Yamaguchi's Local Names: Saiban, Post Stations, Shiawasemasu
Say just "Yamaguchi" and the accent tells you whether you mean the prefecture or the city. Yamaguchi's local names run from Edo-period saiban districts and ancient post stations to shiawasemasu, a word born in Hofu, and they keep a fine texture of everyday life.
Local names for Shimonoseki and the Kanmon area, and for Hagi and Nagato, belong to the regional articles for those places; this one looks at names and sayings that run across the whole prefecture. It follows the districts beneath the domain, ancient roads and stations, old ways of naming streets, and the words people use.
The names here are only ones that dictionaries or prefectural, city and tourism sources can confirm. How people actually speak differs by area and generation, so usage the sources do not describe is left out.
Districts under the domain, and a domain seat that moved: saiban, Hagi and Yamaguchi
Saiban were the intendant districts the Choshu domain set up to govern its villages: ten in Suo and eight in Nagato. The domain seat moved from Hagi to Yamaguchi in 1864.
Saiban (宰判)
The Edo-period Choshu domain set up saiban as units for governing its villages, each the area of an intendant. Suo Province had ten: Oshima, Okuyamashiro, Maeyamashiro, Kaminoseki, Kumage, Tsuno, Mitajiri, Tokuji, Yamaguchi and Ogori. Nagato had eight: Okuabu, Tojima, Hamasaki, Mine, Funaki, Yoshida, Maeotsu and Sakiotsu. Many match present-day place names, and Yamaguchi, Mitajiri, Kaminoseki and Mine are still used today as city, town and port names.
Source:Suo Province (Historical Place-Name Dictionary / World Encyclopedia / Nipponica)Nagato Province (Historical Place-Name Dictionary / World Encyclopedia / Yamakawa)
From Hagi to Yamaguchi (萩から山口へ)
After Sekigahara the Mori family was cut down to the two provinces of Suo and Nagato, gave up its base at Hiroshima Castle, and built a castle and castle town at Hagi. The domain seat moved to Yamaguchi in 1864, and after the abolition of the domains in 1871 Yamaguchi Prefecture came into being. The seat of government shifted from Hagi to Yamaguchi within the domain's own history.
Source:Nagato Province (Historical Place-Name Dictionary / World Encyclopedia / Yamakawa)
Between San'yo and San'in: names of roads and stations
Suo and Nagato were both provinces of the ancient San'yo Circuit, and a small road across the north once linked the San'in and San'yo roads. The name of Habu on the San'yo Line also appears among the post stations of the ancient San'yo road.
San'yo road (山陽道)
Under the ancient legal system both Suo and Nagato belonged to the San'yo Circuit. The official road ran along the Inland Sea coast and, in Nagato, passed through the post stations of Atami, Asa, Habu and Takuga to reach the Rinmon station in what is now Chofu, Shimonoseki.
Source:Suo Province (Historical Place-Name Dictionary / World Encyclopedia / Nipponica)Nagato Province (Historical Place-Name Dictionary / World Encyclopedia / Yamakawa)
Small road from San'in
A small road joining the San'in road from Iwami to the San'yo road passed ten post stations, written 小川, 宅佐, 阿武, 埴田, 参美, 三隅, 由宇, 意福, 鹿野 and 阿津, before merging at Asa station. Takasa (宅佐) and Ofuku (意福) are among the names whose readings the sources give and that are hard to guess from the spelling. Misumi is written the same as today's Misumi in Nagato, and Sanmi, though written 参美, is read the same as Hagi's Sanmi (三見).
Source:Nagato Province (Historical Place-Name Dictionary / World Encyclopedia / Yamakawa)List of Hagi administrative districts with readingsJapan Post postal code search: Nagato, Yamaguchi
Habu (埴生)
Habu Station on the JR San'yo Line is read Habu. The characters look as though they should be Hanyu, but the station name is Habu. The name also appears among the post stations of the ancient San'yo road.
Source:Habu station information (JR-Odekake.net)Nagato Province (Historical Place-Name Dictionary / World Encyclopedia / Yamakawa)
Old ways of naming streets: Hana-no-cho and Chofu
Shimonoseki's 岬之町 is read hana, not misaki. In Chofu's street names, 侍町 ends in machi while 古城町 ends in cho, even within one district.
Hana-no-cho and Akama-cho (岬之町・赤間町)
Shimonoseki's street names keep old ways of speaking. 岬之町 uses hana for "cape" instead of misaki, giving Hana-no-cho. In Akama-cho, the name Akama lives on as a street name.
Source:Akamagaseki (Historical Place-Name Dictionary / Yamakawa / World Encyclopedia)Japan Post postal code search: Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi
Samurai-machi and Kojo-cho (長府の侍町・古城町)
Chofu was the site of the provincial capital of Nagato in ancient times and the base of the Chofu domain in the Edo period. Its street names include 侍町 and 古城町, which suggest a castle town. 侍町 is read Samurai-machi and 古城町 Kojo-cho, so even within Chofu the ending splits between machi and cho.
Source:Japan Post postal code search: Shimonoseki, YamaguchiNagato Province (Historical Place-Name Dictionary / World Encyclopedia / Yamakawa)
Yamaguchi words: shiawasemasu, Yamaguchi and waya
Shiawasemasu means 'I am glad', and Hofu adds 'happiness increases'. Yamaguchi's accent tells prefecture from city, and waya is explained as a change from the classical word 枉惑.
Shiawasemasu (幸せます)
A Yamaguchi word meaning 'I am glad' or 'that helps,' used as in "if you could do it, shiawasemasu." Hofu City adds the sense 'happiness increases' and sells 'shiawasemasu goods' at shops and along the approach to Hofu Tenmangu.
Yamaguchi (ヤマグチ)
With ken or shi added, "Yamaguchi-ken" and "Yamaguchi-shi" take standard accent, but when someone says only "Yamaguchi," the accent distinguishes prefecture from city. The same spelling names two places to the ear.
Waya (わや)
Waya is Yamaguchi dialect for "a mess." The Yamaguchi Prefectural Tourism Federation's dialect guide explains it as a change from the classical word 枉惑 (owaku) by way of wayaku. Following small sound changes shows an old word surviving in everyday speech.
FAQ
What is a saiban?
It was an administrative unit that the Edo-period Choshu domain set up to govern its villages, the area under an intendant. Suo had 10 and Nagato 8, and many names, such as Yamaguchi, Mitajiri, Kaminoseki, Mine, Funaki and Yoshida, connect to present-day place names.
What happened to Suo and Nagato after the domains were abolished?
In 1871, when the domains were abolished, the former Choshu territory was divided into prefectures such as Yamaguchi, Toyoura and Kiyosue, but all were merged into Yamaguchi Prefecture at the end of that year.
How are the ancient station names read?
The reference works give readings for only some, such as Sanmi (参美), Takasa (宅佐), Ofuku (意福) and Misumi (三隅). Readings for the others are not given, and even a spelling that matches a present-day place name does not guarantee the same reading.
Sources & references
- Suo Province (Historical Place-Name Dictionary / World Encyclopedia / Nipponica)
- Nagato Province (Historical Place-Name Dictionary / World Encyclopedia / Yamakawa)
- List of Hagi administrative districts with readings
- Japan Post postal code search: Nagato, Yamaguchi
- Habu station information (JR-Odekake.net)
- Akamagaseki (Historical Place-Name Dictionary / Yamakawa / World Encyclopedia)
- Japan Post postal code search: Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi
- Yamaguchi dialect guide (Oidemase Yamaguchi)