[ANSTHRLD] Help with Japanese Name and Mon

[Kathleen O'Brien]

The best place to go for medieval Japanese names is "Name Construction in
Medieval Japan" by Solveig Throndardottir.  It is available in print from
Potboiler Press.  The new edition has bunches of new names.

Solveig has one article online.  It's at:
	http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/solveig/nanori/

I looked in my copy of NCMJ and neither <Kenichi> nor <Tsubame> are in
there.  Can the submitter tell you where they found them?  Also, which is
supposed to be the surname and which is supposed to be the given name?  (In
Japanese names, the surname comes first.  So, in this name, I would assume
<Kenichi> is the surname.)  Also, is the given name supposed to be
masculine or feminine?  (I couldn't tell from the original message.)

There are multiple different types of names that act as a given name in a
Japanese name.  The most common type is nanori.  If the submitter
specifically wants something different (like a yobina or some other type),
then I'll need to look in a different area in NCMJ.

Taking a look at the name article Domhnall referenced, I would offer one
warning.  A casual reader could interpret that you can take any protheme
and any deuterotheme and combine them to make a nanori (given name).  That
is very much not the case and we routinely have submitters who create a
name that has meaning to them, but that turns out not to be a plausible
period construction.

I'll be glad to look up info in NCMJ if that would help.  I think there is
also a copy in the kingdom library and a couple other people around the
kingdom also have copies.

Mari


>A good plaxe to start would be at An Online Japanese Miscellany
>http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/miscellany/miscellany.html , it has a very good
>article on names and also a good article on mons.
>
>Domhnall
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: <BSmif76308 at aol.com>
>To: <heralds at lists.ansteorra.org>
>Sent: Friday, March 09, 2007 2:31 PM
>Subject: [ANSTHRLD] Help with Japanese Name and Mon
>
>
>> Greetings,
>>
>> Some one in my group is interested in registering his Japanese name and
>> Mon and I have no idea where to start researching.
>>
>> Any suggestions?
>>
>> Name is Kenichi Tsubame