人(Nobody Nowhere).

He speaks without any interpersonal expressions such as honorifics, interpersonal modality, or attitudinal expression.

He is free from not only horizontal but also vertical position. This relates his solitude, or his solitude relates this.

His usual words border on arrogance, haughtiness, self-important, hubris and so on. Only (2) is fatal in Japanese language. (2) is not accepted in Japanese community/society.

Luffy's (2) with White-beard scared his allies with eyes-popping and dripping nose.

Buggy's (2) with White-beard made escaped prisoners fly to the crazy daydream.

But Mihawk's naked speaking is naturally accepted without any surprise.

Maybe he is considered an unaffected square man with no flattery, no pretension, no assentation for his tight combination of (1) and (2), except for a crying woman.

-> Details are described in : Mihawk's Usual Words Have No Hierarchy

## (3) Mihawk's Unusual Word Tone Is Classical Poetic

It is amazing to see such a strange character.

The author is by far the greatest of drawing. Besides, he is the marvelous magician of language with few parallels in history.

Have you ever seen "Storyboard Presentation!! No.10" in Vol.6 of the manga?

The author worked on his manuscript to improve the wording of Mihawk to make a poetic couplet like Ikkyu's poem as mentioned in the introduction.

> この剣を越えてみよ!!!
>
>

> Kono Ken wo / Koete miyo!!!　5/5 mora
>
>

> この己を越えてみよ!!!　　　　　\*己=おれ:Ore in original, my triming column
>
>

> Kono Ore wo / Koete miyo!!!　5/5 mora
>
>

> *Here the sword, try to go across!!!*
>
>

> *Here I, Mihawk, try to go across!!!*
>
>

The poetic couplet reminds me a well-known mantra;

> 羯諦羯諦、波羅羯諦、波羅僧羯諦、菩提薩婆訶
>
>

> Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha
>
>

His unusual word tone such as at the duel is full of classical poetic sounds. He can tell us huge complex profound meaning by few words using traditional poetic rhetoric and landscape architecture technique, 本歌取り:Honka-dori (adaptation of a famous poem) and 借景:Shakkei (Borrowed scenery, making use of the surrounding landscape in the design of a garden).

本歌取り:Honka-dori is the depth of time and 借景:Shakkei is the depth of space.

#### **本歌取り and 借景: Honka-dori and Shakkei**

Mihawk is the very true son who inherited huge and high quality images from 昔男:Mukashi-Wotoko (a man in the past, anonymous famous) of 伊勢物語:Ise-monogatari (The Tales of Ise) in Heian-period of Japan, more than 1000 years ago.

#### **昔男/むかしをとこ:Mukashi-Wotoko in 伊勢物語:Ise-monogatari and 在原業平朝臣:Ariwara no Narihira Ason**

Thus, the author does not need drawing/writing in detail clearly.

Mukashi-Wotoko is an archetype of the beauty, a classical ideal man in Japan.

-> Details are described in : Mihawk's Unusual Word Tone Is Classical Poetic

## Mihawk Language

Mihawk's language is a comical language game.

(1)(2) is first half;

> Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darueber muss man schweigen.
>
>

> *Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.*
>
>

In last half, he chants and calls in classical poetic tone with full of passion.

Sometimes his words sound eternal like natural law, axiom of math, proposition without tense, for the combination of (1)(2)(3) speaking. His tone is an extraordinary high or different dimension in terms of words.

There is no comparison except Poneglyph.

> 真意を心に　口を閉ざせ
>
>

> Shin-i wo Kokoro ni / Kuchi wo Tozase (8/6 mora)
>
>

> *Keep thy motives in heart, with closed mouth.*
>
>

> 我らは歴史を紡ぐ者
>
>

> Warera wa Rekishi wo / Tumugu mono (8/6)
>
>

> *We are those who will weave history*
>
>

> 大鐘楼の響きと共に
>
>

> Daishourou no Hibiki to Tomo ni (7/7)
>
>

> *with the ringing of the great belfry.*
>
>

Poneglyph in the ancient language (Nico Robin let us listen on Skypiea; Chapter:268) is same tone poem.

The combination of (1)(2)(3) speaking sounds strong and powerful like Poneglyph.

I think that language is one of the human skills which can compose a beautiful symphony of body and mind. It is better if the skill proficiency can harmonize them well and live in peaceful harmony. It is better if we can reduce difficult question to something easy and simple to handle. We can try to know and practice how to handle the easier one for us.

It is not easy to get on better with random self as saying, but it is worth doing for us, because we have language.

Let's try to review his word and action from the first appearance in the next topic "Personality and Relationship". He seems to be 凡夫(a ordinary man) who is still faced difficulties to get on better with random self and the world.

**Prev**: Ability **Next:** Personality and Relationship **Top:** Overview **Home:** Mihawk in Japanese Wiki