Japanese names in Japanese: spelling, sound and meaning

• March 24, 2019
• Origin
• Alena Roads

For nineteen centuries of its existence, the common Japanese people had the opportunity to call themselves only by name. They can add a nickname to it for variety, but this is not a requirement. In the aristocratic environment there were wider opportunities, allowing them to add any appropriate surname to their name. Due to the small number of samurai, they had the same powers.

The Japanese do not try to distinguish themselves from Europe and therefore write their last name first and then their first name in the same way. But an attentive observer will notice the differences: in conversations, the Japanese can change their last name and first name. This also manifests itself in writing: they try to write the first name first and the last name second. At the same time, they highlight it with capital letters.

In this article you will learn how Japanese names sound in Japanese.

From the history

In writing, the Japanese name is depicted as one or more hieroglyphs. Sometimes parents try to distinguish themselves by adding katakana or hiragana characters. In 1985, the list of formally permitted characters for writing Japanese names was expanded to include romanji, man'yegana, hentaigana and more familiar European symbols - $, %. In other cases, only hieroglyphs are found.

The interesting thing about the old days is that the common people were the personal property of the emperor. Gradually, to indicate the place of each of them in the functioning of the directory, surnames appeared. If a Japanese distinguished himself and committed a significant act that left a mark on history, he could be given a new name.

Historians suggest that the first surnames appeared after the restoration of Meiji. The upper class ordered the plebeians to come up with a surname for themselves. Some people took surnames from the historical past, others told fortunes or asked priests for help. This fact explains one curious point: in Japan you can find many different surnames that differ from each other not only in spelling, but also in meaning.

History of Japanese writing

The origin of Japanese writing is directly related to the introduction of Chinese traditions into the life of the Japanese. While writing was already developed in China, in the history of the land of the rising sun there was not a single mention of a written version of the language.

In the 6th century BC, China and Japan began to build close diplomatic relations, as a result of which the Japanese began to borrow Chinese writing and, over time, adapt and modify it to suit the grammatical and phonetic features of Nihongo.

How Japanese names are created

The Japanese name is unique. It is expressed in the fact that it is not the name itself that is written, but its meaning. In more detail, a Japanese name consists of several hieroglyphs, each of which has its own meaning. For a complete combination of all components, connecting elements are included, which also mean something. In sum, they form a specific word, although difficult to pronounce, but having a single meaning.

"Victory"

The character 勝 can be divided into three elements : on the left is “meat” 月, on the right is 龹 at the top and “strength” 力 at the bottom. The component “strength” is the key of hieroglyph No. 19.

Him:ショウ

Kuns:か(つ) – to win, win, gain the upper hand まさ(る) – to surpass

This “kanji” is one of the so-called会意 “kayi” - hieroglyphs that are made up of several others. In this case, the sign 朕, which here means “to raise,” and the sign 力, “strength,” were used. It turns out that “victory” 勝 is “strength” 力 something “to keep at the top” 朕. Simply put, to win, you need to have good abilities that allow you to be above everyone else. This turns out to be a kind of mnemonic rule .

Our hieroglyphic article has come to an end. We hope you found it useful. Do not forget to write down hieroglyphs when studying them, and also repeat them from time to time. Reading will help you memorize “kanji” by heart - the more often you encounter a hieroglyph, the “closer” it will become to you. So don't skip your reading sessions ! Good luck in learning Japanese!

Japanese characters: “life”, “death”, “freedom”, “victory” - we learn reading, writing and meanings together. Learning Japanese Kanji is easy!

Meaning

Inside any Japanese name certain information is encrypted, which comes in several types:

• regalia and insignia;
• natural phenomena;
• moral principles and respect for human rights;
• numbers and other numerical indicators.

From the first category, we can recall the common endings of many names - 部 - be (a person who practices a certain craft) and 助 - suke (involved in the administration of the armed forces): Yumibe (shooter), Daisuke (excellent assistant) and so on.

The meanings of Japanese names of the second type are names of flowers, names of rocks and caves, animal names, and so on: Hanako (flower child, because 花 - hana - flower).

