Names of Hagi and Nagato: From Choshu to Kintaro and Buchi
Spot a sign reading "Kintaro" at a fish counter, and it is a fish, not a folk hero. In Hagi, names other than the standard ones still live in daily life.
A name shows what a place has held dear. In Hagi and Nagato, names of very different kinds overlap: names for provinces, nicknames given to people, local names for fish and vegetables, Yamaguchi dialect, and epithets for scenery and specialties.
"Choshu" and "Bocho" are names from history, while "Kintaro" and "Nameta" are names from the table. "Buchi" is a name from speech, and "Alps of the sea" one from the landscape.
Hagi City itself says the whole town is a museum without a roof. How a place names itself is one more kind of name.
Names for lands and provinces: Hagi, Choshu, Bocho and Kitaura
Hagi is the castle town Mori Terumoto built, Choshu is another name for Nagato Province, Bocho joins Suo and Nagato, and Kitaura is a coastal region across Hagi, Nagato and Shimonoseki.
Hagi
Hagi's name is explained in two ways: that "tsubaki," camellia, was contracted to "hagi," or that it comes from a mountain nearby overgrown with bush clover, which is also "hagi." Camellia and bush clover were named the city's flowers on November 11, 2006, and bush clover is one of the seven flowers of autumn. The camellia grove at Toragasaki on Kasayama is a city natural monument. The city trees are the hinoki cypress and pine, and black pine is called "male pine" (omatsu) and red pine "female pine" (ematsu).
Source:Overview of Hagi City: Emblem, Charter and City Symbols
Shizuki Castle
Construction of Hagi Castle began at the foot of Mt. Shizuki in 1604; it is also called Shizuki Castle. A stronghold stood on the 145 m summit, and with the castle at the foot it formed a single fortress. After its buildings were dismantled, the site of the main compound became Shizuki Park, when Shizuki-yama Shrine honoring successive lords was founded there.
Bocho
Taking the "bo" of Suo and the "cho" of Nagato gives "Bocho." Mori Terumoto, regarded as the commander of the western army at Sekigahara in 1600, had his holdings across the Chugoku region cut to these two, Suo and Nagato, worth 369,000 koku. On Itado Pass along the Hagi Okan road stands a granite boundary marker inscribed "Yoshiki District, Suo" on the south and "Abu District, Nagato Province" on the north, marking the border of the two provinces to this day.
Source:About Hagi WareHagi Okan Road (Cultural Properties of Yamaguchi)Tenju-in Mausoleum
Choshu
Choshu is another name for Nagato Province, and the Mori family's Hagi domain, whose castle stood at Hagi in Nagato, was also called the "Choshu domain." Terumoto's move after Sekigahara is told as one "from Hiroshima in Aki to Hagi in Choshu." The name also survives in the "Choshu Five," the young men including Ito Hirobumi who stowed away to Britain in 1863.
Source:About Hagi WareHagi Okan RoadFormer Residence of Ito HirobumiChoshu (Digital Daijisen)
Kitaura
Kitaura is the regional name for the Sea of Japan coast covering Hagi, Nagato and Shimonoseki, a land blessed with seafood. Its features include whaling culture, Shimonoseki's pufferfish and dishes rooted in Hagi's samurai culture. It is a name that places Hagi and Nagato not as separate towns but along one stretch of coast.
Names given to people: from "Twenty-One Times a Fierce Warrior" to "I'm the General"
Shoin took the pen name "Twenty-One Times a Fierce Warrior," the "Four Heavenly Kings" of his school were Takasugi Shinsaku and three others, Shinagawa Yajiro was the "god of industrial promotion," and Tanaka Giichi "I'm the General."
Twenty-One Times a Fierce Warrior
Yoshida Shoin used the pen name "Nijuikkai Moshi," or Twenty-One Times a Fierce Warrior. His memorial tablet, kept in the tablet hall of Senpuku-ji temple in Hagi, is inscribed, as he requested in his will, "Shoin Nijuikkai Moshi," so the name carried on even onto his tablet after death.
Source:Senpuku-ji Temple
The Four Heavenly Kings and the Twin Jewels
The pupils counted as the "Four Heavenly Kings of the Shoin school" at Shokasonjuku were Takasugi Shinsaku, Kusaka Genzui, Irie Kuichi and Yoshida Toshimaro. Of these, Takasugi and Kusaka were also called the "twin jewels." Yoshida Toshimaro was born in 1841 as the eldest son of a foot soldier, Yoshida Seinai, studied at Kubo Gorozaemon's school around age eight, and entered Shoin's school at sixteen. His birthplace, about a three-minute walk from Shokasonjuku, is marked today only by a stone monument.
