According to Toshiko YOSHIKAWA, it was likely that during his early Buddhist training, Yoshio was given the Chinese character 薩 for his name, which relates to 菩薩 (Bodhisattva).
吉川敏子は、前後して若い頃に仏道修行をしていた刷雄に「菩薩」に通じる"薩"の字が与えらた。