The third group is the qualities of human character: courage, responsiveness, kindness, and so on (for example, Makoto is honest or Takeshi is strong like bamboo). The fourth is numbers and numbers. So, Ichiro is a Japanese name, translated from Japanese as “first son”, because 郎 - ichi - one.

Japanese names have another interesting feature. One word with a specific meaning can easily change into another from the slightest fluctuation in the intonation of the voice. This also applies to proper names. Although they contain one hieroglyph, it is not always easy to read. For example, 東 - east - with the slightest mistake can become both Higashi and Azuma, that is, two completely different names.

Several variations of one name

One Japanese name can be depicted in several ways. The most popular is the use of many types of writing. Today, hiragana, katakana and two variants of writing hieroglyphs (new or outdated) are used for these purposes.

Sometimes, if the parents wish, the child is called one of the few Japanese names, the meaning of which is so rare that it is necessary to use hieroglyphs that have long since fallen into disuse. For these purposes, there is a specific list of 人名用漢字 - Jimmeiye kanji. It contains 862 hieroglyphs designed specifically for composing names. This list regularly interacted with another one that performed opposite functions - 常用漢字表- Jie e kanjihe (hieroglyphs for daily writing). Written signs regularly drifted from one to another, and carriers of not the most positive meaning gradually disappeared from history.

Popular name variations

Today, unusual names are in demand among the Japanese. Often, in order to write them down, you need to remember the entire system of outdated hieroglyphs. But this is not used by everyone, but only by lovers of similar names. The main reason for this selectivity is that they are more difficult to write than modern characters. An example would be the hieroglyph 国 - kuni, meaning country. Previously, it was written in a completely different form - 國.

Some parents name their child such a complex name that it takes them, and subsequently the child, a long time to remember the spelling of such an original word. But they are ready to endure such difficulties and are not going to give up the outdated letter. There are reasons for this.

One of them is that people are disappointed with the new alphabet. After the introduction of all the reforms, the remaining hieroglyphs were absolutely not enough to record the minimum amount of necessary vocabulary. In addition, no one foresaw how to replace names with a certain information load.

No less important is the influence of traditions, which also contributed to the return of outdated signs. In addition, when written, they look much better than modern hieroglyphs, which also attracts young parents in the process of choosing a name. And we must not forget how ancient clans, along with the Fujiwara, are thriving in Japan. They would not write their last name differently due to outdated hieroglyphs.

Many Japanese people love their history. They respect some characters so much that they are willing to name their children after them. An additional advantage influencing their choice is the beautiful writing of old signs.

Some of the outdated hieroglyphs from which human names were made have remained virtually unchanged - they could not find a suitable copy. As an example, we can cite the character meaning morality - 徳 - toku (present in Tokugawa, Yasunori), the sign 藤 - wisteria (Fujiwara, Saito) and so on. Such hieroglyphs can be found in the personal data of famous characters: 林保徳 - Hayashi Yasunori, 齎藤 - Saito Hajime, and so on.

Among modern Japanese names, the use of old characters and the old kanji spelling, which has acquired current copies, is popular. An example is the sign 鉄 - tetsu, meaning iron. Previously, it was written in a completely different form - 鐵. Under the influence of fashion trends, it acquired additional characteristics: 鐵弥 - tetsuya and 鐵雄 - tetsuo.

Sabi, wabi, shibui, yugen. The main concepts of Japanese aesthetics.

The secret of art is to listen to the unsaid, to admire the invisible.

The fourth criterion of the Japanese concept of beauty is rooted in this thought. It is called “ yugen ” and embodies the skill of hint or subtext, the charm of reticence.

The constant threat of unforeseen natural disasters inherent in the nature of the Japanese islands has formed in the people a soul that is very sensitive to environmental changes. Buddhism added here its favorite theme of the impermanence of the world. Both of these prerequisites together led Japanese art to the glorification of variability and frailty.

To be happy or sad about the changes that time brings with it is inherent in all peoples. But perhaps only the Japanese were able to see the source of beauty in fragility. It is no coincidence that they chose sakura as their national flower.

Variability and fragility

Spring does not bring with it to the Japanese islands that struggle of the elements when rivers break the ice shackles and melt waters turn the plains into boundless seas. The long-awaited time for the awakening of nature begins here with a sudden and violent outbreak of cherry blossoms. Its pink inflorescences excite and delight the Japanese not only with their abundance, but also with their fragility. Sakura petals do not fade. Spinning merrily, they fly to the ground from the slightest breath of wind. They prefer to fall while still quite fresh, rather than sacrifice their beauty in any way.

