ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2019
http://www.s-gabriel.org/2019
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5 Jul 2000
From: (Josh Mittleman)
Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel!
You asked our help choosing a late-period Japanese masculine name that
refers to hawks and mountains, and you asked our opinion of your design for
your arms. Here is what we have found.
The Japanese words <taka> "hawk" and <yama> "mountain" can be combined to
create a plausible place name <Takayama>. Similarly-constructed names were
used in your period, like <Toriyama> "bird" + "mountain", which was
recorded as a family name in 1600. The word <taka> also appears in
Japanese place names, like <Mitaka> "three hawks" [1]. You could use a
place name like <Takayama> as your family name, a common practice in
medieval Japan. It's worth noting that there's another kanji character
pronounced <taka> which means "tall, high"; and that there is a real place
called <Takayama> "tall mountain" [3].
To build a complete medieval Japanese name, you will need to add two more
elements: A yobina and a nanori. These are both given names of a sort.
The nanori is the name that most people would have used to identify you;
the yobina is a second given name used only by those intimate with you.
Your complete name would have been written in this order: <family name>
<yobina> <nanori>. We can recommend the pamphlet we've used as reference
[1] as a good source for choosing your given names. Here are short lists
of late-period examples of each type of given name selected from that
source.
Yobina
------
(undated names were used at an
uncertain date before 1600)
Chouemon 1568 Motouemon
Fujigorou Munesaemon
Gengorou Saburou 1572
Genjirou Shigenotsuke 1568
Genkutarou Songorou
Genta Sonjirou
Gorousaemon Sukesaemon
Hachirou Tarou
Hikosaburou 1572 Tarousaemon
Jinkurou 1568 Yogotarou
Jirou Yoichirou
Jogorou Yokurou
Kutarou 1568 Yoshirou
Masatsugu 1568 Zengorou 1568
Matajirou Zenjirou
Matashirou 1568
16th century nanori 14th century nanori
------------------- -------------------
Akahito Muneatsu Akikane Nishikintoki
Chikamasa Nagahisa Chikaaki Nobuhara
Fusasaki Nobuaki Fuyuie Okitane
Hamanari Okikaze Hideaki Sadahide
Hideie Sadabumi Iekane Shigekatsu
Ienari Shigechika Kagemune Suetada
Kagekatsu Tadafumi Kinkiyo Tadaaki
Kinsue Tokihira Korehisa Tokimichi
Korechika Tsunekage Kunikiyo Tsugufusa
Kunika Ujinobu Masaie Ujiaki
Makoto Yasuhide Michifuyu Yasuharu
Michigane Yorikawa Morimitsu Yoriaki
Mochizane Yukinari Munehira Yukifusa
Nagamoto
Very frequently, nanori expressed family relationships by composing
elements of the parent's name with the name of the family's clan or
overlord. If you have SCA relations who also have Japanese personas, we
may be able to help you choose a nanori that expresses those relationships.
Once you choose your name, you may want to know the correct pronunciation
and the proper way to write it in kanji. We can probably help you there;
write us again and we'll do our best.
The design you described for your arms sounds to us to be very typical of
the medieval style of kamon (Japanese arms). Without seeing a drawing, we
can't be certain. It's difficult to describe Japanese heraldic designs in
European terminology, but yours might be blazoned "Sable, three hawks
displayed in pall inverted, heads to center and wing tips conjoined, all
within an annulet argent". This description doesn't capture all the
nuances of the Japanese design; that reflects a difference in approach
between European and Japanese heraldry. The Society's College of Arms uses
European heraldry as its standard, and requires Japanese-style armory to
adapt to that standard [2].
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 Edward of Effingham, Juliana de
Luna, Elsbeth Anne Roth, Solveig Throndardottir, Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon,
Mari neyn Bryan, Walraven van Nijmegen, and Talan Gwynek.
For the Academy,
Arval Benicoeur
5 Jul 2000
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References
[1] Solveig Throndardottir, _Name Construction in Mediaeval Japan_
(Carlsbad, N. Mex.: The Outlaw Press, 1994; Potboiler Press, 1999 [Box
30171, Columbia, MO 65205]). In the first printing, <Taka-> appears on
p.172 and <-yama> on p.143. <Toriyama> appears in p.171 s.n. Bird.
[2] A similar motif with three hawks is the civic symbol of the Japanese
city of Mitaka, which is within Tokyo. It is prominently displayed in the
city, and you may decide that you don't want to copy it in the Society.
However, the SCA College of Arms probably won't be concerned with the
similarity.
[3] Reiber, Beth and Janie Spencer, ed., "Fromer's Japan", 5th ed. (Foster
City, CA: IDB Books Worldwide, Inc., 2000), p.249.