Exploring Japanese Mythology Origin StoryThe origin story in Japanese mythology often features elements of nature and natural forces as manifestations of the kami. Mountains, rivers, and trees were considered to be inhabited by kami. This view influenced how the Japanese people related to their environment. In terms of the very beginning, there are different versions, but the overall theme is the emergence of order from chaos, with the kami as the agents of this transformation, whether it was creating land, bringing light (like Amaterasu with the sun), or establishing the social and religious order that would shape Japan.
The Origin of Japanese SurnamesJapanese surnames originated from the surname system in the 4th century, which was divided into surname, surname, Miao character, and name. The surname and surname were both conferred. The surname was a tribe composed of people with the same blood relationship or the same occupation. In ancient Japan, the surname was named according to the position held by the clan in the imperial court or the place where they lived or governed. For example, the Kibe clan corresponding to the Kibe clan in charge of the sacrificial department, the Izumo clan and the Omi clan that ruled the Izumo and Omi regions. In ancient times, the surname was a title given to the surname to indicate the social and political status of the surname. It was similar to the title of nobility and hereditary. There were dozens of kinds such as minister, Lian, Jun, Zhi, etc. The ranks of each surname were clear.
In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Miao character appeared. The Miao character was a new surname after a family separated from the main clan. In ancient times, the surname, surname, and Miao characters were part of the names of nobles. For example,"Tengyuan's courtier's nine-word combination", Tengyuan was the surname, courtier's surname, nine-word combination was the Miao character, and combination was the name.
Before the Meiji Restoration, only nobles and samurai could have surnames. The most respected surnames were the Yuan, Ping, Teng, and Tachibana. Teng referred to Fujiwara, and the Fujiwara family's Bei family was the most respected. The ministers and regents were mostly children of the Fujiwara family. The Yuan, Ping, and Tachibana surnames were all branches of the royal family. When the children of the royal family grew up, they divided their families to produce Miao characters. For example, the Fujiwara family had Miao characters such as Kujo, Eagle Division, and Sister Path; the Taira family had Miao characters such as Hojo, Chiba, and Nagao; and the Genji family had Miao characters such as Kiseng, Takeda, and Ashikaga.
In the middle of the 7th century, after the great revolution, the surname and surname were mixed into one, and some became the current surname. However, the surname was still exclusive to the aristocrats. In the 19th century, the surname was also limited to warriors, merchants, and powerful people in the village.
After the Meiji Restoration (1868), the law stipulated that all citizens must have surnames. In 1870, the Meiji government decided to let civilians have the right to choose their surnames. At first, the people were not enthusiastic, and the government enforced it. Commoners have a wide range of surnames, some of which are based on place names.(For example, the surnames Tanabe, Tanaka, Fujita, Yoshida, Nonaka, Fujino, etc., who live around the rice fields; the surnames Hebin, Kawamoto, Ferry, Kawaguchi, Kawabata, Kawasaki, etc., who live by the river; the surnames Yamamoto, Yamashita, Yamanaka, Shanshan, Yamaguchi, etc., who live at the foot of the mountain; Some of them took their surnames according to their occupations (for example, those who raised dogs might take the surname Inu or Koinu), and the way they took their surnames was very casual. After the Household Registration Law was enacted in 1898, the surname of each household was fixed and could not be changed at will.
While waiting for the TV series, you can also click on the link below to read the classic original work of "Dafeng Nightwatchman"!