The poeticization of variability and fragility is associated with the view of the Buddhist sect of Zen, which left a deep mark on Japanese culture. The meaning of the Buddha's teaching, Zen preaches, is so deep that it cannot be expressed in words. It can be comprehended not by reason, but by intuition; not through the study of sacred texts, but through some sudden insight. Moreover, such moments are most often led by contemplation of nature in its endless change, the ability to always find agreement with the environment, to see the greatness of the little things in life.

The Zen sect teaches that the idea of ​​completeness is incompatible with the eternal variability of the world, and therefore it should be avoided in art. In the process of improvement there cannot be a peak, a point of rest. It is impossible to achieve complete perfection except for a moment, which immediately drowns in the stream of change.

Improvement is more beautiful than perfection; completion represents life more fully than completeness. Therefore, the work that is most capable of telling about beauty is the one in which not everything is fully understood.

The art of understatement

Hinting rather than declaring is the principle that makes Japanese art the art of subtext. The artist deliberately leaves some free space in his work, allowing each person to fill it in his own way with his own imagination.

Japanese painters have a catchphrase: “The empty spaces on a scroll are full of greater meaning than what the brush has written on it.” Actors have long had a commandment: “If you want to express your feelings fully, reveal eight-tenths of yourself.”

Japanese art has taken upon itself the task of being eloquent in the language of omissions. And just as a Japanese perceives a hieroglyph not just as a few strokes with a brush, but as a certain idea, he knows how to see in a picture immeasurably more than what is depicted on it. Rain in a bamboo grove, a willow near a waterfall - any theme, complemented by the viewer’s imagination, becomes for him a window into the endless diversity and eternal variability of the world.

Yugen , or the beauty of understatement, is that beauty that modestly lies in the depths of things, without rushing to the surface. It may not be noticed at all by a person devoid of taste or peace of mind.

Denial of symmetry

Considering completeness incompatible with the eternal movement of life, Japanese art, on the same basis, denies symmetry. We are so accustomed to dividing space into equal parts that when we place a vase on a shelf, we quite instinctively place it in the middle. The Japanese will just as mechanically move it to the side, because he sees beauty in the asymmetrical arrangement of decorative elements, in the disturbed balance, which for him personifies the living and moving world.

Symmetry is also deliberately avoided because it embodies repetition. Asymmetrical use of space eliminates pairing. And Japanese aesthetics considers any duplication of decorative elements a sin.

The dishes on the Japanese table have nothing in common with what we call service. Visitors are amazed: what a discrepancy! But to the Japanese it seems bad taste to see the same painting on plates, and on dishes, and on a tureen, and on cups, and on a coffee pot.

Painting hints

So, enjoying art means for the Japanese to listen to the unsaid, to admire the invisible. This is the sumi-z genre - like paintings made with black ink on wet paper emerging through the fog, a painting of hints and omissions.

These are haiku - poems from a single phrase, from a single poetic image. This extremely compressed form is capable of carrying a truly bottomless subtext. Identifying himself with one of the four seasons, the poet strives not only to sing of the freshness of a summer morning in a drop of dew, but also to put something of himself into this drop, giving the reader’s imagination an impetus to feel and experience this mood in his own way.

This is the Noo theater, where all plays are performed against the backdrop of the same scenery in the form of a lonely pine tree and where every movement of the actor is strictly prescribed and stylized.

In all this, a conscious understatement is manifested, reflecting not a poverty of mind or a lack of imagination, but a creative technique that takes a person much further than a specific image.

Poetry of the rock garden

The highest manifestation of the concept of “yugen” can be considered a poem made of stone and sand, called the philosophical garden. Tea master Soami created it at Reanzi Monastery in Kyoto four centuries before modern artists discovered the language of abstract art in other ways.

Sightseers from American military bases nicknamed this garden a tennis court. People who are accustomed to perceiving beauty only in digital terms see here only a rectangular area sprinkled with white gravel, among which a dozen stones are scattered in disarray.

