Amami name
Encyclopedia
As Japanese citizens, people of the Amami Islands today have family name
s (surname
s or last names) and given name
s. They are known for many unique one-character surnames that date back to the Edo period
. Famous people with one-character surnames include Atari (中) Kōsuke
, Hajime (元) Chitose
and Nobori (昇) Shomu
.
are today part of Kagoshima Prefecture
in the Kyūshū
region, the inhabitants share much cultural heritage with Okinawans to the south. Politically, however, they were controlled by different polities for a long time. The Amami Islands were relatively late in being conquered by the Ryūkyū Kingdom
of the Okinawa Island, and Ryūkyū's direct control did not last long. In 1609 the Satsuma Domain of southern Kyūshū conquered the Ryūkyū Kingdom. Satsuma put Amami under direct rule to increase tax revenue. By contrast Satsuma kept the Ryūkyū Kingdom to exploit its authorized trade with China. Thereafter Amami and Okinawan naming systems separately underwent great changes and they became distinct from each other.
In 1726 Tabata Sabunji (田畑佐文仁) of Amami Ōshima
became the first islander to be allowed to use a surname in recognition of his development of new rice fields. The second one was Miyazato (宮里) of Kikaijima, who was given the surname of Sumie (澄江) around 1746 because he received education at his own expense to become a Chinese interpreter. His rank was non-hereditary and the surname was not succeeded by his descendants. The third man was Minesumi (嶺澄) of Tokunoshima
, who was given the surname Sunamori (砂守) in 1761 for increased production of sugarcane.
The first three examples were all two-character surnames that are prevailing in mainland Japan. The situation changed in 1783 when the one-character surname Shiba (芝) was given to a wealthy family in Amami Ōshima. According to a record of the Shiba family, the ruler of Satsuma Shimazu Shigehide initially opposed to allowing islanders to use surnames. After a persuasion by a chief officer, he decided instead to give one-character surnames to dissimilate islanders from mainlanders. Shiba was named after a village in his hometown in modern-day Setouchi
. This new policy forced Tabata and Sunamori to rename their surnames. They chose Ryū (龍) and I (伊) after their hometowns Tatsugō
(龍郷) and Isen
(伊仙) respectively.
Historian Yuge Masami considers that this peculiar policy was part of Satsuma's effort to strengthen camouflage against China. To secure Ryūkyū's authorized trade with China, Satsuma concealed its presence in the kingdom from China. Its policy to make Ryūkyū look un-Japanese was one of its camouflage attempts. While Amami was under direct control of Satsuma in reality, it was disguised as Ryūkyū's domain when China was involved. That was the reason why people of Amami were also ordered to maintain Ryukyuan-looking appearance. In the 18th century Satsuma strengthened the camouflage policy. It banned the use of Japanese-looking given names (e.g. -jūrō (十郎) and -bee (兵衛)). As islanders were sometimes drifted to China, Satsuma even provided a list of potential questions and answers on Chinese inquiry. One-character surnames would be parallel with Ryūkyū's kara-nā or Chinese-style names that were used by Ryukyuan officials in diplomatic contacts with China. It may be worth noting that in domestic affairs Ryukyuan samurai used two- or three-character toponyms as their family names (kamei), which had no Amami equivalent.
The number of gōshi-kaku families increased in the 19th century. The reasons of promotion were mostly related to sugarcane production. Some were offspring of Satsuma officials and their native wives and tended to pick one character from the officials' names.
of Amami Ōshima.
Each household had a house name (jaanunaa) after a place name, a geographical feature or its relative position in the lineage. For example, a branch family built a new house and thereafter was called miija (new house). Among villagers, house names were used more often than family names.
A man used to have a childhood name (warabïna) and an adult name (nesena) while a female had one given name. An adult name was adopted usually at the age 15, but the childhood name was used more often in daily life. It was not uncommon to assume an ancestor's name or to inherit one character from him. In the case of the Futori (太) family, most of the heads of the family succeeded the name Miwara (三和良). Adult names were also called school names as they were used primarily in school. Nicknames were usually based on physical appearance, e.g. huugamaci (Bighead) and aNcïra (Horseface).
