ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1181
http://www.s-gabriel.org/1181
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From: "S Friedemann" 
19 Aug 1998

Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!

You wanted to know if <Mataemon Fukuda> would have been used as a masculine
Japanese name between 650 and 1600.  Here is the information we have found.

There are many patterns for Japanese naming, but the typical form for the
buke (warriors) and kuge (aristocracy) is a three element name:

     [family name] + [common name] + [official name]
         kamei                zokumyou             nanori

A person might take additional name elements under certain circumstances,
but the above pattern is typical.  The zokumyou is a common name used in
casual conversation, and a nanori is the official name used in proclamations
and self-introductions.  Nanori were restricted in use to the socially
priviledged.  Commoners had common use names (tsushou) and might also be
differentiated by the name of the house in which they lived.  Unless you
intend to be a commoner, we recommend you construct a three element name.

<Fukuda> is a surname [1], so in Japanese naming practices, it would be
shown first.  However, because of our limited sources on Japanese naming
practices, we do not know if it was used in period or not.

We found the elements <mata> and <emon>, meaning "next, again" and
"ministry, minister," respectively.  [2] While meaning of the construction
<mataemon> is reasonable, again, we do not know if this would have been used
as a name in period Japan.

We hope that this has been useful to you, and that you will not hesitate to
write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions.
Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Talan Gwynek,
Walraven van Nijmegen, and Solveig Throndardottir.

For the Academy,
--Aryanhwy merch Catmael
     August 19, 1998

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References:

[1] O'Neill, P.G., _Japanese Names_ (New York: John Weatherhill, Inc.,
1972).

[2] Solveig Throndardottir, _Name Construction in Mediaeval Japan_
(Carlsbad, N. Mex.: The Outlaw Press, 1994).
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