TOYAMA – Bountiful Mountain 富山県
“Toyama” first appeared in writing as early as 1398. At the time, the kanji characters were 外山 meaning “Outer Mountain.” The document was a donation letter for a Buddhist temple named Kanshoji (観勝寺). It was from a Yoshimi Clan samurai retainer (吉見詮頼) addressed to the local steward of Toyama hamlet in Etchu Province (Toyama Prefecture’s old province) where the temple was.
Toyama hamlet was located on the eastern foot of Kureha Hills (呉羽丘陵) in present-day Toyama city. With respect to the Etchu Province governor’s office located in the port area in present-day Hojozumachi, Imizu, Toyama hamlet was beyond Kureha Hills or “outside the mountains.”
The origin of the Toyama name centers on when and how the kanji character for “To” was changed from 外 (outside or outer) to the current 富 meaning abundant or rich.
The Toyama kanji characters 富山 used today first appeared during the 15th to 16th centuries. During the Edo Period, both 外山 and 富山 were used for “Toyama,” but by the early 17th century, the 富山 kanji characters became the norm.
Other theories for the origin of the Toyama name:
・Refers to the abundant mountains of the Tateyama mountain range.
・Morphed from a place named Fujiiyama 藤居山 and Buddhist temple named Fusenji (富山寺).
・When Toyama Castle was built, the kanji characters were changed from 外山 to 富山 to have a more auspicious meaning.
Old province name: Etchu-no-Kuni (越中国)
Source: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%AF%8C%E5%B1%B1%E5%B8%82
*The AI-generated image is for illustrative purposes only and may not accurately depict any particular place in the prefecture.
Origin of other prefectural names (etymologies)
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