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3x3
19th December 2014, 01:36
Hi,
I am wanting to name a new dojo. There are a few front-runners and I thought I would get some opinions from the experienced souls on this forum. I know how easy it is to mess up and put Japanese words together that just don't belong together! The successful candidate would of course be suffixed by the word dojo.
1) San Maru 三 円 (three circles)
2) San Ryu 三 流 (three rivers)
3) Enso Kissaki 円相 切っ先 (the point of the sword and the zen circle)
4) Maru Sankaku Shikaku 円 三角 四角(circle, triangle, square)
5) Kita Mizumi 北 湖 (North Lake)

I would very much appreciate any and all feedback, especially with regards to how wierd or otherwise it would sound to a native speaker of Japanese.
Best regards to all,
Peter Hills

Senshido
19th December 2014, 15:43
Hi Peter,

In Japan, it is common to use your own name... Hills dojo :)

Brian Owens
21st December 2014, 07:18
What are the "connections" or "connotations" of the names? For example, is your proposed dojo located in an area known as Northlake or similar? Are there three rivers nearby? Numbers 3 and 4 seem odd to me, but I don't know the context. One problem with San Ryu is that "ryu" can mean river, but also "school" or "style" in a martial arts context, which could be confusing.

And advantage of "Three Circles Dojo" is that there are Japanese kamon ("family crests") with such themes that could be adopted as your dojo's logo, and kimono and other items can be bought from Japan bearing that logo that could be used as decorative items for your school. See: https://x181.secure.ne.jp/~x181007/kamon/shop/90152.html and https://x181.secure.ne.jp/~x181007/kamon/shop/42303.html and https://x181.secure.ne.jp/~x181007/kamon/shop/4443.html as examples.

As for the language, I could be wrong but I think in this case "Three Circles" would be Mitsumaru, not Sanmaru. (Think of automaker Mitsubishi: "Three Diamonds.")

Hope this helps.

3x3
22nd December 2014, 00:39
Thank you very much for your input Brian and Iain, very appreciative!

Mitsumaru definitely would be the correct form I think, as you said, like mitsubishi and also mitsudomoe comes to mind too.

Mitsumaru does have the right vibe. Thank you!

Yours in Budo also!

gendzwil
22nd December 2014, 15:34
Just be aware that the kanji you wrote actually means 3 yen, not 3 circles.

Since you don't speak Japanese, why are you insistent on a Japanese name for your club?

I note that in Canada where almost all kendo clubs have a Japanese instructor or a Japanese supervising instructor, most are simply named after their location. Vancouver Kendo Club, Calgary Kendo Club, etc.

Tripitaka of AA
22nd December 2014, 21:49
Please find a native speaker (one with a suitably advanced education in the language) before making any decisions. If yo are planning on getting a tattoo to go with it, then make sure to ask more than one source.

jsp
7th March 2015, 22:44
sorry to kick this topic

some names you might like

how about asahi 朝日? - rising sun/morning sun.

nintai 忍耐 - ninja endurance

bushido - 武士道 - way of the warrior

Mitchy
14th May 2018, 22:09
I would always keep the marketing aspect in mind when looking for a name. Include the name of your town, region or area with your name and think about a possible domain name and its availability in mind. The nicest dojo title is less valuable if you can't have a good domain name.