Place names in Japan
Japanese place names include names for geographic features, present and former administrative divisions, transportation facilities such as railroad stations, and historic sites in Japan. The article Japanese addressing system contains related information on postal addresses.
Administrative level
Most place names are suffixed with its administrative division. These suffixes are often dropped in common usage when no ambiguation is likely. The suffixes are as follows:-ken for a prefecture; e.g., Yamanashi-ken-to, prefecture-level region name unique to the capital Tōkyō-to-fu, prefecture-level region named so for historical reasons. There are now only two: Ōsaka-fu and Kyōto-fu. Tokyo-to was also classified as this before being reorganized.dō, an "administrative circuit", a semi-archaic administrative division formerly widespread. Modern usage is limited to Hokkaido, but terms like Tōkaidō remains in common informal usage.Because of the above four suffixes, the prefectures of Japan are commonly referred to as todōfuken. Below the level of prefectures, there are:-gun, a district composed of one or more machi or mura, usually rural. The Japanese postal service and many other sources translate this as county.-shi, a city-ku, a ward of a city; e.g., Naka-ku in Hiroshima. The 23 special wards of Tokyo are separate local governments nearly equivalent to cities.-machi or -chō, a town; e.g. Fujikawaguchiko-machi - this can be a local government or a non-governmental division of a larger city-mura or -son, a village; e.g., Kamikuishiki-mura - this can also be a local government or a nongovernmental division of a larger city or town
These smaller administrative units are collectively referred to as shikuchōson.
Direction
Some names contain a word indicating a direction:chūō or naka- - central; e.g., Yokosuka Chūō; Naka-Okachimachihigashi - east; e.g., Higashi, Shibuyakita - north; e.g., Kita-ku, literally meaning North Wardminami - southnishi - westu and sa , directions relative to the Kyōto Imperial Palace : Sakyō-ku, Ukyō-kukami or ue and shimo or shita ; e.g, ShitamachiRelationship
Other names contain a word indicating the relationship of a settlement to another of the same or a similar name:hon or moto - the original; e.g., Fuchu Honmachi; Moto Hachiōjishin - newGeographic features
Geographic features figure prominently in Japanese place names. Some examples arehama for a beach; e.g. Hamamatsuhantō for a peninsula; e.g., Izu Hantoishi or iwa for a rock; e.g., Ishikawa Prefecture; Iwate Prefectureizumi for a spring; e.g., Hiraizumi, Iwatekaikyō for a strait; e.g., Bungo Kaikyōkawa or -gawa for a river; e.g., Asakawako for a lake; e.g., Biwa-ko, Kizaki-konada for a seaoka for a hill; e.g., Shizuoka Prefecture, Fukuokasaki or misaki for a promontory; e.g., Miyazaki citysan or -zan or yama for a mountain; e.g., Yamanashi Prefecture, Aso-sansawa or -zawa for a swamp; e.g., Mizusawa, Iwateshima or -jima or tō for an island; e.g., Ie-shima, Iwo Jima, Okinawa Hontotani or -dani for a valley; e.g., Jigokudani, Mount Tatewan for a headland or bay; e.g., Sagami-wanNatural world
Other words that express the natural world or agriculture often appear in place names:ki or -gi for a tree; e.g., Tochigi Prefecturematsu for a pine tree; e.g. Takamatsumori for a forest; e.g., Aomori Prefecturesugi for a sugi tree; e.g., Suginamita or -da for a rice paddy; e.g. ŌdaFormer provinces
Names and parts of names of former provinces appear in many modern place names:- Yamato: Yamato-Koriyama, a city in Nara Prefecture
- Hitachi: naka, a city in Ibaraki Prefecture
- Sagami River in Kanagawa Prefecture
- Tango: Tango Peninsula in Kyoto
- Chūetsu, part of Niigata Prefecture and location of the 2004 Chūetsu earthquake: its name incorporates a kanji from Echigo Province
Types of towns
Medieval Japan had many towns that fell into three categories: castle towns, post towns, harbor towns. In addition, the rise of commerce contributed to some place names. Here are some parts of names connected with medieval Japan:ichi, a market; e.g., Yokkaichi: "fourth-day market"-jō, a castle. Place names giving directions relative to a castle, such as Jōhoku, Jōsai or Jōnan, are common throughout Japan.minato or tsu for a harbor; e.g., Minato, Tokyo and Tsu, Mieshuku or -juku, a post or station town on a traditional highway; e.g., ShinjukuHokkaido
Many names in Hokkaido originated from words in the Ainu language. As people from mainland Japan conquered and colonized Hokkaido in the Edo period and the Meiji period, they transcribed Ainu placenames into Japanese using kanji chosen solely for their pronunciation. For example, the name Esashi comes from the Ainu word es a us i, meaning "cape". Some common Ainu elements in Hokkaido place names include:Some other names come from places in other parts of Japan because in the past people migrated as a group to Hokkaido, and they give the new settlement a name reminiscent of their old home. Examples include Hiroshima and Date.
Okinawa
Place names in Okinawa Prefecture are drawn from the traditional Ryukyuan languages. Many place names use the unique languages names, while other place names have both a method of reading the name in Japanese and a way to read the name in the traditional local language. The capital city Naha is Naafa in the Okinawan language. Uruma, which was incorporated in 2005, comes from an old name for the Okinawa Island meaning "coral island" and its name is written in hiragana rather than kanji. In Okinawan, nishi meant "north" rather than "west" as it does in standard Japanese, so Nishihara means "northern field" in respect to its position from the old Ryūkyū Kingdom capital at Shuri; in contrast, the Okinawan word for "west" is iri, which appears in the name of Iriomote-jima. Gusuku meaning "castle" is also common in place names in Okinawa, found in Tomigusuku, Nakagusuku, and Kitanakagusuku, among others. Both Chatan and Yomitan turn tani into tan; Chatan also turns kita into "cha" through the Okinawan language.Encyclopedias for Japanese place names
The following encyclopedias and dictionaries are major research tools for reading and understanding Japanese place names and histories.Reading placenames
Shin Nihon chimei sakuin Abokkusha.This is the most comprehensive dictionary for reading place names. Each entry simply lists the reading of place name, its kanji, location, and longitude-latitude coordinate.
Encyclopedias of Place Names
Dai Nihon Chimei Jisho is one of oldest, in 1907–1910, reprint and update version by 1971, published by Buzanbō. The main editor was Tōgo Yoshida written in vernacular expression in Meiji period with each entry includes the history and folklore for name.Kadokawa Nihon chimei daijiten Kadokawa Shoten, published in the 1970s-1980s. This is the major encyclopedia for Japanese geographic reference. Each entry includes the history of the place, its population, major happenings, and major buildings such as schools, temples, and churches.
Konpakutoban Nihon chimei hyakka jiten Shogakukan in June 1998.
This is the desktop dictionary for geographic reference. It is designed to be easily comprehensible. It includes color maps of Japan and detailed maps of major Japanese cities; Tokyo, Kyoto-shi, Nara-shi, Osaka-shi, and Nagoya-shi. The index for hard-to-read place names is included at the back of the dictionary.