Source:Birthplace of Yoshida ToshimaroBirthplace of Takasugi Shinsaku
God of industrial promotion
Shinagawa Yajiro, a student of Shokasonjuku, was called the "god of industrial promotion" for work such as enacting the credit union law, which established financial institutions for ordinary people. Born in 1843 to a Hagi foot soldier, he joined the movement to expel foreigners with Takasugi Shinsaku and others, including the burning of the British legation and the Kinmon Incident. He served as home minister in the Matsukata cabinet.
Count of the Codes
Yamada Akiyoshi was born in 1844 and entered Shokasonjuku at fourteen. As the first minister of justice, in the first Ito Hirobumi cabinet, he contributed to compiling Japan's legal codes, and is called "Hotenhaku," the Count of the Codes. He also founded the Japan Law School, forerunner of Nihon University, in 1889 and Kokugakuin the year after; his birthplace in Tsubaki-higashi, Hagi, is now the park Kengi-en.
"I'm the General"
Tanaka Giichi of Hagi was the 26th prime minister, and his nickname was "Ora ga taisho" ("I'm the general"). He was born in 1864, a retainer's third son, in Kikuya Yokocho in the castle town. He became prime minister in 1927 in the midst of the financial panic and calmed bank runs with a payment moratorium. A statue stands at Sosuien near the Hagi Museum.
Source:Birthplace of Tanaka Giichi
The Choshu Five
In May 1863 Ito Hirobumi went to Britain in secret to study with Inoue Monta (Kaoru) and others. Five young men made the trip, and the group later became known as the "Choshu Five." Ito afterward served in the new Meiji government in posts such as councillor and governor of Hyogo Prefecture, and in 1871 he toured Europe and America as a member of the Iwakura Mission. His companion Inoue learned of the planned attack by the allied fleet on Shimonoseki, came home in 1864 and worked to bring about a peace.
Source:Former Residence of Ito HirobumiInoue Kaoru (Guide to Meiji Restoration Figures No. 13)
Local names for fish and vegetables: Kintaro, Heitaro, Nameta and yellow horse mackerel
In Hagi, himeji goatfish is "Kintaro," okihiiragi "Heitaro," mafugu "Nameta," and reef-dwelling horse mackerel "yellow aji"; names apart from the standard ones are part of daily life.
Kintaro
The fish Hagi calls "Kintaro" is known in standard Japanese as himeji. About 15 cm long, and 20 cm at most, its white flesh is as sweet as sea bream, and although not common nationwide, it is on the shelves of supermarkets in Hagi. It has two yellow barbels on its chin that recall a goat, hence the English name goatfish, and it became famous when it was noted as a close relative of the French delicacy "rouget." Why it is called Kintaro is not known.
Heitaro
The fish called "Heitaro" in Yamaguchi is known as okihiiragi in standard Japanese. It is often sold dried whole rather than fresh, and in Hagi it is an everyday side dish and a standard tavern snack. Its name has no known origin, but it is said perhaps to come from the fish's flat body. It is deep-fried, fried in batter or pickled in a sweet-sour marinade, and its small bones and skin are eaten whole.
Nameta and sakura-fugu
Mafugu caught at Hagi have no spines and a smooth surface, and have long been called "nameta" or "namera," meaning smooth. If tiger pufferfish is the "king of fugu," mafugu is called the "queen." Since fiscal 2022 a campaign has sold Hagi's spring mafugu, at its peak when the Kawazu cherries begin to bloom, under the nickname "sakura-fugu," or cherry fugu. The name lets people know how good spring mafugu is, when most fugu are thought to be in season in winter.
Queen of squid and Susa-no-o squid
Hagi's live kensaki squid is also called the "queen of squid." Live kensaki squid landed at Susa fishing port in Hagi carries the brand name "Susamikoto squid" (Susa-no-o squid).
Yellow aji
Horse mackerel that settle on the reefs called "se" along the seabed off Hagi are called "setsuki-aji" and are fatty and thick. Because their bodies shine golden, locals also call them "ki-aji," yellow aji. Unlike migratory open-sea mackerel, they are said to stay in Hagi's waters, with many islands and reefs, where food is plentiful and there are many places to hide. The season runs April to August.
