ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3020 http://www.s-gabriel.org/3020 ************************************ 24 Mar 2005 From: Josh Mittleman Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked whether is an appropriate name for a Japanese man in the 15th or 16th century. Here is what we have found. is a fine family name for your period; it was used in the Kamakura period and has remained in use to the present day [1, 2]. We are not sure whether is a correct yobina (intimate given name). Source [1] glosses its kanji as "new" and "first son". The kanji translated there as "new" is correct [6], but we do not know if that kanji was in fact used in names in your period. Two other kanji that are pronounced were used in names: one means "parent, intimate", the other "eighth (bitter)" [4]. The second part of the gloss is correct: (as it is more accurately transliterated) is composed of two kanji that mean "first/eldest son". We do not have a pre-modern example of ; however, there is a modern Japanese name , so one might give it the benefit of the doubt [5]. is a good choice for your nanori (formal given name). There are two nanori which transliterate to . The first element, , corresponds to a kanji that means "tall, high" in one name and "exemplar, admirable" in the other. The element corresponds to the same kanji in both names; it means "family, filial" [1, 3]. By the 1400s, the use of after the family name was dropping out of fashion [1]. The later you want to set your persona, the more appropriate it would be to drop that word and use . We hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in researching and writing this letter by Aryanhwy merch Catmael, Mor inghean Chathail, Juetta Copin, and Talan Gwynek. For the Academy, Arval Benicoeur 24 Mar 2005 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - References [1] Edward Effingham, "Japanese names" in "An Online Japanese Miscellany" (WWW: privately published, 2004). http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/miscellany/names.html [2] Solveig Throndardottir, _Name Construction in Mediaeval Japan_ (Carlsbad, N. Mex.: The Outlaw Press, 1994; Potboiler Press, 1999 [Box 30171, Columbia, MO 65205]), p.325. [3] Solveig Throndardottir and the Academy of Saint Gabriel, "Japanese Formal Masculine Given Names" (WWW: Academy of S. Gabriel, 2001). http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/solveig/nanori/ [4] Name Construction in Mediaeval Japan. [5] Biography of Ishihara Shintaro (1932- ) http://www.japan-zone.com/modern/ishihara_shintaro.shtml [6] Jack Halpern, editor in chief, The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary (New York: Kodansha International, 1999), nr. 1166.