Oto-hime explained

Oto-hime or Otohime (Japanese: 乙姫), in the Japanese folktale of Urashima Tarō, is the princess of the undersea palace Ryūgū-jō.

Second daughter

Oto-hime (Princess Oto)'s name consists of the character also read otsu meaning "No. 2".^[1] Thus Oto-hime must have been the 'second daughter' or 'younger princess' of the Dragon King (Ryū-ō), as explained by folklorist in his bilingual edition of the In Urashima fairytale.^[1] Miyao whimsically wonders whatever became of Kō-hime, the elder daughter never mentioned.

References

Bibliography

• Book: Miyao. Yoshio.

  ja:宮尾與男

  . Chamberlain. Basil Hall. Basil Hall Chamberlain. Kobayashi Eitaku (illustr.). Urashima. Taiyaku nihon mukashibanashishū. ja:対訳日本昔噺集. Japanese Fairy Tale Series. 2. Sairyūsha. 2009. 25ff, 301ff. 9784779113710. en, ja.

Notes and References

1. "乙姫は甲乙の乙であるので次女、二女、妹姫となります".