Japan: A nation of many Tanakas

A short excerpt from a show that explored the origins of Japan’s most popular surnames:

This part tells us why there are so many Tanakas in Japan. Tanaka (田中） is a combination of the characters for “rice field” (田) and “within/in” (中）. When common people started giving themselves family names in the between the Heian and Muromachi periods, a lot of farmers took the no-nonsense approach of choosing names that literally described their location: in the middle of rice fields.

Tanaka is the 4th most popular surname in Japan and the most popular surname among Japanese-Americans.

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14 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - September 23, 2009 at 8:05 am

Categories: General Japan Tags: Tanaka

http://sleeptako.blogspot.com David

I loved this show. Thanks for uploading it.
dizzy

What was the name of this show? Is it a regular show or a special?

http://www.samuraikurisu.blogspot.com Kirbz

I would swear it would be something similar to 未来教授サワムラZ as the fact is most amusing and random. Maybe not though,as the show I mentioned tends to also have really absurd and hilarious “research” segments.

kay

do they talk baout the last name sato? post that part pleeeease
popo the great

hmm.. i still like the “Wanabe” as a name.
Kyle M.

That’s interesting about it being the most common among Japanese Americans. My family — at least the 1/4 that gave me my name — were Kagoshima farmers. Makes me wonder if names linked to poorer livelihoods would be more prevalent in the U.S.
http://aki-akiaki.blogspot.com Aki

The explanation in this TV show is a bit different from generally accepted view on Japanese family names. There are many Tanakas whose ancestors were nobles rather than commoners. In the late Heian period, lower-rank nobles started to settle in rural areas in Japan. They started to use place names as their family names. For example, if a family settled in a place whose place name was Tanaka, the family used Tanaka as their family name.

The reason I write this is that I know a Tanaka clan that descended from an emperor. The Tanaka clan is a subclan of Nitta clan that descended from the Emperor Seiwa (A.D.850-881). Since an ancestor of the Tanaka clan settled in Tanaka (present Nitta-Kami-Tanaka-machi) in present Gunma prefecture, they chose to use Tanaka as their family name.

Perhaps, the most famous person from this Tanaka clan is Sen no Rikyū. Although he used the family name Sen as a tea master, his real family name was Tanaka. He was from the Tanaka clan that had settled in the above-mentioned place in the 13th century.

popo the great

yup. thank you. thats about royalty. so how about the story of normal people who were the most important factor how japanese got their names.

http://aki-akiaki.blogspot.com Aki

I think the name of the majority of Mr. Tanakas was taken from place names regardless of their social status. Since there were many places called Tanaka, there would be no need to bother to make the name as new one. Even in my close neighbor in Kyoto, there is a place called Tanaka that date back to the medieval period.

It was the first time that I heard of such a theory as that presented in the video clip. I can hardly believe it. Although I don’t have exact figures myself, some Japanese websites say that more than 80% of Japanese family names derive from place names. I think it is more believable than the story in the video clip.

doodles

If all this is true, it kind of brings a new found perspective on Japanese laziness. I mean seriously? I’m in the field, therefore I am? LAMO.
I can except the whole naming onces self trough the town you lived in or clan you belonged to. Europeans were doing that for the LONGEST of time. Look at the names of French/British/Spanish Nobility… Its riddled with names that go, so-and-so of this city/village/clan.

helical

I hear all the Smiths, Carpenters, Hunters, and Cooks out there would like to have a word with you…
popo the great

Well..
russians got their family names by being a serf of owner. (names with “ow” and “o” in the end) Later names were given by a profession, nickname or life-place of people.

French/Dutch/Germans got their names mostly by life-place or profession(mostly people who moved into the city or were living not as farmer). dutch “Van” means just “from” and had nothing to do with royalty in a first place. german “von/zu” and french “le” was mostly royal rank wich just described the place of the estate. Later this rank became a family-name after germans/Austrians/french forbiden he royal ranks and royal class. In Swiss royal and noble ranks are not acsepted as a part of names anyway.

doodles

Also, funny side-note story, I use to remember going out to parties in Nagoya where someone had to be on the guestlist to get in. whether it was a simple RSVP or private invite.
I use to go out with a Japanese friend of mine who would NEVER be on the list but would get in. He would just say his name was Tanaka or Yamada, even though it was Surimoto…Gotta say I was pretty jealous
Canadian

Tanaka is a very proud Japanese surname.

Japan: A nation of many Tanakas

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