So, the ongoing debate is this: is Inuyasha's Sword of the Fang spelled "Tessaiga" or "Tetsusaiga"?

The answer? TETSUSAIGA. Yes, that is the SPELLING. The PRONOUNCIATION is "Tessaiga", however, due to the "short 'tsu'".

My proof is simply this: go to ANY Japanese-English dictionary, and run a search on "Tess" and "Tetsu". To save you the trouble, here's a pair of links to a creditable Japanese-English dictionary. (Note that it can't search for phrases, only words)

Japanese-English Translator

Searching for "Tetsu"

Searching for "Tess"

(To save you the trouble, the word "tessu" yields the same negative results)

You will find that the word "Tess" cannot be made from the Japanese alphabet, since a vowel must follow a consonant. Why are words like "sesshou" (found in Sesshoumaru) exceptions? I haven't a clue... if I could explain why words are spelled and pronounced as they are, I'd write a book and make millions.

I have researched almost literally HUNDREDS of forums and websites that debate this whole topic, but they all prove my point, yet say the opposite.

Here is a site that I was notified of via PM. Note that it claims the sword is called Tessaiga, yet under the kanji it clearly states that the name of the kanji is "Tetsu".

You can debate this all you like, but before you do please find any Japanese-English-Japanese dictionary and look up the word "iron", which is what "tetsu" means. Also, I dare you to spell "tess" in the Japanese alphabet.

There ends my rant. Debate if you feel the need.

That's a fairly in-depth rant for an average show. Let me know if someone's argued in favor of Cowboy Bebop or The Decalogue like that.

Well, considering I was the one that sent that site in the note, I suppose I should make a post in this discussion. Though sadly mine will not be quite as long as PrinceMagus411, it shall however, be correct.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tessaiga

That alone should be enough. If you try to search for "Tetsusaiga" on wikipedia it will redirect you to Tessaiga.

An excerpt from the page

"In the English adaptations of InuYasha, Tessaiga is called Tetsusaiga (or Tetsaiga) due to an error in translation in the early days of the manga when the tiny っ (tsu) kana (which indicates a glottal stop, or a doubling of the consonant that follows it) was misread as a full-sized つ (tsu) kana, altering the romanization and pronunciation of the word. Both Tetsusaiga and Tessaiga can come from the kanji; the proper spelling depends on how the name is pronounced. The proper romanization is Tessaiga. By the time Viz, the company that translates the anime and manga, had realized the error it was too late."

I will be updating my quiz to reflect this, using this url instead of the previous.

Please note that we don't really consider Wikipedia to be a reliable source for quiz information. Due to the nature of the site, incorrect information can easily creep on there.
Generally, if it is not possible to prove something in a quiz one way or the other, we prefer that you change your question. Sometimes, a note ot the effect that there are alternate spelllings, or that the spelling is disputed, will solve the problem.
A quiz is not a suitable venue for arguing a point.

agony, Funtrivia editor

"Due to the nature of the site, incorrect information can easily creep on there."

Except for the fact they do not allow incomplete or incorrect information, that does make them reliable in most sense, would it not?

I have seen incorrect information(rumour) on there once, and it was quickly removed. They do not simply let whatever you want to be put up there, it must hold some truth.

... And yet I find it amusing that that very same Wikipedia entry calls it "Tetsusaiga" more often than it does "Tessaiga"...

And again, it fails to debunk what I said. It merely says something to the extent of "they mistook the small 'tsu' for the full 'tsu' and it's spelled Tessaiga." It doesn't explain WHY it's supposedly romanized that way, it just says that it is. Is a short "o" and a long "o" spelled differently? No.

Besides, my quiz doesn't even ask you for the spelling of the sword's name, so there's no real point in changing anything.

And remember that Wikipedia can be wrong simply if people don't recognize there's an error.

I just finished speaking with a friend of mine who is currently in Japan as an exchange student, who has quite kindly enlightened me further on this, and indeed tells me that the spelling is "Tessaiga"

He has told me, that with the short tsu, the spelling would infact change upon romanization. "if there is a small tsu, that means that that small tsu is silent, but the following consanant is drawn out. hence the Tessaiga. Tessaiga is the spelling which includes the small tsu and therefore draws out the following 's' "

Now, if you would like to debate this, go right ahead, but I have the word of someone who can fluently(is it considered fluently when it pertains to reading?) read kana and has informed me that it is infact "Tessaiga".

He also just had a Japanese friend of his confirm that it is infact "Tessaiga" ^^;

Remember, no one's attacking anyone's quizzes here - I asked anyone who knows about the show to post in here as I see contradictory information in the quizzes and I'd like to get how to spell it straight correct. If there are two correct ways to spell this, like tsar and czar are correct, fine. But the TV category has been getting a lot of correction notices lately about how to spell the name of the sword and with different quizzes, authors and players giving contradictory information, I'd rather be able to say "there are two correct spellings" than look like we don't know what we're doing.

Well, like I said, I directly consulted with someone able to read kana, and they as I quoted above, told me that the correct spelling is "Tessaiga", he even had another double-check this, and that person who double-checked his translation was Japanese born, living in Japan, so I would think it is safe to say they are right.

And I've heard my side verified by someone living in Japan as well. If you would like to speak with him and you have AIM, his address is Ihaku Kazunoba. Or you could e-mail him at HentaiAngelHayato@yahoo.com

Wow.

Just found the end all, be all proof. And wow, quite a read it is, I don't even fully understand half of what she says, but I grasped enough.

http://www.anime-kraze.org/forums/viewto...3ae7ef3d53f423c

Basically the kanji of Tessaiga, in their seperate forms are spelled Tetsu, sai, and ga, but when placed together reform to create the romanji Tessaiga, based on because of pronounciation, or something. I'm not going to claim I understand the Japanese characters, I know some romanji, that is about it. But as the person in that thread states, Tessaiga is a made up word, so it does not show up in the Kanji conversion dictionary. It was created by placing 3 Kanji's together to form a word, which when transliterated to romanji, becomes Tessaiga. She explained it a hell of a lot better then I just did, so I suggest you read her posts. She went so far as to post the word in both Kana and Kanji, as well as other words that would show the exception to the rule and such. If you still believe it is "Tetsusaiga" after reading that, well, then I guess you never will.