Title "Daishi" and "Taiko"
There is a Japanese saying:
“Daishi was taken by Kobo, and Taiko was
taken by Hideyoshi.”
It means that some honorific titles have
become so strongly associated with one famous person that, when Japanese people
use the title alone, they usually mean that particular person.
“Daishi” is
an honorific title meaning something like “Great Master.”
In Japanese history, this title has been given to more than twenty Buddhist
monks.
However, when people simply say “Daishi,”
without giving a name, they usually mean Kobo Daishi, the famous
Buddhist monk who is also known as Kukai, the founder of Shingon
Buddhism.
The same is true of “Taiko.”
“Taiko” was a title used by several historical figures. It originally referred
to a former regent who had retired from office.
But in Japanese history, when people simply
say “Taiko,” they usually mean Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of Japan’s
most famous warlords. After Hideyoshi retired from his official position, he
was commonly called Taiko.
So, the saying means:
There are many Daishis, but “Daishi”
means Kobo Daishi.
There are many Taikos, but “Taiko” means Hideyoshi.
It is a humorous way of saying that Kobo
Daishi and Toyotomi Hideyoshi became so famous that they almost “took over” the
titles themselves.
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