JoAnn,
HOTHER ..... well, I don't know how the HOTHER people pronounce it, but I've always pronounced it HOTH with a soft o and ER on the end.
Since I started looking into that machine I've joined the Yahoo group for Japanese machines and gotten no information. Found NOTHING on the internet about it, and only seen two other HOTHER machines on GW auctions.
I've struck out.
All I know is this one was made by JUKI and is an excellent machine.
Joe