ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 3071
http://www.s-gabriel.org/3071
************************************

17 Oct 2005
From: Gunnvor Silfraharr 

Greetings from the Academy of St. Gabriel!

You asked us to evaluate <Shinjiro No Genji> as a name for a Japanese
man born in 1185.  Here is what we have found.

To start with, we believe that you have the elements in your name in
the wrong order for a name in your period.  Members of the noble class
in period Japan used three-part names: 

  <family name> <yobina> <nanori>

The nanori was your given name; the yobina was essentially a second
given name used only by those intimate with you.  Everyone else would
address you by your family name and/or nanori.

The custom of using three-element names, consisting of a family name
and two given names (the yobina and the nanori) probably developed
late in the Hei'an period (794-1185) among the class of provincial
lieutenant governors and local military leaders.

<Genji> was not actually a name; rather, it is formed from the
pronunciation of the Chinese characters for the name <Minamoto> and
<uji>, "family" [1].  <Minamoto> originated as a special surname given
by the Japanese Emperor to his sons and grandsons who were not in the
line of imperial succession [1].  Accordingly, we recommend that you
do not use <Genji>; you may wish to use <Minamoto> instead as your
family name.  This name is pronounced roughly \mee-nah-moe-toe\.

Genpei Josuiki (a variant of Heike Monogatari, a medieval Japanese
prose narrative of the events of the Genpei War of 1181-1185) includes
a character with the yobina <Shinjirou> [2, 3, 4].  The kanji <Shin>
(kanji are Chinese characters used in writing Japanese) means "new"
[5].  <Jirou> is composed of kanji meaning "second son" or "next son"
[6, 7].  The modern pronunciation of <Shinjirou> is roughly
\shin-djee-row\ (as in "row a boat"), but the kanji now read <ROU>
used to be read <RAU>.  We are not certain when the value changed, but
we believe that for most and quite possibly all of your period the
older reading was used, and the name was pronounced roughly
\shin-djee-raw-woo\.

The word <no>, pronounced roughly like the identical English word,
indicates possession.  It was never written in names, but was
customarily inserted in speech to indicate membership in a family,
marital relationship, or ownership of land [8].  Looking for examples
of masculine names in your period using <no>, we found the following
examples from Heike Monogatari [9]:

  Kajihara no Genta Kagesuwe
  Sasaki no Saburou Hideyoshi
  Sasaki no Shirou Takatsuna
  Ashikaga no Matatarou Tadatsuna
  Imai no Shirou Kanehira

Each is of the form <family name> no <yobina> <nanori> and represents
the full spoken form of the name.  Following this pattern, <Minamoto
no Shinjirou> is "Shinjirou of the Minamoto clan".  The use of <no>
continued through the 15th century [10].

If you want an authentic name appropriate for your period, you should
also choose a nanori, as shown in the Heike Monogatari examples above.
 Of course, the nanori shown in the Heike Monogatari names are a fine
choice for your period.  You may also find others in:

  http://www.s-gabriel.org/1330

The nanori dated 1332 in this report should mostly be fine since they
come from the Kamakura period (1184 to 1332-3), and probably those
dated 1147 are fine as well.  

We also found nanori specifically from the Hei'an period, which we
list here with the first kanji of each nanori identified.  In these
names, we are following the romanization conventions used in source
[6].  As a note, syllable divisions that are obvious from the kanji
are sometimes ambiguous in romanized text, and so this list uses
apostrophes to mark syllable divisions that might otherwise be in doubt. 

Hei'an Period Nanori [6]:

  <aki> "high status / show clearly"
    Akihiro
    Aki'naga
  
  <aki> "bright"
    Akimoto
  
  <ari> "exists (inanimate)"
    Arimori
    Ariyasu
  
  <atsu> "generous / kind / honest"
    Atsu'ari
    Atsuyori
  
  <chika> "parent / intimate"
    Chikaharu
    Chika'ie
    Chikakuni
    Chikamu'ne
    Chika'nobu
    Chikataka
  
  <fusa> "monastic cell"
    Fusamasa
    Fusa'nari
  
  <hide> "produce good / extraordinary / bountiful"
    Hidehira
    Hideyoshi
  
  <hiro> "spacious / spread out / expansive"
    Hirotsu'ne
  
  <ie> "rural house / family"
    Iemichi
    Ie'naga
    Iesada
    Ietsugu
    Ie'uji
  
  <kage> "bright / magnificent"
    Kagehiro
    Kage'ie
    Kagekazu
    Kagekiyo
    Kagetaka
    Kagetsu'ne
  
  <ka'ne> "unite / hold several offices / heavy service"
    Ka'nehira
    Ka'nehira (different 2nd kanji)
    Ka'nemasa
    Ka'netaka
    Ka'netou
    Ka'netsu'na
    Ka'neyasu
    Ka'neza'ne
  
