'cap' Texture

(Likely short for 'capsule'.)

The background artist responsible for the capsule design laid out the ICOe-koʊ numeral concept with this diagram. Only '2' and '5' are present on the chart as the others have been forgotten overtime. Additionally, the picture shows how one can count the capsules to land on Ico'se-koʊs as the 25th.

Images of the original LightWave 3D model for the Idol Gates (internally referred to as 'sekizou' or 'stone statues') have been graciously provided by Kazuhiro Numata.

During development, Team ICO would actually model and texture all props and maps in a high-quality animation program before greatly reducing their visual and geometric complexity.

Many of the original models were unfortunately not preserved by Sony. But various former team members held onto them, allowing for some impressive texture upgrades in the PS3 remaster.

'taru' Texture

(Likely as in '樽', meaning cask or barrel.)

This more detailed texture was taken from I-C-O.net.

[Full Size]

[Full Size]

This is an edit to overlay the two textures, so you can better see where the glow is applied to the statue.

'metal_blue' Texture

(Likely a transliteration of '青銅', the word for bronze in Japanese, which comprises the kanji for 'blue/green' and 'copper'.)

'cap' Texture

(Likely short for 'capsule'.)

'l_monyou' Texture

('monyou' as in '文様', which is an artificially made pattern or design.)

'sekizo_ato' Texture

('sekizo' as in '石像' meaning 'stone statue' and 'ato' as in '跡' meaning 'trace'.)

'taru' Texture

(Likely as in '樽', meaning cask or barrel.)

The crate seen here in the top-left corner is the origin of the label displayed on the sides of the small barrels.
It appears to have been flipped up-side down in application (assuming the LightWave3D model is displaying it right-side up).

'kakou_gan' Texture


('kakou' likely refers to '加工' meaning 'processed'.

'gan' likely refers to '岩' meaning 'rock'.

Potentially short for '岩板加工' or 'processed rock plate' which is a term that sometimes applies to slab countertops in Japan.)

Of Note:
一方通行
(り帰はは紋章を
通って出る)

Translation: One-way entrance (Exit by returning through the crest)

This, taken alongside the fact that the Arena maps were internally referred to as "Crest_L" and "Crest_R", implies the apertures are a form of heraldry.
Interesting then, that they bear the same 'monyou' pattern seen on the sofas.

Note the low end of the diagram where it has a box labelled '8a'. st08a is this map's internal file name. So the curving shape leading out from it would likely be the trolley track.

  

'monyo' Texture

(Likely as in '文様', which is an artificially made pattern or design.)

'g_zou' Texture

(Likely 'g' as in the English word 'gate' and 'zou' as in '像', which can mean image or portrait.)

Diagram shared by background artist Kazuhiro Numata. It reveals the means by which Yorda's cage was transported between Spiral Stairs and The Queen's Room, which neighbor each other.

The cage is also shown to rotate mid way across the unseen track connecting these spaces, so the door can face the throne.

[Source: Famitsu 12/16/2021]

'face' Texture

This name actually has an interesting origin that I've detaied elsewhere. (Trivia #18)