Unser-Schutz, Giancarla. (2016). Naming names: Talking about new Japanese naming practices. electronic journal of contemporary japanese studies, 16(3), np. (original) (raw)
Related papers
In recent years in both Japan and the United States, there has been an increased turn-over in the top-ranking names from year to year, and the names being given themselves appear to be coming from an increasingly diverse pool. Certain similarities in the changes being experienced in these two countries may speak to greater shared characteristics and values of contemporary society. However, while they may appear to be superficially similar, there are in fact many differences behind the changes in naming practices in Japan and the US. Although the rise of unique names in both countries appears to be related to the spread of individualistic values (see Ogihara et al., 2015 on Japan, and Twenge, Abebe, & Campbell, 2010 on the US), many of the changes in naming practices in the United States appear to be related to trends within certain ethnic groups, particularly African Americans. In comparison, while changes in naming practices seem to be more common across the board in Japan, popular discourse suggests that they are being interpreted as a marker of education, and by connection, social class. By comparing how naming practices in Japan and the US have changed over the last 100-plus year period, I seek to show how the analysis of naming practices may be useful for exploring social change.
Politics of Japanese Naming Practice: Language Policy and Character Use
This paper discusses the collision between government guidelines on kanji use in public documents and Japanese naming practice that places significance on written forms. The tension between the state's need to control the legibility of its texts through allowable kanji character lists collides with people's rights and desires to name their own children. Using popular baby names and controversial court cases, the paper also analyses the political and ideological nature of the conflict over Japanese names and script. It also reviews the development of the character list for personal names, including the radical expansion of the list in 2004.
Available for reading at this link: https://books.google.nl/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Ei9QBwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA184&ots=se-QTOn3BF&sig=fUH3\_D3xm6xzyQYJiJXd9V7Uv3k&redir\_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false This study examines given and family names in Japan which violate or contravene the social norms and legal regulations of Japanese society from both a historical and contemporary perspective across diverse groups such as Christians, outcasts, spouses and radically-minded parents. The penalties for anthroponymic transgression range from judicial rejection to social ridicule and discrimination. The official system of the household family register is the principal mechanism through which Japanese names are monitored and legitimized but contemporary desires for individualism and uniqueness are starting to destabilize its function of guarding a highly conformist and ethnically collectivistic identity symbolized through a name. Key words: judicial control of names, the Japanese household register system, unconventional anthroponomy and the law, the violation of onomastic norms Introduction This research focuses on how individuals seek to represent their identities on the level of their name within Japanese society and how these anthroponymic decisions can contravene and even violate the law of the land. No academic work yet exists solely dealing with this subject and it is obvious that there are many themes outlined here that have been repeatedly experienced by different groups in different societies at different times in history so that this analysis can also offer cross-cultural insights about how a state may choose to regulate or prohibit the names of its citizens and residents in order to impose its ideological agenda of nationhood and ethnocentric unification. In a society where the ideology of homogenization has been enshrined for centuries, the onomastic representation of the self in unconventional ways carries with it penalties which can lead to suspicion, rejection or ostracization. There is a firmly rooted belief in Japan that names should conform to the resources and practices which have been built up around the national onomasticon. The Japanese strongly adhere to the line of thinking espoused by the mid-5th century Athenian philosopher, Cratylus, who appears in Plato’s famous dialogue, erroneously claiming that names do not arise from social agreement but contain “a kind of inherent correctness” (Plato, 1977:11). The Japanese feel threatened by onomastic unconventionality within their own system, interpreting anthroponymic unorthodoxy as abnormal malformations, if not aberrant perversity. Key words: judicial control of names, the Japanese household register system, unconventional anthroponomy and the law, the violation of onomastic norms Key words: judicial control of names, the Japanese household register system, unconventional anthroponomy and the law, the violation of onomastic norms Key Words: Judicial control of names; the Japanese household register system; unconventional anthroponomy and the law; the violation of onomastic norms
Boy or Girl? The Rise of Non-Gender-Specific Names in Japan
Silva Iaponicarum
One current issue concerning Japanese given names is the increasing number of names lacking gender-distinctive features in their graphic and/or phonological form. Unlike in the past, recently even some of the most popular names are given to both boys and girls. This paper explores this phenomenon in the context of the changes in name selection in the last several decades, analyzing names given to 4,567 boys and 4,806 girls born 2008-2016. Comparing these two name sets from the point of view of their orthography, length, structure, and kanji selection brought forth the main distinctive features between current male and female names. A further analysis revealed some features common to the gender-neutral names, and various aspects related to losing gender distinction. The explanations of the parents' reasons for selecting the particular name, included in the corpus, provided some insight into why some parents select names that do not indicate the gender of their child.
Born in the Reiwa Era: The Reflection of Contemporary Events in Japanese Given Names
Jagiellonian University Press eBooks, 2023
The selection, or creation, of a Japanese given name is often an elaborate process inspired by particular ideas about the named individual, the time or circumstances of birth, and aspirations for his or her future life. An important criterion for some parents is to choose a name which is socially appealing and interesting, e.g., evoking a significant current event. One such event immediately reflected in the names of newborns in the twentieth century was the beginning of a new era, when a new emperor ascended the throne. This paper discusses and illustrates on particular examples the influence of the Taishō (1912-1926), Shōwa (1926-1989), and Heisei (1989-2019) eras on subsequent given name selections and more closely analyses the more muted influence of the current Reiwa era, which began on May 1, 2019, after the abdication of Emperor Akihito. It explores the various manifestations of the era change in a sample of names bestowed in 2019 and attempts to explain this recent phenomenon in the context of the major changes in name selection and trends over the last several decades.
2014
While Japan is often said to be homogenous in population, recent years have seen an increase in foreign residents, making it interesting to consider if the same patterns of adaptation of names found in other countries could be observed. A survey amongst foreign residents of Japan showed that while adaptation of names in their pronunciation was common, it was generally uncommon to use Japanese personal names. However, people of Asian heritage used them more commonly. It is suggested that the binary positioning of Japanese identities may make it difficult for some foreigners to take Japanese names, with additional factors such as racial expectations for foreigners possibly influencing some groups’ ability to take Japanese names. Keywords: Japan, immigrants, personal names, identity, adaptation, foreigners, race