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Why is Japan’a sovereign called “Emperor” in English?
| SneakersSO | 10/22/25 |
| https://imgur.com/a/o2g8xYK | 10/22/25 |
| SneakersSO | 10/22/25 |
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Date: October 22nd, 2025 6:39 PM Author: SneakersSO When Japan opened to the West in the 19th century (Meiji period), it deliberately chose to translate tennō as “emperor” rather than “king” for geopolitical reasons. At that time, in European diplomatic protocol: Kings (e.g. of Spain, England, Prussia) were subordinate in rank to emperors (e.g. of Russia, Austria, China). Japan wanted equality with China and the Western great powers — not to be seen as a petty kingdom. Thus: The Meiji government insisted on “Emperor of Japan” (not “King of Japan”) to signal parity with the Chinese Emperor and European monarchs of imperial dignity. This was both diplomatic posturing and civilizational assertion: “Japan is not a vassal state, but a sovereign empire.” |
Date: October 22nd, 2025 6:45 PM Author: https://imgur.com/a/o2g8xYK Why do we call it "Japan?" (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5788792&forum_id=2Reputation#49367132) |
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Date: October 22nd, 2025 6:49 PM Author: SneakersSO In Japanese, 日本 means “origin of the sun”, i.e., “where the sun rises.” This phrase comes from China — the land to the east of the Middle Kingdom. So, from China’s perspective, Japan was the place where the sun comes up. The earliest known Chinese reference (7th century) calls Japan 日本國 (Riben guo), literally “sun-origin country.” This replaced older Chinese names for Japan like 倭國 (Wakoku), which the Japanese eventually rejected because 倭 also meant “dwarf” or “submissive.” The shift from Wa to Nihon was a way of asserting dignity and sovereignty in Sino-Japanese diplomacy. The Chinese pronunciation and its travel westward The Chinese pronounced 日本 as Rìběn, which sounded roughly like “Jitpun” or “Zipang” to southern Chinese dialects at the time (especially in the Fujian and Canton regions). Now imagine this sound Jitpun or Zipang moving across trade networks. Here’s the chain of transmission: Southern Chinese traders (likely Hokkien or Cantonese) pronounce 日本 as Jitpun or Jippon. Malay and early Southeast Asian intermediaries transmit it as Jepang, Jepun, etc. Marco Polo hears about this far eastern island through Chinese sources during his travels and records it as Cipangu (from a southern Chinese “Zipang”). Later, Portuguese traders in the 16th century, operating out of Malacca, hear Jepang or Jipang from Malay sources and render it as Japão in Portuguese. From Portuguese Japão, other European languages adopt variants: English: Japan French: Japon Dutch: Japan Italian: Giappone So: 日本 → Rìběn (Mandarin) → Zipang (southern Chinese) → Jepang (Malay) → Japão (Portuguese) → Japan (English) |