In Japan, before the Meiji Restoration (1868), only samurai and nobles were eligible to have surnames. After the Meiji Restoration, it was legally stipulated that all citizens must have a surname. The sudden regulations have left ordinary people at a loss as to which surname to use? However, it doesn’t work without a surname. Therefore, many people either ask monks or choose their own surnames based on place names and topography to deliver laws and regulations.
Therefore, among Japanese surnames, there are many Chinese characters related to nature such as ‘wood’, ‘forest’, ‘mountain’, ‘chuan’, and ‘field’. Also, because we live in a valley, we call it 'Nakatani', if there is a big cedar tree nearby, we call it 'Big Cedar', and if there is a high bridge nearby, we call it 'High Bridge'.
The top ten surnames in Japan are: Sato, Suzuki, Takahashi, Ito, Saito, Watanabe, Tanaka, Kobayashi, Sasaki, and Yamamoto. In addition, it is said that Sato and Suzuki are derived from the surnames or place names of samurai.
The Japanese emperor does not have a surname because they believe that the emperor is a god and that gods have supreme power. God has no last name. So the emperor has no surname.
There are nearly 300,000 surnames in Japan. Ranked second in the world. (The United States, a multi-ethnic country, ranks first with nearly 1.6 million, while South Korea only has about 300 at least. The most common surname in the world is 'Lee', which is said to have about 100 million people).
There are also surnames in Japan that are very interesting in the interpretation of Chinese characters, such as: Mitarai (toilet), Azuma (my wife, there is a place in Gunma County called 'Azuma-gun'), Kamojiri (duck's butt) ), my grandson (there is a city in Chiba Prefecture called my grandson city), and there are also interesting surnames such as Kito, Inukai, Yamiuki, Ebi, Miyoshi, Budai, Nosema, etc.
There are also names that are funny to the Chinese: Matsushita Hisako (the Japanese pronunciation of the word "jiu" is ku (pants), so it becomes "Panasonic pants"), and some are also called Matsushita Yoyo (Panasonic belt) There are also people named Guan Tou Masao (Japan does have the surname Guan Tou, and there are many male names named "Masao"). Gunko Fukawa (not wearing a skirt), Kuko Kawakami (wearing pants), Honda Toko (Shanghai dialect original candlelight), Inukai Maosheng (raised by dogs, born by cats), Nekokai (cat poop), etc. , to name a few.
The Japanese have also "refuted" to me, saying that you Chinese also have interesting surnames, such as Ma, Niu, etc. When introducing it in Japanese, it is said "private horse です." It translates to my surname is horse, or it can also be translated as I am horse. Also very interesting.
Japanese male names, in the middle of the Showa era, were generally named in order of birth, such as: Kenichi, Yuji, Jiro, Saburo, Goro, etc., or with 'Sincerity', 'Gang', 'Yi', etc. A Chinese character that gives the impression of sincerity and strength. Later, names such as "Naoki" and "Kenta" which meant integrity and health became popular. Recently, names such as "Dahui" and "Xiang" that mean success have become popular. In addition, according to the year of birth, names corresponding to the stems and branches such as 'Jun' and 'Dragon' are also popular.
In the middle of the Showa era, most of the names of Japanese women were named 'Sachiko', 'Watsuko', 'Reiko' and other names ending in '子', which imitated the then Crown Princess 'Michiko' name. In the mid-1980s, they were replaced by 'love', 'hui', 'sai', 'kaori', 'sakura', 'mayumi', 'qianxia' (can live a thousand summers, meaning longevity), etc. Various names.
In addition, some names cannot be told from the Chinese characters whether they are male or female. Such as: ‘Gangmei’ etc.
Japanese warlord and admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, the name "Isoroku" comes from the combined ages of his father and mother. In fact, the Chinese also use the age of the father or mother in naming. For example, a friend of mine's cousin is named Qian Sanwu, and "Sanwu" comes from the age when his father gave birth to him.
In addition, the Japanese also have an interesting name called "Big Eight Tsuji" which evolved into a place name in Shanghai "Big Cypress". By the way, according to the "Historical Map of Shanghai" written by the Japanese, the origin of 'Big Cypress' is as follows: the water circuit was built in 1926, plus Handan Road, Zhongshan North 1st Road, etc., forming five forks, which was originally called Here, the Japanese set up a post named after a fallen company commander called "Da Hachitsuji". ‘tsuji’ is a Chinese character created by the Japanese. It has a similar pronunciation to ‘temple’ and ‘zi’, so it is also called ‘Dahachi Temple’ and ‘Dahachi’. In 1988, it was renamed "Big Cypress".
In short, as long as we understand the cultural background, origin and history of Japanese surnames, we will not be surprised or surprised.