But this is really poetry. Looking at the garden, you understand why many of the ultra-modernist quests of the West seem like yesterday to the Japanese. One should not chew, as in some tourist guidebooks, the version that the stones sticking out of the sandy waves represent a tigress who is swimming across the river with her brood; or that it depicts mountain peaks above a sea of ​​clouds. To feel the true meaning of such a creation, its asymmetrical harmony, which expresses the universal essence of things, the eternity of the world in its endless variability, words are not needed.

General information about male Japanese names

Japanese names can consist of one or more components. Words with one component have a verb ending in -u (Mamoru) or an adjective ending in -si (Hiroshi).

One curious feature that occurs among names in Japanese is that there is one character in the entire word. If there are two of these signs, it means that the man deserves to have particularly outstanding features emphasized in his name: son, husband, warrior, etc. Both signs can have different endings.

No less common are cases when an extraneous hieroglyph is included in the name, whose function is reduced to easier reading of the name. Such actions automatically transform a two-digit name into a three-digit one (for example, the youngest son Akira). The second name for such names is two-link. More rare are cases of three-unit names with a successful attempt to preserve one main sign in the composition. Four-character names written using the alphabet, without the participation of hieroglyphs, are considered exceptional.

Everything about real Japanese names: from spelling to meaning

Many of us are familiar with Japanese names from anime plots, literary and artistic characters, and famous Japanese actors and singers. But what do these sometimes beautiful and sweet, and sometimes completely dissonant Japanese names and surnames mean to our ears? What is the most popular Japanese name? How can you translate Russian names into Japanese? What is the meaning of the characters in a Japanese name? What Japanese names are rare? I will try to tell you about this and much more, based on my personal experience of living in the Land of the Rising Sun. Since this topic is very extensive, I will divide it into three parts: the first will talk about Japanese names and surnames in general, the second will be devoted to male names and surnames, and the last will be devoted to beautiful female names and their meanings.

A Japanese name consists of a surname and a given name. Sometimes a nickname is inserted between them, for example Nakamura Nue Satoshi (here Nue is a nickname), but, naturally, it is not in the passport. Moreover, during roll call and in the list of authors of documents, the order will be exactly this: first the last name, then the first name. For example, Yosuke's Honda, not Yosuke's Honda.

In Russia, as a rule, it’s the other way around. Compare for yourself, which is more familiar: Anastasia Sidorova or Anastasia Sidorova? Russian names and surnames in general differ from Japanese ones in that we have many people with the same names. Depending on the generation, at one time or another among our classmates or classmates there were three Natashas, ​​four Alexanders, or all Irinas. The Japanese, on the contrary, have the same surnames.

According to the myoji-yurai website, the Japanese “Ivanov, Petrov, Sidorov” are:

1. Satō (佐藤 – helper + wisteria, 1 million 877 thousand people),
2. Suzuki (鈴木 - bell + tree, 1 million 806 thousand people) and
3. Takahashi (高橋 – high bridge, 1 million 421 thousand people).

The same names (not only in sound, but also with the same hieroglyphs) are very rare.

How do Japanese parents come up with names for their children? The most reliable answer can be obtained by considering one of the typical Japanese sites - name aggregators (yes, such exist!) Bi-name.

• First, the parents' surname is specified (women do not always change their surname when married, but children have their father's surname), for example, Nakamura 中村, then their names (for example, Masao and Michiyo - 雅夫 and 美千代) and the gender of the child (boy). The surname is specified in order to select names that go with it. This is no different from Russia. The parents' names are needed in order to use one of the hieroglyphs from the father's name (in the case of a boy) or from the mother's hieroglyphs (in the case of a girl) in the child's name. This is how continuity is maintained.
• Next, select the number of hieroglyphs in the name. Most often there are two: 奈菜 - Nana, less often one: 忍 - Shinobu or three: 亜由美 - Ayumi, and in exceptional cases four: 秋左衛門 - Akisaemon.
• The next parameter is the type of characters that the desired name should consist of: these will be only hieroglyphs: 和香 - Waka, or hiragana for those who want to quickly write the name: さくら - Sakura, or katakana used to write foreign words: サヨリ - Sayori. Also, the name can use a mixture of hieroglyphs and katakana, hieroglyphs and hiragana.

