Densho Digital Archive - Ujinobu Niwa Interview (denshovh-nujinobu-01-0003)

<Begin Segment 3>

KL: So I noticed a similarity between your father's name and your name and your brother's name.

UN: Yes.

KL: Do you know anything about the meaning of your names?

UN: Yes. My father was from upper class in Japan, and to designate who's gonna be the next heir, the firstborn sons all took the Uji name. And since he was the firstborn, his name is Ujio. And then I was born, and he gave me my name, Ujinobu. And then my brother's name is Ujiaki. But since my brother was a second son, his heir will not be the head of the family, so his son is not called Uji. But my son, my father named him Ujihiro. And Ujihiro, my son is currently a professor at Emerson College in Boston. And now, with that tradition, his son is called Ujitsugu. I gave him that Ujitsugu name. But it's been doing that for a hundred something years.

KL: Who named you, your father?

UN: My father. But in our family, we have a little booklet that's been coming down hundreds of years. And we get the kanji out of this book. So to keep up the tradition, when my grandson was born, I went to that book and I got the kanji and gave the, my grandson his name. Ujitsugu means, "tsugu" means to continue. So I named him because I want the name to continue.

KL: But his name is Ujihiro?

UN: My son's name is Ujihiro.

KL: Oh, I see, sorry.

UN: And he was named by my father.

KL: Is that, do other families also use Uji, or is that unique to yours?

UN: Well, in the old days, at eighteen, in the Japanese tradition, that's when they were given the sword. And that's when, in my family, anybody that's Uji becomes Kinjuro. My grandfather's name is Kinjuro, until he became eighteen he was Uji something. But these are very ancient traditions. And the Asians do this so that there's no mistakes about who's gonna be the head of the family.

KL: Did other families also use Uji to designate that?

UN: No. In fact, you know, the kanji for uji is only used by upper-class families.

KL: What is, is there a translation of it into English concepts or words?

UN: You've got to ask my father. [Laughs] Since my mother was a Japanese school teacher, and at one time I was proficient. In fact, I worked for Unical Research, and when we had Japanese guests come over, I acted as an interpreter at times.