THE ETYMOLOGY OF UZUMASA

The chieftain of the Hada tribe was called by the name of Uzumasa-no-Kimi, or the "Prince of Uzumasa." An interpretation of the word "Uzumasa" appears in the Nihonshoki. When the Hadas first arrived in Japan with all the tool of their trade of weaving, and presented their gifts to the Emperor, rolls of woven silk cloth piled up in heaps. And because the word in Ancient Japanese "to pile up" was "Uzumori-Masaru," people began to use it in referring to the colony where the Hadas lived. Eventually the name was transferred to the chiefs of the tribe. Of course the derivation of this apellation is pure speculation, albeit logical, and may well be a creation of the writers who compiled the Nihonshoki.

The most famous scholar in the Edo era, Motoori Norinaga (1730 - 1801) maintained that the origin of the word was uncertain and thus evaded the question. The word has been a puzzle to Japanese people even from the time of the Nihonshoki.

The author is of the opinion that the word "Uzumasa" is one of the many words that are of foreign origin. There are likewise numerous nouns in Japan which are of foreign origin shishi (lion), budo (grape), ruri (ruby), zo (elephant), maro (nobleman) etc. The last word, for instance, is derived from the Syriac "mar," whichmeans "lord" or "excellency."

Dr. Yoshiro Saeki supposed that the ethnic origin of the~ word "Uzumasa" was the Aramaic words "Yeshu Meshiach" which is, "Jesus Messiah" in English. When Christianity was first brought to the East countries of India, Persia, and Central Asia, the Syriac Bible was used. Naturally many words from this Bible were absorbed into the local languages.