Uphill or downhill. The story behind the name 'Hazuki Sakamichi'

◆Introduction

The other day, I received this question in my note question box.

"Hazuki Sakamichi, is there an origin for this name?"

When I saw the question, I felt a little happy.

Usually, I write articles under the name 'Hazuki Sakamichi' as a matter of course.

Writing articles, replying to comments, and reading someone's article and clicking 'like'.

Since it is a name I use almost every day, it has become completely familiar to me.

But when I think about it, from the perspective of those who read my work,

"Why this name?"

It is no wonder that you might think that.

And as I answered the question, I found myself thinking about it again as well.

Since I have the chance, I thought I would change the tone a bit from my usual articles and write about the name "Hazuki Sakamichi."

Not just the origin of the name, but also about the time I have spent writing under it.

◆ I hadn't thought very deeply about names

When starting on note, naturally, you need a name.

There is the option of using your real name.

You can also choose a name that has absolutely no connection to you.

I chose the latter.

In the world of the internet, you can decide your own name.

When you think about it, this is a bit strange.

The name you are born with is not something you decided yourself.

However, you can choose the name you use on note.

"What kind of name should I use to write my articles?"

Thinking about that, I came up with

"Hazuki Sakamichi"

as my name.

It's not that this name had some grand meaning from the very beginning.

I wasn't thinking about a future where thousands of people would read it, or where I would keep using this name for years to come.

I thought about it in my own way at the time,

and thought, 'This seems good,'

so that was the name I chose.

However, names are interesting things.

As you continue to use them, their meanings can grow over time.

◆ I liked the sound of 'Hazuki'

I have always had a somewhat soft impression of the word 'Hazuki'.

In Japan, the eighth month of the lunar calendar is called 'Hazuki'.

A time when we are gradually moving from summer toward autumn.

The heat still lingers, but the seasons are beginning to shift little by little.

I like that atmosphere, too.

And above all, I loved the sound of the word 'Hazuki'.

It is not too strong, not too flashy, and somehow quiet.

I felt it somehow suited the kind of writing I wanted to do on note.

I don't want to strongly persuade anyone with my writing.

'This is how you should live'

'You must do this'

I don't want to write things like that either.

Things I have experienced.

Things I felt at that time.

Things I didn't understand back then, but understand now.

I want to quietly write these things down and leave them behind.

Thinking about it that way, I feel that the soft sound of 'Hazuki' suits my writing.

◆So, is 'Sakamichi' an uphill slope or a downhill slope?

I also received this question in my question box.

'Is the “sakamichi” in Hazuki Sakamichi an uphill slope? A downhill slope? Or both?'

I thought this was an interesting question as well.

Come to think of it, even when we say "sakamichi" (slope), the meaning changes depending on the direction.

Seen from below, it is an uphill slope.

Seen from above, it is a downhill slope.

Even though it is the same road, how it looks depends on where you are standing.

I like this feeling.

Life might be something similar.

There are times when things are going well, and times when they are not.

There are periods when things progress smoothly, and periods when nothing seems to go right.

Just when you think you are going uphill, you might suddenly start going downhill.

Conversely,

There are times when things start to improve little by little, even when you thought, "This might be the end."

That is why, for me, a "slope" is both an uphill climb and a downhill descent.

It is not just one or the other.

◆A life that is always uphill probably doesn't exist

I feel that when I was younger, I thought about life in much simpler terms.

If you work hard, you will grow.

If you do your best, you will be rewarded.

I thought that if I kept climbing, I would eventually reach the top.

But life is not that straightforward.

Moving upward, little by little.

That is the image.

But when I actually lived it, things didn't progress quite so neatly.

There were times when my hard work didn't pay off.

I also took detours.

Changing jobs, moving to new places, losing connections with people.

"What am I doing?"

I've thought that more than once or twice.

The road I thought was going uphill was actually a downhill slope.

Conversely,

"That was the lowest point of my life."

Looking back, the period I thought was that turned out to be a precious time that led to where I am now.

Sometimes, that happens.

Perhaps while we are walking through life, we cannot tell whether the road is going uphill or downhill.

