Asuka

Asuka is a Japanese personal, family and place name derived from Ashuku nyorai, the Japanese name for Akshobhya, one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas.

Places named Asuka include:
* Asuka, Yamato (飛鳥), an area in Yamato Province (now Nara Prefecture) where imperial palaces and centers of government were built in the 6th and 7th centuries
* Asuka, Nara (明日香), a village in Nara Prefecture in the same area as ancient Asuka (飛鳥)
* Asukayama Park (飛鳥山公園 "Asukayama-kōen"), a park in Tokyo.

Companies with the name include:
* Asuka (publisher), a French company that publishes manga.

Real people with the given name Asuka (which as a personal name may be either male or female) include:
*Aska (singer-songwriter) (born Ryo Aska ("Asuka Ryō")) , a Japanese singer-songwriter, formerly a member of the duo Chage and Aska
* Asuca Hayashi, a Japanese singer
* Asuka Hinoi, a Japanese singer who is the leader of the Hinoi Team (named after her)
* "Asuka" Morin Olivier, a French presenter, "shoutcaster" of Warcraft3 at ESWC 2006 (Bercy)
* Asuka (born Asuka Barden), an American music producer and singer.

Fictional characters with the family name Asuka include:
* Daiki Asuka (also known as "Asuka Jr." since his father was also named Asuka) in Saint Tail
* Kenji Asuka (aka Midoranger) in Himitsu Sentai Goranger
* Shinn Asuka in "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny".

Fictional characters with the given name Asuka include:
* Asuka Langley Soryu in "Neon Genesis Evangelion"
* Asuka Kasen in "Grand Theft Auto III"
* Asuka Honda in "Asuka 120%"
* Asuka Kazama in "Tekken 5"
* Asuka Motomura in "Battle Royale II"
* Asuka Mizunokouji in "Urusei Yatsura"
* Asuka Saginomiya in "Ranma 1/2"
* Asuka Sugo in "Cyberformula"
* Asuka Tenjouin (Alexis Rhodes) in "Yu-Gi-Oh! GX"
* Asuka in the game "Sweet Home"
* Asuka Tachibana in the anime "s-CRY-ED"
* Asuka, a former girlfriend of Yoji's in "Weiss Kreuz"
* Asuka Kuraku, the main character in the manga series "Hana no Asuka-gumi"
* Asuka Shin, Dyna’s human form in the Ultra Series "Ultraman Dyna"

Other uses of the name include:
* Asuka (magazine), a monthly shōjo manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten
* "Asuka", the second album by the traditional/pop-rock group Rin'
* "Asuka (TV series)", a television drama series aired by NHK
* The Asuka Clan, a group of elite ninja who are wiped out in the PlayStation 2 video game "" after being betrayed by the main character, Goh "The Crow"

ee also

* Capital of Japan
* Aska