Ask John: What Exactly Are “Yamato” and “Nadesico?”

Question:
I know that the words Yamato and Nadesico are names for anime series, but what do they mean literally? And I think that I also heard that the phrase “Yamato Nadesico” also exists; what does this mean?

Answer:
“Yamato” is the traditional name of Japan, and is used to refer to the Japan of roughly 300-600 AD. “Nadesico” is the Japanese name for the pink flower known scientifically as Dianthus spp. The Dianthus spp. may be better known to Westerners as “Clove Pink,” “Rainbow Pink,” or “Sweet William.” The phrase “Yamato Nadesico” itself is used to mean “Japanese woman,” in particular the strong willed, determined Japanese women of the feudal era.

All of these terms and phrases have their basis in Japanese culture and literature, and all appear commonly in anime and manga. It’s not coincidence that the Space Cruiser Yamato was named after the traditional name of Japan, seeing as the Yamato was the great Japanese warship that sailed into space to save the Earth from destruction.

Nadesico is a popular Japanese flower and is the name of both the Nergal Nadesico spaceship and the given name of Sakura Kinomoto’s mother from Card Captor Sakura.

Yamato Nadesico is the title of a current shoujo manga.

Yamato Takeru is the title of a Toho live-action fantasy film and anime TV series. The live-action Yamato Takeru movie has been released in the US by AD Vision re-titled Orochi: The Eight-Headed Dragon. Yamato Takeru himself was a mythical swordsman, prince and hero from Japanese Shinto mythology, detailed in the Japanese Kojiki, the official record of Japanese creation myth and history compiled in 712 AD.

Hope this helps.