Hagi tamage-nasu
The variety behind "Hagi tamage-nasu" is the Taya eggplant. Good specimens over 500 g are sold under the name, said to come from "tamageru," to be astonished, at their size and taste. Each is as big as three or four ordinary eggplants. It was originally grown in the Taya district of Senzaki, Nagato, and seed reached Hagi in the late 1970s and early 80s. It can grow over 40 cm long and 1 kg, and turns creamy soft when cooked.
Shirouo
Between February and April, fishing for shirouo, a small goby-relative that swims up rivers to spawn, can be seen near the mouth of the Matsumoto River in Hagi, and is loved as a "fish that announces spring." About 5 cm long, it is transparent while alive. It is a different species from the shirauo (whitebait), but the names are easily confused. Eating it live in vinegar soy sauce, "odori-gui," is a specialty.
Yamaguchi dialect words and phrases: buchi, naosu, miyasui
"Buchi" means "very," "naosu" means "to put away," "miyasui" means "easy" and "sennai" means "bothersome"; Yamaguchi speech has many words that drift from the standard.
Buchi
In Yamaguchi dialect "buchi" means "very, extremely," as in "buchi atsui-cha" (it's really hot). It has spread so far that some residents do not realize it is dialect, and it is a comparatively new one. It is said to derive from words for rough action, such as "buchi-kowasu" (smash), and combines with other dialect words as in "buchi-erai."
Source:Master the Yamaguchi Dialect
Naosu and miyasui
"Naosu" means not "to fix" but "to put away," so "sore naoshitoite!" is "put that away." Heard in Kyushu and Kansai too, it goes with "yabureta" for something broken. "Miyasui" means not "easy to see" but "simple, easy," so "kyo no tesuto miyasukatta ne" means the test was a breeze. Students use it often.
Source:Master the Yamaguchi Dialect
Sennai, erai, habuteru and jira
"Sennai" means "bothersome, tiring and hard," as in "heya no katazuke sennai wa." The similar "erai" is used when tired from doing something, and pairs with buchi. "Habuteru" means "to sulk," as when children are told "habuten socha!" (don't sulk). "Jira" means "willfulness, tantrums," and "jira o kuru" means to throw a tantrum.
Source:Master the Yamaguchi Dialect
Choru, yoru, tau and suibari
"Hana ga chicchoru" means the flower has fallen (a result), whereas "hana ga chiriyoru" means it is falling right now (in progress). Both are said to come from the standard "-te oru." However, "-choru" can also express progress. Questions use a rising "-suru so?", and in the southwest of the prefecture more people use "-ho?", so "nani shiyoru ho?" is "what are you doing?" "Are, tau?" means "can you reach it?" and "suibari" means "thorn," and neither is easily understood outside the prefecture.
Source:Master the Yamaguchi Dialect
Fuku, oidemase and Chorurun
In Yamaguchi, "fugu" pufferfish is called "fuku." There are several theories; one holds that in Shimonoseki it is a lucky play on the word for fortune, "fuku." The tourism slogan is "Oidemase, Fuku no Kuni, Yamaguchi," where "oidemase" means "welcome." The name of the prefectural PR chief mascot, Chorurun, is a play on the sentence-ending "-choru," and its head is the character for "mountain" and its face the character for "mouth," together spelling Yamaguchi. In Yamaguchi City, the prefecture and the city are told apart by intonation.
Source:Master the Yamaguchi Dialect
Nicknames for scenery, specialties and festivals: Alps of the sea, a natural aquarium, and Hagi's seven changes
Omijima is the "Alps of the sea," Kasayama the "smallest active volcano in Asia," Myojin Pond a "natural aquarium," and Hagi ware "first Raku, second Hagi, third Karatsu": scenery and specialties carry striking nicknames.
Alps of the sea
The 1930 book Choshu Yuran-ki quotes Yokoyama Kendo as writing that Alps are not found only on land, but on the sea as well. The cliffs, sea arches and reefs carved by the rough Sea of Japan are known by the alternative name "Alps of the sea," and this line is often cited alongside it.
Source:Omijima IslandOmijima Island
Smallest active volcano in Asia
Kasayama is called the "smallest active volcano in Asia." It is about 112 m high and lies at the center of Kita-Nagato Kaigan Quasi-National Park. Hagi's sea, mountain and river scenery also includes Myojin Pond, a national natural monument, and Chomonkyo Gorge, a national place of scenic beauty.
Source:Overview of Hagi City: Geography and IndustryKasayama, the Small Volcano: Nature and Local Flavors
Natural aquarium
Myojin Pond at the foot of Kasayama is a seawater pond connected to the open sea, and with red sea bream, striped beakfish and mullet swimming in it, it is also called a "natural aquarium." Fish food is sold nearby, but black kites are numerous around the pond, so care is needed when feeding.