Family name
A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...
s (surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s or last names) and given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
s. They are known for many unique one-character surnames that date back to the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. Famous people with one-character surnames include Atari (中) Kōsuke
Kousuke Atari
Kousuke Atari is a J-Pop artist, born July 13, 1980, on Amami island, Japan. Hailing from Amami-Oshima in southern Japan, Atari Kousuke is a folk singer currently signed to Epic Records Japan...
, Hajime (元) Chitose
Chitose Hajime
is a singer from Japan. She is from Amami Ōshima and sings in a style particular to that region, with distinctive falsetto effects.-Early life:Chitose Hajime began learning shamisen under her mother's encouragement from a young age...
and Nobori (昇) Shomu
Nobori Shomu
was the pen-name of a noted translator of Russian literature in Taishō and Shōwa period Japan. His real name was Nobori Naotaka.-Biography:Shomu was born in Amami Ōshima, the biggest one of the Amami Islands in Kagoshima prefecture. Born as a son of a scholar of Russian literature, he was baptized...
.
Background
Although the Amami IslandsAmami Islands
The are a group of islands that is part of the Satsunan Islands, which are then part of the Nansei Islands. The islands are part of Kagoshima Prefecture, in the Kyūshū region of Japan...
are today part of Kagoshima Prefecture
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
in the Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
region, the inhabitants share much cultural heritage with Okinawans to the south. Politically, however, they were controlled by different polities for a long time. The Amami Islands were relatively late in being conquered by the Ryūkyū Kingdom
Ryukyu Kingdom
The Ryūkyū Kingdom was an independent kingdom which ruled most of the Ryukyu Islands from the 15th century to the 19th century. The Kings of Ryūkyū unified Okinawa Island and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands in modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture, and the Sakishima Islands near Taiwan...
of the Okinawa Island, and Ryūkyū's direct control did not last long. In 1609 the Satsuma Domain of southern Kyūshū conquered the Ryūkyū Kingdom. Satsuma put Amami under direct rule to increase tax revenue. By contrast Satsuma kept the Ryūkyū Kingdom to exploit its authorized trade with China. Thereafter Amami and Okinawan naming systems separately underwent great changes and they became distinct from each other.
One-character surnames
During the Edo period, surnames were considered a privilege of the samurai class, together with the right to wear swords. As all islanders were treated as commoners by Satsuma, they were forbidden to use surnames. With Satsuma's financial deterioration, however, some wealthy islanders were given a honorary rank of gōshi-kaku or quasi-rural samurai in exchange for their financial contributions to the domain. They were allowed to use surnames but forbidden from wearing swords. They were also ordered to maintain their Ryukyuan-looking appearance.In 1726 Tabata Sabunji (田畑佐文仁) of Amami Ōshima
Amami Oshima
is a semi-tropical island in the Amami Islands, which is part of the larger Nansei Islands in Japan. Ōshima literally means big island, and it is the largest of the Amami Islands. It lies roughly halfway between the islands of Okinawa and Kyūshū. Briefly part of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, in 1624 it was...
became the first islander to be allowed to use a surname in recognition of his development of new rice fields. The second one was Miyazato (宮里) of Kikaijima, who was given the surname of Sumie (澄江) around 1746 because he received education at his own expense to become a Chinese interpreter. His rank was non-hereditary and the surname was not succeeded by his descendants. The third man was Minesumi (嶺澄) of Tokunoshima
Tokunoshima
is an island in the Amami Islands of southwestern Japan. Administatively it belongs to Kagoshima Prefecture. Three towns are located on the island: Tokunoshima, Isen, and Amagi...
, who was given the surname Sunamori (砂守) in 1761 for increased production of sugarcane.
