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古参 kosan
Here since before it was cool.
What does kosan mean?
The old guard of any fandom or shop. The opposite of にわか, and quietly proud of the exact date they showed up.
Example
この店、開店の日から通ってる古参なんだ。
I've been coming to this place since opening day — I'm old guard.
Vibe
Who you can say this to, and how it lands.
Friends only Casual. Natural with friends, out of place at work or with strangers.
The story behind kosan
古参 is not slang at all. It is an ordinary word for a long-serving member of an organisation, the opposite of 新参, the newcomer, used about soldiers, staff and craftsmen for a very long time. Fandom borrowed it wholesale, because fandom is an organisation with no formal record of service.
So the word does the record keeping instead. A 古参 knows which venue the group played before anyone showed up, and can date their own arrival to the month. Worn lightly it is warm, and newcomers feel there is a history worth joining. Worn heavily, as 古参ヅラ puts it, it empties a room fast.
Get kosan in your pocket
古参 is one of 308 words in YABAI, a Japanese culture snack for Android. Every word comes with its meaning, an example sentence, a vibe check and a story like the one above — in 13 languages, read aloud by your device. Paid app: no ads, no sign-up, no subscription.