When selecting hieroglyphs, it is taken into account how many features it consists of: a distinction is made between favorable and unfavorable quantities. There is a formed group of hieroglyphs that are suitable for composing names.

So, the first result of my hypothetical query is Nakamura Aiki 中村合希 (the meaning of the hieroglyphs is “dream-realizer”). This is just one among hundreds of options.

Hieroglyphs can also be selected by sound. This is where the main difficulty arises in comparing Russian and Japanese names. What if names have similar sounds but different meanings? This issue is resolved in different ways. For example, my sons’ names are Ryuga and Taiga, but Russian grandparents call them Yurik and Tolyan, and it’s more convenient for me to call them Ryugasha and Taigusha.

The Chinese, who use hieroglyphs exclusively, simply write down Russian names according to their sounds, selecting hieroglyphs with more or less good meanings. In my opinion, the most consistent translation of Russian names into Japanese should be based on their meanings. The most popular example of the implementation of this principle is the name Alexander, that is, protector, which in Japanese sounds like Mamoru, means the same thing and is written with the same hieroglyph 守.

Now regarding the use of names in everyday life. In Japan, just like in America, surnames are used in formal communication: Mr. Tanaka 田中さん, Mrs. Yamada 山田さん. Female friends call each other by name + suffix -san: Keiko-san, Masako-san.

In families, when family members address each other, their family status is used, not their name. For example, a husband and wife do not call each other by name, they call each other "supurug" and "wife": danna-san 旦那さん and oku-san 奥さん.

It's the same with grandparents, brothers and sisters. The emotional coloring and this or that status of a household member is emphasized by the well-known suffixes -kun, -chan, -sama. For example, “granny” is baa-chan ばあちゃん, a wife as beautiful as a princess is “oku-sama” 奥様. That rare case when a man can call his girlfriend or wife by name is in a fit of passion, when he can no longer control himself. It is permissible for women to address themselves as “anta” - あなた or “dear”.

Only children are called by name, and not only their own. Suffixes are also used, the eldest daughter, for example, is Mana-san, the youngest son is Sa-chan. At the same time, the real name “Saiki” is shortened to “Sa”. It's cute from a Japanese point of view. Boys from infancy to adulthood are called na-kun, for example: Naoto-kun.

In Japan, as well as in Russia, there are strange and even vulgar names. Often such names are given by short-sighted parents who want to somehow distinguish their child from the crowd. Such names are called in Japanese “kira-kira-nemu” キラキラネーム (from Japanese “kira-kira” - a sound conveying shine and from English name), that is, “brilliant name”. They enjoy some popularity, but like all controversial things, there are good and bad examples of using such names.

A scandalous incident that was widely discussed in the Japanese press was when a son was given a name that literally means “demon” - Japanese. Akuma 悪魔. This name, as well as the use of similar hieroglyphs in the name, was banned after this incident. Another example is Pikachu (this is not a joke!!!) Japanese. ピカチュウ named after the anime character.

Speaking about successful “kira-kira-nemu”, one cannot fail to mention the female name Rose, which is written with the hieroglyph “rose” - 薔薇 in Japanese. "bara", but pronounced in a European manner. I also have one of my Japanese nieces (because I have 7 of them!!!) with a brilliant name. Her name is pronounced June. If you write it in Latin, then June, that is, “June”. She was born in June. And the name is written 樹音 - literally “sound of wood”.

To summarize the story about such different and unusual Japanese names, I will give tables of popular Japanese names for girls and boys for 2021. These tables are compiled every year based on statistics. Often, it is these tables that become the last argument for Japanese parents choosing a name for their child. Perhaps the Japanese really like to be like everyone else. These tables display the ranking of names by hieroglyphs. There is also a similar rating based on the sound of the name. It is less popular because choosing characters is always a very difficult task for a Japanese parent.

Rating of male names in Japan according to statistics for 2017.

Rating of female names in Japan according to statistics for 2017.

What Japanese names did you like?

Examples of boy names and their meaning

A frequently encountered feature of male names is a reflection of how a particular boy was born in the family. To depict this, the suffixes -kazu, -iti (one), -zo (three), -ji (two) are used: first, second or third son. Other values ​​are presented in the table.