  <kimi>, <kin> 
  "public official / officer / noble / duke 
  (classical Chinese)"
    Kimimichi
    Kinmichi
    Kinmitsu
    Kinnori
    Kintsu'ne
    Kin'yasu
  
  <kiyo> "pure"
    Kiyofusa
    Kiyokuni
    Kiyomitsu
    Kiyomori
    Kiyomu'ne
    Kiyo'nari
    Kiyoshige
    Kiyotomo
    Kiyotsu'na
    Kiyotsu'ne
  
  <kore> "this / here / now / ponder"
    Korekata
    Koremori
    Koretaka
    Koreyoshi
  
  <ku'ni> "nation / land / big country"
    Ku'nimichi
    Ku'nitsu'na
  
  <ku'ni> "country / rural area"
    Ku'nitsu'na
  
  <masa> "high quality"
    Masakata
    Masa'naga
    Masasada
  
  <masa> "clear / bright"
    Masa'nari
  
  <masa> "unerring / genuine / correct / true"
    Masakiyo
  
  <masa> "govern / rule / instruct / self-control"
    Masamitsu
  
  <michi> "pass through / big road"
    Michichika
    Michi'nori
  
  <mitsu> "bright / shining"
    Mitsumasa
    Mitsu'naga
    Mitsuyoshi
  
  <mitsu> "become full / abundant"
    Mitsuyori
  
  <mochi> "highest"
    Mochimasa
  
  <mori> "plentiful / piled up"
    Moriku'ni
    Mori'naga
    Mori'nao
    Moritoshi
    Moritsugu
    Moritsu'na
  
  <moro> "teacher / expert"
    Morohisa
    Moro'ie
    Moromitsu
    Moromori
    Moro'naga
    Moro'naka
    Moro'nao
  
  <moto> "foundation / earthen dais"
    Motofusa
    Motoka'ne
    Motomichi
    Motomori
    Moto'nori
    Motoshige
    Motoza'ne
  
  <moto> "base / original"
    Motoharu
  
  <mu'ne> "master an art"
    Mu'nekiyo
    Mu'nemori
    Mu'neshige
    Mu'nesuke
    Mu'netaka
    Mu'netoo
    Mu'neyoshi
    Mu'neza'ne
  
  <naga> "long / oldest / senior"
    Nagachika
    Nagakata
  
  <naga> "forever"
    Nagahira
  
  <naka> "second / middle of a group"
    Nakamoto
    Nakamu'ne
    Nakatsu'na
    Nakayori
  
  <nao> "adjust / correct"
    Naomitsu
    Naoza'ne
  
  <nari> "become / exist"
    Narichika
    Nari'nori
    Narisada
    Naritsu'na
    Naritsu'ne
  
  <nari> "industry / diligence"
    Narifusa
    Narimori
    Naritada
  
  <nobu> "belief / faith"
    Nobu'aki
    Nobuka'ne
    Nobu'nori
    Nobutaka
    Nobutoo
    Nobutsura
    Nobuyori
    Nobuyoshi
  
  <nori> "required form / example"
    Nori'ie
    Noriyori
    
  <nori> "make an example"
    Norikiyo
    Norimu'ne
    
  <nori> "teaching / dogma"
    Norimori
    Noritsu'ne
  
  <nori> "example / pattern"
    Noriyori
  
  <sada> "fix / specify / determine"
    Sadashige
    Sadasuke
    Sadatsu'na
  
  <sada> "correct spirit / composure / modesty /
  tranquility / equanimity"
    Sadayoshi
  
  <sa'ne> "seed or centre / reality / plentiful"
    Sa'nefusa
    Sa'neku'ni
    Sa'nemori
    Sa'nesada
    Sa'netsu'na
  
  <shige> "heavy / weighty / serious"
    Shigehira
    Shigemori
    Shigesada
    Shigetaka
    Shigezumi
  
  <shige> "become / exist"
    Shigeyoshi
  
  <shige> "blossoming"
    Shigemitsu
  
  <shige> "grow / blossom"
    Shigeharu
    
  <sue> "season"
    Suetsu'ne
  
  <suke> "raw material / talent"
    Sukekata
    Sukemori
    Suketaka
    Sukeyasu
    Sukeyori
  
  <suke> "divine help"
    Sukechika
    Sukeyasu
  
  <tada> "faithful / loyal"
    Tadachika
    Tadafusa
    Tadahira
    Tadamasa
    Tadamasa (different 2nd kanji)
    Tadamichi
    Tadamitsu
    Tadamori
    Tadamu'ne
    Tada'nori
    Tadatoki
    Tadatsu'na
    Tadayoshi
    Tadaza'ne
  
  <taka> "grow tall / pile up"
    Takachika
    Takamoto
    Taka'nobu
    Takasue
    Takayoshi
    Takayoshi (different 2nd kanji)
  
