Enhancing Imagination through Toponymy

IMAGINING THROUGH TOPONYMS, BY RIO

The essay below was granted permission on December 21, 2021, for publication.

Author: Rio

First-year student at University of Tsukuba

Original title: Discovery through learning the meaning of toponyms

Until I read this essay, I thought that toponyms were derived from topography and climate. But I learned that there are a lot of types of toponyms through this essay and I am interested in it. For instance, toponyms have backgrounds that can reveal something about not only the topography and climate but also the culture and history of an area. Among these, I am interested in toponyms derived from natural disasters. For instance, it is highly likely that there was once a wetland or river flowing through the area or flood plain if there is “sui” (水) in the toponym. These areas are susceptible to damage by natural disasters such as heavy rain and earthquakes. I think that we can take necessary preventive measures for the disasters by learning the backgrounds of the areas. Therefore, it could be said that these toponyms are warnings from predecessors.

Also, I think that the author’s idea that we use our imagination and come up with our own interpretations and stories about the backgrounds of toponyms is interesting. This allows us to see the area from a new point of view. I think that it is a great way to get interested in the area and discover new things about it, so I want to enjoy creating an explanation because I like to use my imagination to think of something. For instance, there is a toponym named
“Oshamappu” (老者舞) in Hokkaido. When I looked at the characters “老者舞“, the idea that old people were enjoying dancing came into mind. I think that many people are healthy even in old age in the area, so perhaps this area is one of the areas with the longest healthy life expectancy. Recently, Japan is facing the problem of a declining birthrate and aging population. Perhaps we can find clues for living in an aging society by researching this area. In addition, there is a toponym named “Mariko” (丸子) in Shizuoka. When I look at the characters “丸子”, I can translate them into English as “round children,” so I imagine that a lot of children in this area eat well. I think that the toponym named “Mariko” is the area where children eat everything, so perhaps there are few picky eaters in this area.

In conclusion, I think that learning the origin of toponyms will lead to a better understanding of the area. In other words, toponyms show hide the characteristics of areas. Furthermore, even if we only know the name of a place, we can guess about the area. I understood that it was interesting to know the backgrounds of the areas and that gave me a new perspective of them. I think that it is not only place-names that convey hidden meanings. Probably the names of foods or plants have backgrounds and hidden implications as well. Imagining their backgrounds could be a chance for me to understand them better. I would like to be curious about the meaning of the names of not only toponyms but also various things.

Work Cited:

• “Timei To Suigai” [Toponyms and flood]. n.d. Web. Kokudokotusho Kokudotiriin [Geospatial
  Information Authority of Japan]. https://www.gsi.go.jp/CHIRIKYOUIKU/kawa_2-7.html . Accessed 15 Oct 2021.