General information about female names

Many name forms common to Japanese women do not have a specific meaning. To depict the necessary qualities, they use the signs -ma (truth), -yu (tenderness), -mi (beauty) and so on. When choosing a similar name, parents are guided by the desire to reward their daughter with the same qualities in adulthood.

Animal and plant names have been popular for some time as Japanese female names. Hieroglyphs denoting a tiger or deer were credited with healing powers. But over time, this fashion has passed, and the names remaining after it are considered obsolete.

Sometimes lovers of such exotic things remember this fashion when choosing a name for their child. Greater preference is given to those hieroglyphs that were used to call plants and flowers: take (bamboo), kiku (chrysanthemum), momo (peach), ine (rice) and so on. Sometimes they are paired with numerals (nana - seven, mi - three), but such cases are rare. These are the consequences of the ancient tradition of giving names with the serial number of birth of a particular child among other children of the same family.

On the territory of this country you can see unusual names that reflect weather phenomena and seasons: yuki (snow), natsu (summer), kumo (cloud) and so on.

No less impressive are names that consist not of the usual hieroglyphs, but with the participation of syllabic alphabet. They differ from other types of writing in that they are written according to one pattern that does not change under the influence of other factors. Those who want to write their name in hieroglyphs take the general meaning of the word and write it using the desired characters.

Japan failed to preserve its culture from the influence of European countries. Over time, the ranks of familiar names were squeezed out, giving way to foreign ones: Emiri, Maria, Rena, and so on.

How the principles of Japanese aesthetics influenced art and why they became popular

— The principles of aesthetics in Japan were reflected not only in poetry, but also in many cultural elements: ceramics, tea ceremony, calligraphy, monochrome painting, ikebana (the art of arranging cut flowers and branches in special vessels and placing the resulting composition in the interior - note "Papers" " ) and other arts. They consist of a hint, lightness, vagueness, and not the riot and brightness of colors.

The tea ceremony, for example, is also a Zen art. Approaching the tea house along a path laid in a certain way, among bushes trimmed in a certain way, we plunge into the state of satori, “Buddha mind”. Everything here is ritual: stirring green tea with a whisk, an empty tea room, and the tradition of enjoying ceramic dishes. The aesthetic principles here are aimed at immersing yourself in a state of enlightenment and feeling an atmosphere of detachment from vanity.

[Japanese] monochrome painting was also influenced by aesthetic principles. It is monochrome because color and perspective should be complemented by the viewer’s imagination. If you look at an ink painting, you need to imagine and understand the image using your “clues.” In this case, the creator only needs two or three strokes of the brush to create the desired effect.

Beginning in the last third of the 19th century, when Japan became less of an isolated country than before, the principles of aesthetics began to spread abroad. Due to the popularity of Zen Buddhism, meditation and satori as a “state of enlightened mind,” other countries also began to study the principles of Japanese aesthetics: for example, schools of tea ceremonies are opened in Russia, and Japanese martial arts masters are invited to lectures. It is so far from us, so exotic. In addition, people have a penchant for introspection and a desire to unite with nature, which the principles of Japanese aesthetics help us understand: they teach us to renounce extraneous thoughts and seek harmony and enlightenment. They combine simplicity and grace.

Examples of girls' names and their meaning

Beautiful Japanese names for girls have one notable feature - the use of the endings -ko or -mi. The first ending is fraught with an appeal to a child, the second - admiration for female beauty. Japanese female names and their meanings are presented in the table.

Creation of nicknames in Japan

Any Japanese nickname is created from a common name. To do this, you need to perform only one action: add a special suffix -chan or -kun to the base of the word.

There are several types of foundations. The most popular one looks like the full name: Yasunari, Kimiko (Yasunari-chan, Kimiko-chan). Along with it, a shortened version of the name is used: Ya, Kii (Ya-chan, Kii-chan). Most often it can be heard among friends or family.

Sometimes, to create a diminutive nickname, the name is completely transformed. For example, Megumi's name is changed to Kei-chan. Therefore, the first of the characters that make up the name Megumi is read as Kei.

