#ridethelightning

Slaves, Hebrews born to serve, to the pharaoh Heed, to his every word, live in fear Faith, of the unknown one, the deliverer Wait, something must be done, four hundred years

Update on my attempts to obtain a laser Buddha hanko: my name is too long to fit. ﾟﾟ｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ)ﾟ｡ #gaijinproblems

Welcome back to another segment of Unusual Japanese Surnames. You can check out my two previous posts about rare surnames here:

Moderately Interesting Japanese Episode 1: Unusual Surnames

Moderately interesting Japanese Episode 4: Unusual Surnames Summer Edition Pt. 1

七夕

Pronunciation: Tanabata Meaning: Tanabata (a.k.a. Star Festival) Number of people with this surname: ~380

Tanabata is celebrated on different days depending on what region of Japan you are in, but it is always held in July or August. According to legend, two deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (symbolized by the stars Vega and Altair) are kept apart by the Milky Way and they can only see each other on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar. (The kanji for Tanabata literally translates to “the seventh night.”)

Tanabata is a time for people to make wishes. They write these wishes on thin strips of paper and tie them onto bamboo, and once Tanabata is over, these papers are either released down a river or set on fire.

How did several hundred people come to have this last name? There are two possible explanations:

These people lived in an area that was important to Tanabata festivities

“Tanabata” could be a way to pronounce the terraced rice paddies (棚畑) that these people lived near.

日傘

Pronunciation: Higasa Meaning: Parasol Number of people with this surname: ~30

The word “parasol” conjures the image of fancy ladies from the Victorian Era on a promenade. But many Japanese women care deeply about skin care and keeping their skin as white as possible, so parasols are very common here.

The last name “higasa” comes from a village in Okayama Prefecture named Higasa, even though the kanji for the village are different.

朝顔

Pronunciation: Asagao Meaning: Morning Glory Number of people with this surname: ~50

Flowers (and nature in general) are very important to Japanese culture. A kimono with flowers in the pattern should only be worn in seasons in which said flower is in bloom. If you wore a Christmas sweater in June, people would be giving you funny looks, right? It’s the same idea.

Anyways, of course there are many flowers that bloom in summer in Japan. But out of all of them, perhaps the morning glory carries the heaviest connection to “summer,” because all Japanese school children are given an assignment over the summer holiday to monitor the growth of morning glories. Don’t ask me why haha.

So how did it come to be a last name? It’s true that most Japanese last names have to do with nature, but not many are floral (excluding “wisteria,” which is in quite a few surnames). I had to search quite a bit, and the only thing I could find was an online comment someone had written. They said that they spoke with a Mr or Mrs Asagao and asked them about its history. And Mr. or Mrs. Morning-glory explained:

“昔、名字を役所に届けに行かねばならなくなり、どんな名字にするか悩んでいた所、庭にたまたまアサガオの花が咲いていた。そこで名字を朝顔にした。”

English: A long time ago, when it became necessary to go register a last name with the government, my ancestor couldn’t decide what last name to choose. He happened to see that a morning glory was blooming in the garden, and that was how he chose the last name.”

I think it’s pretty cool that the original Mr. Asagao came up with a name like that on the spot. He’s my kind of guy.

百合

Pronunciation: Yuri Meaning: Lily Number of people with this surname: ~720

I just got done telling you that floral last names are uncommon, and now I’m hitting you with another. Yuri is actually a pretty common first name for girls, but very rare for a last name.

There wasn’t much about the etymology of this name, but there appears to have been a village in Hyogo Prefecture with “Yuri” in the name, and they are guessing that is where this surname originates from. But maybe there was a mad lad like Mr. Asagao out there who happened to lay his eyes upon a lily on his way to register a last name. We may never know, but I want to believe.

稲妻

Pronunciation: Inazuma Meaning: Lightning Number of people with this surname: ~390

And the award of “Most Metal Surname” goes to...Mr. Lightning! Seriously, how cool is that?!

Let’s dive into the etymology of this word for “lightning” because it’s actually pretty interesting. Check out the literal meanings for each kanji:

稲 ine, rice plant

妻 tsuma, wife

So how on earth does “the rice plant’s wife” equate to “lightning?”

Well, long, long ago, rice became ready to harvest in the summer, specifically when lightning storms were the heaviest. Farmers saw their rice paddies being struck by lightning and thought that the lightning was what made the rice mature. 

Today, “tsuma” means “wife.” But long ago, “tsuma” used to be a gender-neutral term for “partner” or “spouse.” The use of “tsuma” in the word for lightning denotes the important role that lightning was thought to play in maturing the rice plant. 

Pretty cool, right?!

(1984)

Ride the Lightning

Released July 27, 1984 by Metallica

Ride the Lightning was the very

first Metallica album I listened to,

specifically the song Fade to Black.

I felt entranced by every element of

the song, what it stood for and why

James wrote it. I related so heavily to

that song and I still do. I was

introduced to the band I later would

call the band that saved my life and

gives me a reason every single day to

pick up one of my guitars and play

away. James gives me a reason to

keep singing, playing guitar and write

songs. Thank you, ride the fucking

lightning everyone.

My favorite songs from the album?

For Whom the Bell Tolls, Fade to Black,

Trapped Under Ice, Escape, Creeping