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by lyndon_9469 on September 10th, 2004

lyndon_9469

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Was Japan ever known by another name to its residents or to anyone else?

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  • by mister_c on September 12th, 2004

    mister_c

    Actually Japan is merely the Western name for the country, brought back by Portuguese traders in the 16th century, by way of Marco Polo's "Cipangu".

    Japan is known to its inhabitants as Nippon or Nihon, literally translated as "the origin of the sun" and historically mistranslated as "the land of the rising sun". It was originally known as Yamato, named after the ruling clan, which predominately denoted the province of Western Honshu* where Japanese civilisation began and where the early capitals were located.

    Nippon is the more formal name, used for official purposes and by older Japanese. Nihon is more informal and is used by the majority of Japanese. The nation's official name is Nihonkoku, or "the State of Japan".

    * Japan is a series of islands—the group consists of over 3000 islands of which 600 are inhabited. The four main islands are Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan

    http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0038497.html

    http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+3975

    http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/ANCJAPAN/ANJAPAN1.HTM

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