Ito Nishimiya

Ito Nishimiya (西宮 いと, Nishimiya Ito) is a supporting character in the Koe no Katachi series. She is the mother of Yaeko Nishimiya and the grandmother of Shōko Nishimiya and Yuzuru Nishimiya who served as Shōko and Yuzuru's primary caretaker after her son-in-law (the girls father) abandoned their family and Yaeko was forced to spend all her time working to financially support them.

She died peacefully in her sleep in Chapter 29.

History
At some point prior to the series, Ito's husband died.

It is revealed later in the series that Ito moved in with her daughter Yaeko after Yaeko's husband divorced her and left her to raise Shōko Nishimiya alone. Ito took over the responsibility of raising Shōko, and later Yuzuru Nishimiya, so that Yaeko could work to support their family.

Personality
Ito is a patient, kind and selfless person when it comes to her daughter and granddaughters that she gave up her time of retirement to raise her granddaughters. She quickly learned sign language so she could communicate with Shōko Nishimiya and respects Yuzuru Nishimiya's hobbies despite how strange they are. Ito is the only person Yuzuru feels she can confide in about her problems and she patiently understands with Yaeko Nishimiya's grumpy nature.

Physical appearance
Ito is a rather short elderly women with short gray hair that is held back in a headband and she has a mole under her left eye. In her youth, Ito has the same black hair that Yuzuru Nishimiya has.

Ito is generally seen wearing colorful sweaters with random prints, slacks, and slippers.

Volume 04

 * Chapter 29 — "Granny"

Family

 * Yaeko Nishimiya: Yaeko is Ito's daughter. Ito loves her very much and understands why Yaeko's personality is rather cold. Ito does her best to help her daughter by taking care of her grandchildren and the household so Yaeko can work without worry.


 * Shōko Nishimiya: Shōko is Ito's eldest granddaughter. Unlike Yaeko, Ito adapted and learned sign language so she could communicate with Shōko easier.


 * Yuzuru Nishimiya: Yuzuru is Ito's youngest granddaughter. Ito has a different bond with Yuzuru than she does with Shōko. The two often sleep in the same bed together since Ito is one of the few comforts that Yuzuru had left. Yuzuru was present with Ito when she passed away in her sleep.

Etymology

 * The name Ito is written in hiragana (いと), which has no special meaning. However, when written in kanji (糸, 絃, 弦, 愛, 伊都, 衣都, 圍登 or 維人), it could possibly mean:
 * 糸 - "yarn, thread, string".
 * 絃 - "string, cord, samisen music".
 * 弦 - "string/bowstring, handle, chord, hypotenuse".
 * 愛 - "love, affection".
 * 伊都 - "that one" (伊) (i) and "metropolis, capital" (都) (to).
 * 衣都 - "clothing, garment" (衣) (i) and "metropolis, capital" (都) (to).
 * 圍登 - "enclose, surround, encircle, preserve, store, keep" (圍) (i) and "rise, ascend" (登) (to).
 * 維人 - "fiber, tie, rope" (維) (i) and "person" (人) (to).
 * Ito's surname Nishimiya means "west" (西) (nishi) and "temple, shrine, palace" (宮) (miya).

Quotes
"Dear Yuzu... it's Granny. Are you at school now? No, you're probably at the funeral home. Your mother must be sad that I died. But I'm sure it is a comfort to her that you and Shoko have grown into such fine girls. Because you girls have done your very best, and because your mother worked her butt off to support the two of you as you went to school. I talked with her a lot... and she may have come off as cold to you, Yuzu. When Shoko kept losing hearing aids, your mother was waiting for her to solve the problem on her own. I guess she thought it was a good chance for Shoko to grow stronger, even if she couldn't solve the problem. It seems your mother believes being strict with you will make you stronger. But she applies the same rule to herself, so even today, she is probably fighting back her tears... as she dutifully makes tea. The same way you hid your tears earlier, Yuzu. Heheh."

- Ito's note to Yuzuru in Chapter 31