In general, people generally use abbreviations when referring to a country.
For example, China, the United States, Japan and so on. As sons and daughters of China, we are of course familiar with the full name of our country: the People's Republic of China.
But the full name of our maritime neighbor, Japan, may not be fully known. I believe that many people have seen the anti-Japanese theme of the TV series, in the drama of the Japanese officers are usually very proud to call their country as "Great Japanese Empire", but now this title in addition to appearing on the screen, it seems that it is rarely heard in real life.
Japan's full name today is "Japan", which is due to the fact that as a defeated country during World War II, it had to change back to a relatively low-key name, so how did the word "Japan" come from?
Originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty
The origins of Japan and China first appear in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, but because there are many exaggerated descriptions and mythological descriptions in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, they are not enough to be very credible.
The historical record of Japan can be traced back to the time of Emperor Wu of Han, when Japan traveled far to the Han Dynasty, the envoys who came were all small in stature, and after Liu Xiu, the Emperor of Han, saw the figure of the comers and learned that they came from the island country, he named Japan at that time "Uighur Kingdom".
During the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the word "倭" was only an adjective to describe the characteristics, and did not mean to be derogatory. This history is supported by cultural relics: although the golden seal of the "King of the Han Dynasty" was unearthed in Japan, it was actually made in the Han Dynasty, and it is likely that it was rewarded by Emperor Wu of Han when the Japanese envoys went to the Han Dynasty.
The gold seal was a symbol of the king's power, but due to civil unrest in the Wokou Dynasty, the golden seal was accidentally lost until it was excavated.
Dissatisfied with the Wo, he changed his name to Japan
As for why it was later renamed from "Uighur" to "Japan", various theories vary, but most of the historical records record that the name change period was China's Sui and Tang Dynasties, but in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Japanese were still short in stature, and even said to be the trough of height.
The main reason for its height is still nutritional problems, in the fourth and fifth centuries AD, the Japanese still retain the habit of eating meat, and like to eat tofu high-protein food, under the condition of balanced nutrition, the average height of Japanese people is also growing, reaching about one meter six three.
But then Buddhism was introduced to Japan, the habit of eating vegetarianism became popular, and the princes and nobles regarded vegetarian food as a symbol of purity and self-discipline, while eating meat was dirty and vulgar, and so it continued from generation to generation, and the average height of Japanese people continued to decrease.
Later, in the Edo period, eating meat was even banned. There are two origins of "Japan" recorded in the New Book of Tang: it is said that during the Sui and Tang dynasties, the word "倭" already had a discriminatory and degrading meaning, and the Japanese, after learning Chinese, thought that the name was not very elegant, so they applied to be renamed "Japan", that is, the place where the sun first rose.
There is also a theory that the Japanese state was a small country that was annihilated by the Uighur state, and later the Uighur state usurped the name "Japan". However, a third theory appears in the "History of Justice", in which Zhang Shoujie records that "Japan" is the name given by Wu Zetian.
It is said that during the reign of Wu Zetian, the Japanese envoys called themselves "Yakita" or "Wakoku" when they met him, and according to the pronunciation, we can also find that "many" is actually the Japanese pronunciation of "Yamato Nation" in "Harmony", and Wu Zetian gave a new name "Japan" for the sake of convenience.
Self-proclaimed "Empire of Japan"
By the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Japan's national strength had increased, so it was dissatisfied with China's title of "occupying" China, because "China" means "heavenly kingdom" and "thick soil in the Central Plains", which sounds like a great power.
By the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Japan's dissatisfaction with China had become increasingly strong, and some Japanese thinkers even claimed that only places where civilization and etiquette prevailed could obtain the honorific title of "China".
The Qing Dynasty was founded by ethnic minorities, and Japan, as a bystander, naturally believed that the land of the Central Plains had been occupied by the thieves of the chaotic courtiers, and could not bear the title of "China" at all.
Since the official establishment of the country, Japan has indeed continued the rule of the emperor, and it can be said that it has never changed hands from beginning to end, so they believe that the title of "China" is not as qualified as Japan.
Around 1870, after the end of the Meiji Restoration in Japan, many new ideas in the West prevailed, when Japanese envoys came to the Qing Empire.
He wanted to establish diplomatic relations with the Qing Dynasty in accordance with Western etiquette, but when he signed the agreement, he arbitrarily changed the China in the regulations to "QingGuo", and the Qing officials' representatives immediately revised it after discovering it.
From Japan's point of view, "Qingguo" and "China" in the Tang Dynasty are fundamentally two different things, "Qingguo" is not qualified to be called "China" at all, the two sides are deadlocked, but the treaty is halfway through, it can not be dragged on like this, and finally only the two sides can take a step back, the chinese side of the text of the regulations according to China's self-designation, while the Japanese document is still listed as "Qingguo".
In the second industrial revolution, Japan, with its excellent innovation ability, the economy flourished, its national strength increased rapidly, and Japan's ambitions gradually emerged, and it began a process of continuous aggression and expansion.
The Japanese invasion in 1871 was directed at Russia, and this victory deserves to go down in history, because there are only a few events in history in which the yellow race invaded the territory of the white race and won a complete victory, and after this victory, the Japanese Empire began to be known to the world.
After entering the 20th century, Japanese capitalism ushered in a new stage of rapid development, comprehensive national strength into the forefront of the world, while the ambitions of the Japanese Empire also expanded at a high speed, the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, and the signing of the "Maguan Treaty" accelerated China's semi-colonization process, and Japan also tasted a jump shot in this great victory, a large amount of reparations can support the Japanese economy to continue to take off, and gained control of northeast China and Korea.
After the defeat, it was renamed "Japan" in a low profile.
In 1937, Japan began a full-scale war of aggression against China, the so-called "holy war", which obviously touched the interests of the United States, until Japan sneaked into Pearl Harbor in the United States, completely angered the United States, and finally Japan, as a defeated country in World War II, was forced to change the high-profile title of "Great Japanese Empire". The name of the country was changed to "Japan" and continues to this day.
As we all know, Japan's "emperor" has always existed, and it also has certain political rights and symbolic significance, but as for why Japan has now removed the word "emperor" from the name of the country, I think it may be because the word is stained with too much blood and darkness.
References: Sui and Tang Dynasty History, Zhaozi China, Hub
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