Source:Kasayama, the Small Volcano: Nature and Local Flavors
Hagi no nanabake and first Raku, second Hagi, third Karatsu
"Hagi no nanabake," the seven changes, refers to the way a vessel's color changes as it is used. Water seeps into the fine cracks (kannyu) in the surface, and each change adds a subdued, wabi charm. "First Raku, second Hagi, third Karatsu" is a saying that puts Hagi ware among Japan's finest ceramics. Of its clays, Daido and Kinpo clay are said to be weathered granite that solidified from magma about 100 million years ago.
Source:About Hagi WareOverview of Hagi City: Geography and IndustryMagma and Hagi Ware
Thousand-year fields
On Mishima, a broad expanse of paddies said to have been farmed for more than a thousand years is called Hacchohattan and cherished as the "thousand-year field," showing that farming flourished here since ancient times. The island was formed by eruptions around the time the Sea of Japan was born.
Source:Mishima Island
Hagi Daimyo Procession
At the Hagi Jidai Matsuri, the Hagi daimyo procession, offered since the Edo period at the grand festival of Kanaya Shrine in Tsubaki, parades through the city. Its hallmark is that bearers toss feathered spears to one another with the cry "Isayo-shi," changing hands as they march, and at key points the "zori dance" is performed with sandals before a palanquin set down. Another highlight is "Choshu Ippon-yari," in which a spear about 5.5 m long is wielded with gusto.
Source:Hagi Jidai Matsuri
Cradle of the Meiji Restoration
Hagi calls itself the "cradle of the Meiji Restoration" and, under its "whole town as a museum" plan, treats the whole town as a museum without a roof. Because the castle town's appearance remains, Hagi is also said to be the only place in Japan where an Edo-period map can still be used as is.
FAQ
Where is "Choshu"?
It is another name for the old province of Nagato, which corresponds to the western half of today's Yamaguchi Prefecture. The Mori family's Hagi domain, with its castle at Hagi, was also called the Choshu domain, and the name survives in "Choshu Five." The two provinces together with Suo are called "Bocho."
Is "buchi" dialect in Yamaguchi?
Yes, though it is thought a fairly new word in Yamaguchi speech, used daily to mean "very." It is said to derive from words for rough action, and some residents are said not to realize it is dialect.
What does "Bocho" refer to?
The two provinces of Suo and Nagato together, the Mori family's domain, which roughly matches today's Yamaguchi Prefecture. It joins the "bo" of Suo and the "cho" of Nagato, and is known because the Mori lands were cut to these two provinces after Sekigahara.
Why is a fish called "Kintaro" in Hagi?
It is not known, so the origin is unclear. What is certain is that Kintaro is the local name of the fish known as himeji, a 15 to 20 cm fish that, though not common nationwide, is sold in Hagi supermarkets. "Heitaro" (okihiiragi), often named alongside it as a tavern staple, is thought perhaps to come from its flat body.
Sources & references
- Overview of Hagi City: Emblem, Charter and City Symbols
- Hagi Castle Ruins and Shizuki Park
- About Hagi Ware
- Hagi Okan Road (Cultural Properties of Yamaguchi)
- Tenju-in Mausoleum
- Hagi Okan Road
- Former Residence of Ito Hirobumi
- Choshu (Digital Daijisen)
- Yamaguchi Prefecture | Our Local Dishes
- Senpuku-ji Temple
- Birthplace of Yoshida Toshimaro
- Birthplace of Takasugi Shinsaku
- Birthplace of Shinagawa Yajiro
- Birthplace of Yamada Akiyoshi (Kengi-en)
- Birthplace of Tanaka Giichi
- Inoue Kaoru (Guide to Meiji Restoration Figures No. 13)
- Kintaro (Himeji Goatfish) | Hagi GoChi
- Heitaro (Okihiiragi) | Hagi GoChi
- Hagi's Mafugu Pufferfish | Hagi GoChi
- Hagi's Kensaki Squid | Hagi GoChi
- Hagi's Setsuki Horse Mackerel | Hagi GoChi
- Hagi Tamage Eggplant | Hagi GoChi
- Shirouo (Ice Goby) | Hagi GoChi
- Master the Yamaguchi Dialect
- Omijima Island
- Omijima Island
- Overview of Hagi City: Geography and Industry
- Kasayama, the Small Volcano: Nature and Local Flavors
- Magma and Hagi Ware
- Mishima Island
- Hagi Jidai Matsuri