The Names of Peasants/Farmers etc.

[Wundai]

Yes thats right a question for the history Buffs

Now I have read somewhere that Peasants/Farmers/Village People in the Samurai Era's didn't actually have names of their own, they were all called after their Profession, the only people that really had names were the Samurai themselves and other people of "Noble Blood".

To what extend is this true?

I must admit I read this in a book that could have romantisized Japan and its culture a bit too much but it got me curious anyway ( to start a discussion that is Not read through 20 pages of Wikipedia )

[Taneda Santôka]

<click me

[Juggernaut]

In pre-modern Japan, the Samurais, in essence, had 3 names.
The surname, the common name, and the real name.
So for Takeda Taro Harunobu(Shingen), Takeda is the surname(myo-ji), Taro the common name(tsu-sho) and Harunobu is the real name(imi-na).
Tsu-sho is the name that is used to refer someone in private, and imi-na was used only on documents(apparently saying someones imi-na was considered bad omen).
The peasants only had 2 names, the myo-ji and the tsu-sho.
They usually took their myo-ji from their village's name, their local landscape, their profession etc.
In Edo jidai, peasants(except land owners) were banned from naming their myo-ji in public.
However, as long as they didn't name their myo-ji in public they were free to keep it, and so they kept it.
It is also doubtful how much this law had a effect anyway, since many temple donations lists from that period has peasants writing their name with their myo-ji.

[Wundai]

Taneda: Why you!!

Juggernaut: Thank you This clears it all up, now one more for you if you would be so kind

I have also read that the lowest class in Japan ( I unfortunatly do not know the name) was considered outcasts, and were avoided by all other classes. From what I've read it was even considered terrible to even look at people from that class for Samurai. Any idea how much of this is true?

(off-topic)P.S. Jug could you respond to the mail I send you

[Juggernaut]

Well, I'm not a professional, but this is what I know.
There was a social class called Sen-min(vile people).
The members of that class were called E-ta(the very tainted) and Hi-nin(non-man).
E-ta were the people who buried the dead, slaughtered the animals and made leather, and their origin could be traced back to Nara jidai.
Hi-nin were beggers, former criminals and vagabonds outside of standard social class.

Those kind of things(dealing with dead animals and the like) were considered very sinful and spiritually filthy in Japanese culture, and while these jobs were important and economically they were pretty well-off, they were treated as the lowest of lowest, living away from commoners and forming their own community in the country side, and they sort of treated like the untouchables of India.
Even after the end of Edo jidai and the disappearence of feudal class system, the descendants of Sen-min were still treated discriminately and the problem regarding them still exists even now.

As for your mail, that was my bad.
I've forgotten about it.
I'll write a reply tonight.

[Wundai]

Thanks very interesting indeed, even more when I see that not all books I read are "off" on reality
Fact And Fiction being seperated.

About the mail no problem and thanks for the reply, I can continue with the Patrolmen's Office Now