The first three examples were all two-character surnames that are prevailing in mainland Japan. The situation changed in 1783 when the one-character surname Shiba (芝) was given to a wealthy family in Amami Ōshima. According to a record of the Shiba family, the ruler of Satsuma Shimazu Shigehide initially opposed to allowing islanders to use surnames. After a persuasion by a chief officer, he decided instead to give one-character surnames to dissimilate islanders from mainlanders. Shiba was named after a village in his hometown in modern-day Setouchi
Setouchi, Kagoshima
is a town located in Ōshima District, Kagoshima, Japan. Part of the town is located on Amami Ōshima., the town has an estimated population of 10,068 and the density of 41.97 persons per km². The total area is 239.91 km².-External links:* in Japanese...
. This new policy forced Tabata and Sunamori to rename their surnames. They chose Ryū (龍) and I (伊) after their hometowns Tatsugō
Tatsugo, Kagoshima
is a town located on Amami Ōshima in Ōshima District, Kagoshima, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 6,110 and the density of 74.46 persons per km². The total area is 82.06 km².-External links:*...
(龍郷) and Isen
Isen, Kagoshima
is a town located in Ōshima District, Kagoshima, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 7,532 and the density of 120.13 persons per km². The total area is 62.70 km².-External links:* *...
(伊仙) respectively.
Historian Yuge Masami considers that this peculiar policy was part of Satsuma's effort to strengthen camouflage against China. To secure Ryūkyū's authorized trade with China, Satsuma concealed its presence in the kingdom from China. Its policy to make Ryūkyū look un-Japanese was one of its camouflage attempts. While Amami was under direct control of Satsuma in reality, it was disguised as Ryūkyū's domain when China was involved. That was the reason why people of Amami were also ordered to maintain Ryukyuan-looking appearance. In the 18th century Satsuma strengthened the camouflage policy. It banned the use of Japanese-looking given names (e.g. -jūrō (十郎) and -bee (兵衛)). As islanders were sometimes drifted to China, Satsuma even provided a list of potential questions and answers on Chinese inquiry. One-character surnames would be parallel with Ryūkyū's kara-nā or Chinese-style names that were used by Ryukyuan officials in diplomatic contacts with China. It may be worth noting that in domestic affairs Ryukyuan samurai used two- or three-character toponyms as their family names (kamei), which had no Amami equivalent.
The number of gōshi-kaku families increased in the 19th century. The reasons of promotion were mostly related to sugarcane production. Some were offspring of Satsuma officials and their native wives and tended to pick one character from the officials' names.
Modernization
Before the Meiji period, surnames were a honor given to a limited number of families. As of 1852, only 1.8% of the total population of Amami had surnames. In 1875 surnames were extended to all citizens. For historical reasons, most people seem to have adopted one-character surnames. With increasing contacts with mainland Japan, however, many islanders felt it inconvenient to use their peculiar surnames as they were often misidentified as Chinese or Koreans. Some changed their surnames to two-character ones when Amami was under U.S. occupation (1945-53).Others
Names used in unofficial occasions are poorly studied. The following is based on a field study in Yamato VillageYamato, Kagoshima
is a village located on Amami Ōshima in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The village belongs to the Ōshima District.-Population:As of August 1, 2011, the village has an estimated population of 1,719 and the density of 19.5 persons per km². The total area is 88.15 km².-External links:*...
of Amami Ōshima.
Each household had a house name (jaanunaa) after a place name, a geographical feature or its relative position in the lineage. For example, a branch family built a new house and thereafter was called miija (new house). Among villagers, house names were used more often than family names.
A man used to have a childhood name (warabïna) and an adult name (nesena) while a female had one given name. An adult name was adopted usually at the age 15, but the childhood name was used more often in daily life. It was not uncommon to assume an ancestor's name or to inherit one character from him. In the case of the Futori (太) family, most of the heads of the family succeeded the name Miwara (三和良). Adult names were also called school names as they were used primarily in school. Nicknames were usually based on physical appearance, e.g. huugamaci (Bighead) and aNcïra (Horseface).