Chapter 6 - 4: Untouched Plains_2

Words : 1470 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 6 - 4: Untouched Plains_2It's not very high, compared to those local magnates with hundreds of thousands of koku, maybe a local noble? However, the family name is Maeda... Could it be the future "Maeda Toshie of Kaga, with a million koku"? The Inu from "Monkey and Dog"? Nozawa immediately asked, "What is this Maeda lord's full name?" "It's Lord Maeda Kurando Toshimasa." Yayoi really knew, probably because of the direct lord's reason. Nozawa pondered again, Maeda Kurando Toshimasa? Yes, at this time Japanese people had a formal name format, "family name + formal name + given name", further back it was "clan + surname + family name + formal name + given name", unlike modern Japanese who usually use the simpler "surname + given name". Among them, the clan indicated the origin of the bloodline, or came from place names like Soga, Chiyu, Najie, and Katsuragi; or from settlers like Qin, Han, Song, Goguryeo, Sui, and Han; or from professions like Hattori, Chancellor, Toriyama; or granted by the Japan emperor, like Minamoto, Taira, Fujiwara, and Tachibana. The surname was used to distinguish status, typically granted by the Court, from the earliest ancient surnames like Mahito, Ko, Minister of State, Governor, Sa, Village Chief, etc., gradually evolving to the unified "eight colors", with status from high to low as: Mahito (exclusive to Japanese royalty), Asomi, Sukune, Imiki, Doshin, Omi, Muraji, Inaji. However, as the surnames of the Minamoto, Taira, Fujiwara, and Tachibana clans became courtier, surnames gradually lost their role in distinguishing status in Japan, and were discarded. By the Muromachi Era, unless it was for ceremonial occasions such as ancestral worship, no one would use it in daily life. The family name usually came from the location of the residence. In the Heian Era, when the Fujiwara clan reached the peak of its power as regents, from the Court to local officials, all came from the Fujiwara clan. Looking around, nobles were all Fujiwaras, calling out Fujiwara on the main street of Heian-kyo would have at least twenty people respond. Therefore, to distinguish among each other, they began to address each other by the location of their mansions, like Ichijo, meaning the first street of Heian-kyo. If the location of the mansion changed, the address would change accordingly. Additionally, due to the marriage system influenced by China during the Heian Era, from "visiting marriage (husband and wife and children do not live together, husband visits the wife's home for conjugal duties)" to "taking marriage (husband builds a house and marries the wife, family lives together)", the address based on the mansion between father and son naturally became the "family name", passed down from generation to generation. For example, this Maeda Kurando Toshimasa, in ancient Japanese, Maeda and Arata mean the same, highly likely because his ancestors for some reason came to Owari Province, pioneered a new field and built a castle, then joyfully named the place "Maeda", thus his family name became "Maeda", passed down from generation to generation. Now living in Hosokawa Castle, still using Maeda as the family name, it's likely because "Maeda Castle" was abandoned for some reason and moved without changing the family name. As for the formal name and given name, they are used for others to address and self-reference, respectively, similar to ancient China. For example, Zhuge Liang, with surname Zhuge (the Ge clan moved to Zhuzhou, hence Zhuge as surname), given name Liang, style name Kongming. So if you travel back to the Three Kingdoms period, directly calling him "Zhuge Liang" would be very impolite, you should call him "Kongming" or "Lord Zhuge", only he can self-reference as "Liang". The situation in Japan Middle Ages is the same, "formal name" is similar to Huaxia's "style name", used for others to call, usually derived from childhood names, official court name or religious name, determined by age and status, and can be changed at any time, whereas the "given name" is what one uses to refer to oneself. So, Maeda Kurando Toshimasa, Maeda as the family name, Kurando as the formal name, Toshimasa as the given name. If you want to mention him, either call him "Lord Maeda", or "Lord Kurando", similar to later generations' "Mr. Zhao" or "Mr. Director"; or if relatively close or familiar, if you are his elder or of much higher status, you can call him directly by childhood or pet name, like "Ranmaru" or "Inu Chiyoda", similar to later generations' "Little Eggy" or "Doggy", under no circumstances should you call "Maeda Toshimasa", that's almost contemptuous, the hostility is quite clear, next there is a high chance of drawing swords to fight. As for surname, it only evolved from a family name to this level in the late modern times of Japan, it hasn't been simplified to that extent at this time. Of course, another point is that at this time the "alias" phenomenon in Japan was very serious, just looking at the formal name, there could be eight Iga-no-kami, six Higo-no-kami, tens of thousands of Shinemon, Zuomen, Uemon, Hyouemon, Gate Captain, after all, there were only so many court positions, splitting one among each Samurai was unrealistic, and many also had vanity, fearing to be looked down upon by others, they would pick a court position that matched their current strength and force it onto themselves, or forcibly gild the face of their ancestors and then "inherit" it as a formal name. The same goes for commoners, Japanese commoners didn't have the qualification or condition to have a family name, generally making names up randomly, there were also many alias phenomena. For example, Juubei, this is obviously an alias, most likely after becoming a house child of the Lang Faction, he felt he had some status and was no longer an ordinary farmer (tenant farmer with certain personal freedom), randomly changed it himself, absolutely impossible in the formal military establishment of the Japan Court. Inu Jiulang's name is more honest, at a glance it's known as "the ninth child born to Jiro", quite in line with the naming custom tradition of rural Japan in this era. These things Nozawa learned as a child from watching "Ikkyu-san", curious about the silly big Samurai inside called "Shinemon", such a strange name, also curious how a little monk dared to kick the Shogunate general into a pool, checked some materials to understand - Shinemon is just a formal name, for others to call, full name is Kinokuni Shinemon Kintone, and Ikkyu the little monk was Japan emperor's own child, because of the struggle between the Southern and Northern Dynasties, forced to become a monk early on, so he would not be supported by the Southern Dynasty to compete for the throne, so he can safely kick the Ashikaga Shogun's butt without worrying about losing his head. Thus shows, watching animation does have benefits, if it weren't for the curiosity back then and checking, probably wouldn't even understand what this little girl Yayoi was saying now. Nozawa felt somewhat relieved, at least when dealing with other samurai later on, addressing each other with no problem, less likely to "insult" others carelessly and, for no reason, get stabbed. Seeing Nozawa pondering quietly again after asking, Yayoi felt this lord was rather absent-minded, hesitated for a moment, carefully inquired, "Lord, may I know how you... and that lord should be addressed?" She had wanted to ask for a long time, and took the opportunity to do so. Nozawa snapped back to reality, thinking that under the current situation, safety is the priority; exposing foreigner identity could likely lead to danger, after slight contemplation, he smiled and said, "Our names? He's sick, you don't need to worry, as for me... hmm... I am Nohara Saburo Ieto. His home was in the Central Plains, and the place name carries the word "No", so his uncle gave him a name with "No" in it, now just happens to use it as a family name—Nozawa, and using this family name can also prevent accidentally being grouped into other families, he recalls that during the Warring States period in Japan, no family seemed to use "Nozawa", that is, using "undeveloped flatland" as a family name, should avoid quite a bit of trouble. Saburo is because when counting his uncle's elder brothers and sisters, he is the third, hence using that as the formal name; As for Ieto... separated by thousands of miles, four or five hundred years, isn't the home far? Sёarᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. So, when in Rome, do as the Romans do, safety first, during his stay in the Japan Middle Ages, he plans to use this name.

Chapter 6 - 4: Untouched Plains_2

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