Kazuyoshi Morita is a big deal. In Japan, the sixty-six year old comedian has been hosting the television show "Waratte Iitomo!" since 1982. Like many famous individuals he is not known by his given name. Rather, he goes by the screen name Tamori. Interestingly, Moritasan writes "Tamori" in the Japanese katakana script. It is, of course, a Japanese name. Yet, he purposely chose not to write it in the native japanese script. Why would this be?
The reason behind Moritasan's choice dates back to the westernization that swept through Japan during the Meiji era (1868-1912). Before this period, Japan had closed its borders to western culture and essentially disconnected itself from the rapid modernization taking place across the globe. When it ended this lengthy divorce, the rapid influx of western culture would serve to develop within Japanese a strong affinity for "all things western". The west became a source of trendiness; it was a rebellion from the older generation's serious, honor-driven philosophy of the past. Katakana, as the source of writing which was created to represent the foreign world, became the literary representation of this idea. With it's sharp, simple characters, katakana stands for everything the detailed, complex Kanji is not: modern, fast, and unburdened by the beliefs of the older-generation.
When Kazuyoshi Morita chose to write his name in katakana he was making a statement: he was famous, and he was cool "now". Understanding the history of Japan reveals the origin of his intent and also offers insight into the future of Japanese culture. This is a country whose decision to create a script for foreign words was symbolic of their intense desire to retain their cultural heritage in the face of outside influence. Sadly, in the end, the seeds of change may have already been sown from within.
なかさんのかいしゃくはとてもおもしろいです。 れきしてきなかいしゃくは言語のけんきゅうにとても大切だと思います。
ReplyDeleteYour interpretation is very interesting. Historical interpretation of language is a useful way to understand the way in which language evolves. I agree with you that katakana is visually modern looking and its usage seem to correlate to modern ideas and break with the past.
おもしろいですね！いろいろな日本人のゆうめいな人はカタカナの名前をつかいます。
ReplyDeleteLots of Japanese celebrities use katakana names. It's interesting to think about why that might be!
Interesting example! Do you think other explanations are possible too? Is the reason you described something Tomorisan himself explained? I would like to know the source of the information.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, Katanaka form is often used for proper nouns to make it look more international and cool. However, sometimes there are other reasons behind the choice too.If you look into the history of Katakana use deeper, you might find something interesting too. There were actually time and situation where Katakana form was used more than Hiragana form before westernization.
Could you also provide a couple of more Katakana examples?
I will look forward to reading your next post!
TA:Chikako Takahashi
This is really interesting -- especially since the source of your analysis is a name. Identity is such a complex issue, and the fact that a person would choose to self-identity through his katakana name rather than his hiragana (or kanji?) name is a choice that does, as you say, seem to have required some definite deliberation. I wonder how much "identity" is personally communicated here -- and am especially thinking in terms of when I choose to use my English vs. Chinese name. Huixin can sometimes be a rather different person than Allison, and I wonder how much that idea would carry over to self-definition via katakana rather than hiragana.
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