武蔵

Japanese

Kanji in this term
武	蔵
む Grade: 5	さし Grade: 6
jūbakoyomi

Alternative spelling
武藏 (kyūjitai)

Etymology 1

/muzasi/ → /musaɕi/

From Old Japanese. Attested in the Kojiki spelled phonetically in man'yōgana as 无耶志 (Muzashi).

Ultimate derivation unknown. One theory is based on an earlier placename, 身狭 (Musa), which was apparently divided into upper 身狭上 (Musa-gami) and lower 身狭下 (Musa-shimo) portions, roughly corresponding to the later provinces of 相模 (Sagami) and 武蔵 (Musashi). The modern name Sagami then arose as a corruption of Musa-gami, while Musashi derived from Musa-shimo. However, this may be only a folk etymology.

A separate theory suggests that Musashi derives from an old Ainu borrowing.^[1] Linguist Alexander Vovin derives this from ムンサリ (mun-sar-i) or ムンサリヒ (mun-sar-ihi, “weed-marsh-[possessive suffix]”), hypothetical Ainu forms that would mean "marsh/wetland of (i.e. belonging to) weeds/inedible or otherwise useless plants," and Musashi sits in the middle of the Kantō Plain.^[2] However, John Batchelor's 1905 Ainu dictionary and grammar includes no mention of a possessive suffix -i or -ihi.^[3] Another possible Ainu source could be ムンサシㇼ (mun sa shir, “nettle plain land”).^[3]

The kanji spelling 武藏 probably first appeared in the Wamyō Ruijushō of 938 CE, but that origin is also unknown.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [mɯ̟sa̠ɕi]

Proper noun

武(む)蔵(さし) • (Musashi)

Musashi Province: a region of old Japan consisting of modern-day Tokyo, Saitama, and Kanagawa prefectures.
a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II (see Japanese battleship Musashi on Wikipedia.Wikipedia ) (Should we delete⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)
a place name
a surname
a female given name

Synonyms

武(ぶ)州(しゅう) (Bushū)

Etymology 2

Various nanori readings.

Proper noun

武蔵(たけくら) • (Takekura)

a surname

武蔵(たけぞう) • (Takezō)

a surname
a male given name (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)

武蔵(ぶぞう) • (Buzō)

a male given name (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)

武蔵(むぞう) • (Muzō)

a surname

References

^ Alexander Vovin (2009) "Strange words in the Man'yoshū and the Fudoki and the distribution of the Ainu language in the Japanese islands in prehistory"
^ Alexander Vovin (2008). "Man'yōshū to Fudoki ni Mirareru Fushigina Kotoba to Jōdai Nihon Retto ni Okeru Ainu-go no Bunpu". Kokusai Nihon Bunka Kenkyū Sentā.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 John Batchelor (1905) An Ainu-English-Japanese dictionary (including a grammar of the Ainu language)‎^[1], Tokyo, London: Methodist Publishing House; Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner Co.

[1] Alexander Vovin (2009) "Strange words in the Man'yoshū and the Fudoki and the distribution of the Ainu language in the Japanese islands in prehistory"

[2] Alexander Vovin (2008). "Man'yōshū to Fudoki ni Mirareru Fushigina Kotoba to Jōdai Nihon Retto ni Okeru Ainu-go no Bunpu". Kokusai Nihon Bunka Kenkyū Sentā.

[AEJ-3] 3.0 ^3.1 John Batchelor (1905) An Ainu-English-Japanese dictionary (including a grammar of the Ainu language)‎^[1], Tokyo, London: Methodist Publishing House; Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner Co.

[1]

[2]

[3]