◆There is meaning in the downhill slope, too

We tend to think of "going up" as something good.

Income goes up.

Evaluation goes up.

Followers increase.

The things you can do increase.

Seeing numbers grow is an easy-to-understand form of growth.

Of course, I am happy about that too.

If I continue writing on note and the number of readers increases, or if I receive 'likes,' I am genuinely happy.

However, there are times in life that cannot be measured by numbers.

Times to stand still.

Times to give up.

Times to let go.

Times to rest.

At first glance, it may look like you are moving backward, but sometimes that is how you protect yourself.

I feel like I used to be more afraid of downhill slopes than I needed to be.

Things are a little different now.

If I'm going downhill, I can just enjoy the view as I go.

If I get tired, it's okay to take a break along the way.

And when an uphill slope comes again, I can just climb it at my own pace.

I've come to be able to think that way.

◆ Perhaps 'Sakamichi' (slopes) has been my life itself

When I first chose the name, I hadn't thought about it this deeply.

But as I continued to write on note, the word 'Sakamichi' strangely began to seem like a reflection of my own life.

I am not a person who has achieved things in a straight line.

There have been times when I was lost.

There have been times when I failed.

There have been times when I stood still.

I have also taken detours.

Even so, I never completely stopped walking.

If I cannot walk fast, I walk slowly.

If I get tired, I rest.

If I take the wrong path, I turn back.

And then, I walk again.

Repeating things like that, I am here now.

Thinking about it that way, perhaps the name 'Sakamichi' suited me better than I thought.

◆Before I knew it, it had become another name for myself

When I first started note, 'Hazuki Sakamichi' was just a pen name.

A name for writing articles online.

It was nothing more and nothing less than that.

But as I wrote articles almost every day, my feelings gradually began to change.

"Hazuki-san"

"Sakamichi-san"

Someone appeared who called me by that name.

Receiving comments, having people read my articles, and getting follows.

As I accumulated those kinds of experiences,

"Hazuki Sakamichi"

time gradually began to pile up within that name.

Now, when I see this name, I am reminded of the writing I have done until now.

Things that made me happy.

Things that were painful.

Memories of the past.

Work-related matters.

A holiday spent alone.

About health.

About money.

About human relationships.

And, things I have thought about after living life in my own way.

I feel that the time I have spent putting those things into writing is gradually being contained within this name.

◆Perhaps the meaning of a name is something that is created later on

When giving a name,

"I must imbue it with some grand meaning"

I sometimes think so.

However, I don't necessarily think that's the case now.

At first, it's fine even if it's just a whim.

Because I like the sound of it.

Because I like the characters.

Because I feel like it suits me.

Even if you chose a name for reasons like that, if you continue to work under that name for many years, memories will accumulate there.

Meeting people, writing, failing, and feeling joy.

As I do that, meanings that weren't there at the beginning start to emerge.

The name 'Hazuki Sakamichi' has become that kind of name for me, too.

◆Whether Uphill or Downhill

I do not know what kind of path I will walk from here on out.

Perhaps my note will be read by more people.

Perhaps a time will come when things do not grow as I had hoped.

There will likely be days when I am lost for words.

Life itself is the same.

There will be times when an uphill climb comes, and times when a downhill slope comes.

There may be times when a flat road continues, or perhaps a slope so steep that I want to stop in my tracks will appear.

But I think that is perfectly fine.

You don't have to keep climbing forever.

Just because you are going downhill doesn't mean your life is a failure.

What matters is walking as far as you can from where you are standing at that moment.

It's okay to be slow.

It's okay to take the long way around.

It's okay to stop sometimes.

And when you feel like you can walk again, you can just start walking.

I hope to continue writing about that kind of life.

A casual question that arrived in my question box.

'Hazuki Sakamichi, is there an origin to this name?'

Thanks to that question, I was able to think about my name anew.

The name, which started as just a pen name, has now become quite familiar to me.

Whether uphill.

Or downhill.

I will continue to put into words the things I find along the way.

That is the kind of 'Hazuki Sakamichi' I want to be.

And today, too, I am writing sentences under this name.

Thank you for reading this article up to this point.🙇