  <taka> "tall / high"
    Takakiyo
    Taka'nao
    Takatsu'na
  
  <taka> "filial loyalty"
    Takasue
    
  <tame> "purpose / goal"
    Tamemoto
  
  <ta'ne> "blood heir"
    Ta'ne'nao
  
  <toki> "hour / time / era"
    Toki'ie
    Tokimasa
    Tokisada
    Tokitada
  
  <tomare> "wish / desire"
    Tomareyoshi
  
  <tomo> "knowledge"
    Tomo'aki
    Tomomori
    Tomo'nori
    Tomoyasu
  
  <tomo> "morning / dawn"
    Tomokata
    Tomo'naga
  
  <too> "far"
    Toomitsu
    Toomochi
  
  <toshi> "emotional / deep feeling"
    Toshihide
    Toshihira
    Toshihira (different 2nd kanji)
    Toshimichi
    Toshi'nari
    Toshitsu'na
    Toshitsu'ne
  
  <toshi> "produce results / work well"
    Toshihito
  
  <tsu'ne> "sutra / true path / travel straight"
    Tsu'nefusa
    Tsu'nemasa
    Tsu'nemori
    Tsu'nemu'ne
    Tsu'netaka
    Tsu'netoshi
  
  <tsu'ne> "permanent"
    Tsu'nemoto
    Tsu'neshige
    Tsu'neta'ne
    Tsu'netomo
    Tsu'nezumi
  
  <yasu> "peace / plenitude / expansive"
    Yasuchika
    Yasuhira
    Yasumichi
    Yasutsu'ne
  
  <yasu> "strong / confident"
    Yasumori
    Yasuyori
  
  <yasu> "guarantee"
    Yasu'ie
    Yasu'nari
    
  <yori> "request / ask"
    Yorika'ne
    Yorikata
    Yorimasa
    Yorimori
    Yori'nari
    Yorisuke
  
  <yoshi> "obligation / fealty / foster child"
    Yoshi'aki
    Yoshi'aki (different 2nd kanji)
    Yoshihira
    Yoshikiyo
    Yoshiku'ni
    Yoshimori
    Yoshisada
    Yoshishige
    Yoshitada
    Yoshitaka
    Yoshitomo
    Yoshitsu'ne
    Yoshitsu'ne (different 2nd kanji)
    Yoshiyasu
    Yoshiyuki
    Yoshiza'ne
    Yoshizumi
  
  <yoshi> "good / superior"
    Yoshimichi
  
  <yoshi> "talent / ability"
    Yoshimori
  
  <yoshi> "affection / desire"
    Yoshikata
  
  <yuki> "going / bound for / bring"
    Yukimu'ne
    Yukitaka
    Yukitsu'na

If you find nanori in this list that appeal to you, please feel free
to write us with your nanori choices and we will research them further
to determine the subsequent kanji in the names. 

I 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 Talan Gwynek, Solveig
Throndardottir, Arval Benicoeur, and Aryanhwy merch Catmael.

For the Academy,

Gunnvor Silfraharr
17 October 2005

-----------------------------------------------------

References

[1] "Minamoto clan".  (WWW: Wikipedia. 2005).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamoto_clan

[2] Genpei Josuiki.  (WWW: University of Virginia Electronic Text
Center. 2000)
http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/ot2www-japanese?specfile=/web/data/japanese/search/japanese.o2w&act=surround&lang=en&offset=4178381&id=AnoGpsj&query=%BF%B7%BC%A1%CF%BA

[3] Watson, Michael. "Classical Japanese Works (G-I)".  (WWW: PMJS. 2002)
http://www.meijigakuin.ac.jp/~pmjs/trans/trans_gi.html

[4] This passage of Genpei Josuiki is apparently a list of names of
people who were imprisoned and questioned, one of whom is "Mitsukage
of the same clan, who is known as Shinjirou", where the clan in
question is the Fujiwara clan.  In the standard name format, this
would be <Fujiwara no Shinjirou Mitsukage>.

[5] Jack Halpern, editor in chief, The Kodansha Kanji Learner's
Dictionary (New York: Kodansha International, 1999), nr. 1166.

[6] Solveig Throndardottir, _Name Construction in Mediaeval Japan_
(Carlsbad, N. Mex.: The Outlaw Press, 1994; Potboiler Press, 1999 [Box
30171, Columbia, MO 65205]). p. 212.

[7] Halpern, op. cit. (see note [4], above), nrs. 38 and 867.

[8] Academy of St. Gabriel Report #2587
http://www.s-gabriel.org/2587

[9] Solveig Throndardottir, op. cit. (see note [5], above), p. 6.

[10] Edward Effingham, "Japanese names" in "An Online Japanese
Miscellany" (WWW: privately published, 2004).
http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/miscellany/names.html