Entering the Kamakura period, according to custom, the eldest son inherited the land of the local lord, and the second son and other sons had to open up new land. When these people arrived in a new place, they gave a place name, which was also regarded as a Miao character. For example, the cultivated land was close to The mountain range was named "Yamamoto" or "Yamada", and the upper reaches near the river were named "Kawakami" or "Ueda". As a result, due to the separation of lords, a large number of Miao characters appeared in place names.
At this time, lower-level samurai also followed the example of their lords and adopted Miao characters. When people reported their families with Miao characters, Japanese surnames gradually expanded. In addition, in order to protect their land, farmers in many villages organized small-scale armed forces. The farmers in these villages also inherited the Miao characters of their ancestors.
Therefore, Japanese people’s surnames can be used to determine the occupations of their ancestors. For example, people with surnames such as Tian, Shan, Ye, and Sichuan basically come from the countryside, while people with surnames such as Tojo, Nanjo, and Sanjo have large ancestors. Most of them live in the city, mostly industrial and commercial people. As for dog breeding, pig breeding and other forms, their ancestors should be livestock farmers.
When the Japanese Kingdom entered the Warring States Period, Japan began to implement the separation of soldiers and peasants, and the division of labor in the armed forces became clearer. The identity system of scholars, farmers, industry and commerce began to be fixed. Due to the strict hierarchy, the problem of Miao characters also emerged, because ordinary people could not use Miao characters casually.
In other words, although civilians at this time inherited the Miao characters of their ancestors, they could not declare their Miao characters in public. The stricter regulations of the Edo period prohibited farmers, fishermen, and industrialists from using Miao characters on official documents such as clan records (similar to registered household registrations) and practice offices. They were only allowed to use their names. However, when ordinary people go to the shrine to pray for blessings, they can report the word Miao to the gods.
After the Meiji Restoration, in order to catch up with the West, Japan actively learned from the West and wanted to integrate with Western countries in many aspects. During the process of modernization, the Japanese government found that it was very inconvenient for civilians to have no surnames but only first names. For example, men are called "Taro" and "Jiro". It's hard to tell which one it is.
Moreover, after Japan launched the national policy of "rich country and strong military", it needed to recruit a large number of soldiers and actively prepare for external expansion. Detailed data was needed for military recruitment, taxation, household registration, etc., so Emperor Meiji promulgated the "Order on the Permission of Civilian Miao Characters", which stipulated that all Japanese civilians who were previously unworthy of having surnames could now have surnames.
It is a pity that ordinary people are basically indifferent to this regulation. After all, surnames have not been required for hundreds of years in the Edo period, and people are accustomed to living with only first names and no surnames. The Meiji government found that the policies introduced had no practical effect, so in 1875, it promulgated the "Ordinance on the Must Calling of Miao Characters", which stipulated that everyone must have a Miao character before their name. Ordinary people began to use the character Miao in front of their names. After that, the character Miao Also known as surname.
Since the law at that time stipulated that there was a certain period for registering household registration, the people at that time could not think of a suitable surname in a short period of time and made up many strange surnames in a hurry. For example, it is strange to use "尻" in the surname "Ejiri", which means buttocks in Chinese!
Also, the surname "Mitarai" has a similar meaning to toilet. Probably the ancestors of this surname washed toilets for nobles! As for "my grandson" and "my wife", surnames like "my grandson" and "my wife" are even more confusing!
Tojiro was naturally very excited when he heard that his family was about to have a surname. At this moment, he felt as if he was also a noble! So he asked eagerly: "What is my last name? What should my last name be?"
The pirates and the Wu'an Army soldiers sitting behind the table exchanged a few words in Chinese. Tojiro couldn't understand and could only look back and forth between the two men with eager eyes. Then the Wu'an Army soldier spoke, but he still couldn't understand. He could only look at the pirate with pleading eyes, hoping that he could help translate.
The pirate turned his head and said loudly: "My brother said it. You are the first person to come up with a surname. According to the surnames of Zhao, Qian, Sun and Li among the hundreds of family names, your surname will be Zhao from now on!"
Hearing this, Tojiro rubbed his hands vigorously and murmured: "My surname is Zhao, my surname is Zhao! My name is Zhao Tojiro!"
The pirate was furious when he heard this and said loudly: "You are a bitch, what the hell is Zhao Tojiro! That's the name of a Japanese pirate, change it to another one."
Zhao Tojiro was awakened from his sweet dream, and he bowed repeatedly and said: "Yes, yes! It's just that I don't know how to name it, so I ask an adult to help me come up with a name!"
The pirate briefly talked to the soldier again.
After the sentence, he turned around and said: "My brother said that from now on you will be called Zhao Teng. As for the word Teng, it means that I hope you can fly thousands of miles. It is a good name! Don't mention Tengjiro's name again in the future. Remember, you will be called Zhao Teng from now on." They are Han Chinese!"
Tojiro and Zhao Teng immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed and said: "Two adults, I would like to ask you one thing. My mother-in-law does not have a surname. Can you give her a surname and help them name their mother and daughter?" !」
The pirate cursed and said, "Why are there so many things? It doesn't matter whether a woman has a last name or not!"
But Zhao Teng thought this was a big deal, so he just lay on the ground and kowtowed. The Wu'an Army soldier raised his head and asked the pirate a few questions before he said, "My brother said it. Let's go down according to the surnames of the hundreds of families. Your mother-in-law will be named Qian in the future! By the way, what is her name?"
Zhao Teng immediately said: "His name is Zhizi!"
The pirate immediately took matters into his own hands and said, "Then just call her Qian Zhi from now on! What's your daughter's name?"
Tojiro said: "My daughter has no name and is always called girl."
The pirate said directly: "Then let's call her Zhao Lamei, the same name as my daughter."
When Zhao Teng heard this, he kowtowed repeatedly, and even his mother-in-law and daughter kowtowed together in great joy. The pirates and soldiers clearly stated their names and then turned around and said, "Stand up. From now on, you are Han people and you cannot kowtow casually. When you go to Han land in the future, you must learn Chinese and learn more Han people's rules."
Zhou Teng stood up immediately and pulled his child up, but he still bowed repeatedly to express his gratitude. Then the soldier handed over a document, and the pirate handed it to him and said: "This is your document. You will need to take this for naturalization when you arrive in Han Dynasty. Don't lose it before naturalization. Now get on the ship!"
Zhou Teng asked cautiously: "Sir, I still have a lot of things at home. Can you go back and pack them up?"
The pirate stared and said, "What good things can you have in your house? I'm a poor guy, so I wouldn't hesitate to rob him! And we've robbed all the surrounding areas. You might not have anything at home, so just get on the ship." When you arrive in Han Dynasty, there will naturally be things distributed to you."