A new opportunity to create nicknames has joined the newfangled trends. To do this, take the first two syllables of the surname with the given name and connect them together. This method is more common in celebrity nicknames. For example, Kimura Takuya - Kimutaku, Brad Pitt - Burapi and so on. A rarer variation of this variant is the doubling of syllables (Mamiko Noto - Mami Mami).

For the Japanese, a sign of good etiquette is to address an acquaintance by his last name when meeting by chance. If an acquaintance is part of a close social circle, then a diminutive nickname is allowed.

Names and surnames of local emperors

The emperors of Japan lived their lives not only without surnames, but sometimes without even hearing their own name, since it was carefully classified. Even when drawing up official documents, one title was used for a high-ranking official. After the death of the emperor, he is given another name, which is later remembered along with this person. Such a specific name consists of two halves: an enthusiastic assessment of his behavior and the title tenno (overlord). For example, after his birth the emperor was given the name Mutsuhito. The moment he dies, he will be called Meiji-tenno (highly developed lord).

In Japanese etiquette, a sign of good form is the habit of addressing the emperor not by name, but by title. For example, we can recall Akihito, who was called Tsugu-no-miya (Infante Tsugu). This title was sometimes retained by a person if for some reason he did not receive a posthumous name.

Sometimes one of the members of the ruler's dynasty lost his powers and received the place of an ordinary person. If this happened, the ruler personally chose his surname. One of the most popular surnames of its time was Minamoto. In the event that the ruler's family accepted a new person, he could forget about his last name. For example, we can recall the crowned princess Michiko. Before she married Emperor Akihito, her name was Michiko Seda.

How did the principles of Japanese aesthetics arise and what is it?

— The principles of aesthetics were formed in Japan during the Middle Ages. These are general ideas about the canons of beauty and the attitude towards them in art, which complemented each other as they appeared and still coexist. They influenced what the art of Japan became, how it developed and how it affected the mentality of the Japanese.

These principles are difficult to understand for the untrained person, so they are best understood through individual examples. For example, Japanese verse is a short form verse, a verse of allegory and symbols. Poets often speak to readers in veiled ways to get them to reason, decipher the message, and interpret the truth. Japanese verse, like all Japanese art, is built on hints and speculation.

Kano Eitoku. Cypress. 1580–1590

How to translate Russian names into Japanese

The names themselves are not translated into Japanese. But if you wish, you can get the necessary interpretation if you remove the meaning encrypted in the Russian name and work on it.

For example, you can take the Russian name Valentin. Its meaning is “health”. In Japanese, the word health is translated as “tsuyoshi”. Therefore, the interpretation of the name Valentine is Tsuyoshi (healthy). The name Larisa means seagull in Latin. In Japanese, "seagull" is translated as "kamome". That is, Larisa is Kamome for the Japanese. The translation of all Russian names is based on a similar principle.

How aesthetic principles influenced the mentality of the Japanese

— The Japanese, for the most part, are secretive people. They, unlike, for example, Russians, do not express their feelings openly. In Japan they live according to certain laws and according to a hierarchy. “Truth”, “hidden beauty”, that is, makoto, are deeply hidden among them, and they are revealed only to those close to them.

In Japan, rituals are important: the principles of the tea ceremony, calligraphy, and ikebana are studied in clubs at every school. In these classes, the Japanese from an early age learn harmony with themselves and study aesthetics, and come to certain thoughts about silence and secrecy.

The principles of aesthetics definitely help the Japanese in harmonizing feelings and thoughts, in sensing nature, and in maintaining calm (although such calm may be due to comfortable economic conditions). At the same time, the Japanese in real life, for example, almost never directly refuse - all this happens in overtones, not directly. It may be psychologically more difficult for the Japanese to express their feelings and emotions - but this does not hinder them, but rather those who communicate with them.

All this is complemented by the popularity of traditional arts and Zen Buddhism in Japanese society: Japanese residents study their religion, learn to put on a kimono and drink tea correctly, for example. What is exotic to foreigners is a constant part of life for many Japanese.

For assistance in organizing the interview, “Paper” thanks the Robata Bar restaurant on Zagorodny Prospekt, 13. There, weekly, on Sundays from 13:00 to 17:00, there is a brunch club with a buffet, as well as lectures and master classes on culture Japan.