- Okinawan family name
Okinawan family names represent the distinct historical and cultural background of the islands which now comprise
Okinawa Prefecture in Japan. Expatriates originally from Okinawa also have these names. As in mainland Japan, Okinawan names are written with thefamily name (surname or last name) first and thegiven name last.Overview
_ja. 唐名 Chinese style name _ja. 大和名 Yamato name (Japanese style)_ja. 姓 Surname _ja. 諱 Formal given name _ja. 采地名 Domain name _ja. 称号 Title/Rank _ja. 名乗 Name _ja. 向 Shō _ja. 象賢 Shōken _ja. 羽地 Haneji _ja. 按司 Anji _ja. 朝秀 Chōshū Names used prior to the unification of
Okinawa Island in1429 and the establishment of theRyūkyū Kingdom remain largely unknown to today's scholars, but are assumed to have represented native Ryukyuan origins, unlike later names which reflect the Chinese and Japanese influence upon the islands. During the rule of the second Shō Dynasty ( _ja. 第二尚氏王統, 1470-1879), theroyal family and aristocrats held both Chinese style names and Yamato names (Japanese style), in the following structure.* 唐名
Chinese style name : 姓 Surname+諱 Formal given name
* 大和名Yamato name (Japanese style) : 采地名 Domain name +称号 Title/Rank +名乗 NameFor example, in the case of 向象賢・羽地按司朝秀 (
Shō Shōken , Haneji Anji Chōshū), "Shō Shōken" was his Chinese style name, which was used for diplomatic correspondence with Chinese dynasties, and "Haneji Anji Chōshū" was his Yamato name, used for diplomacy within Japan. The Yamato name was comprised of the bearer's rank, the name of his domain, and his name; Chōshū was "anji" of the territory known as Haneji. If he had been moved to a different domain, his name would have changed accordingly.Japan's
Satsuma Domain , of which the Ryūkyū Kingdom was a vassal from 1609-1871, instituted a nihongo|ban on the use of Japanese style names|大和めきたる名字の禁止|Yamato mekitaru meiji no kinshi in 1624. As a result, thekanji used to write domain names changed from characters that reflected Japanese linguistic influence to new, unique character combinations. For example, the name 東 "higashi" was often changed to 比嘉 "Higa" or 比謝 "Hija".The Japanese system of feudal domains ("han") was abolished by the Meiji government in
1871 , and the Ryūkyū Kingdom was formally annexed by Japan in1872 . Okinawans were then entered into the Japanesefamily register ("koseki ") system and, as in mainland Japan, surnames were extended to all citizens, no longer being the province of the aristocratic classes alone. A large number of the names created at this time were taken from geographical names or places of residence.Top 10 popular Okinawan family names
This top 10 list [ [http://wiki.chakuriki.net/index.php/%E3%81%82%E3%82%8A%E3%81%8C%E3%81%A1%E3%81%AA%E5%A7%93#.E6.B2.96.E7.B8.84 ありがちな姓 Fairly common surname] Chakuwiki (Japanese)] is based on the name as written in
Kanji . Since theJapanese language allows for multiple possible "readings (pronunciations)" for each Chinese character, the reading of Okinawan family names written with the same characters varies.
_ja. 金城 武Takeshi Kaneshiro Jake Shimabukuro References
External links
See also
*
Japanese name
*Okinawa Prefecture
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