Japanese Kings Kanji

January 5, 2023 TAKA 0 Comments

平清盛 (Taira no Kiyomori)

A military leader of the Taira clan, who established the first samurai-dominated government.

平 (Taira) is his family name, with 平 (taira) meaning “flat” or “peace.

” 清盛 (Kiyomori) is his given name, with 清 (kiyo) meaning “pure” or “clean” and 盛 (mori) meaning “prosper” or “thrive.”

源頼朝 (Minamoto no Yoritomo)

The founder and first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate.

源 (Minamoto) is his family name, with 源 (minamoto) meaning “source” or “origin.”

頼朝 (Yoritomo) is his given name, with 頼 (yori) meaning “trust” or “reliance” and 朝 (tomo) meaning “morning” or “dynasty.”

徳川家康 (Tokugawa Ieyasu)

The founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

徳川 (Tokugawa) is his family name, with 徳 (toku) meaning “virtue” or “benevolence” and 川 (kawa) meaning “river.”

家康 (Ieyasu) is his given name, with 家 (ie) meaning “house” or “family” and 康 (yasu) meaning “peace” or “ease.”

織田信長 (Oda Nobunaga)

A powerful daimyō who initiated the unification of Japan.

織田 (Oda) is his family name, with 織 (o) meaning “weave” and 田 (da) meaning “field” or “rice paddy.”

信長 (Nobunaga) is his given name, with 信 (nobu) meaning “trust” or “faith” and 長 (naga) meaning “long” or “chief.”

豊臣秀吉 (Toyotomi Hideyoshi)

A preeminent daimyō who continued the unification of Japan after Oda Nobunaga.

豊臣 (Toyotomi) is his family name, with 豊 (toyo) meaning “abundant” or “rich” and 臣 (tomi) meaning “retainer” or “subject.”

秀吉 (Hideyoshi) is his given name, with 秀 (hide) meaning “excellent” or “prominent” and 吉 (yoshi) meaning “good luck” or “auspicious.”

木下藤吉郎 (Kinoshita Tōkichirō)

Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s birth name.

木下 (Kinoshita) is his family name, with 木 (ki) meaning “tree” or “wood” and 下 (shita) meaning “below” or “under.”

藤吉郎 (Tōkichirō) is his given name, with 藤 (tō) meaning “wisteria,” 吉 (kichi) meaning “good luck” or “auspicious,” and 郎 (rō) meaning “son.”