Why is Japan called the Land of the Rising Sun?
Japan is often called " the land of the rising sun ." In Japanese, the country is called Nihon (Nippon). Nihon and Japan both come from the same words; they literally mean "where the sun rises."
Marco Polo, the Italian trader and explorer, introduced Japan to the Western world during the 13th century. He never actually traveled to Japan, but instead went to southern China. There, people told him about Japan. For the people of southern China, where Marco Polo had traveled, Japan lies in the direction where the sun rises. Therefore, people called it Ji-pang or Zu-pang, which can be translated as "the origin of the sun," meaning the place where the sun originates. The Japanese write 日本 to represent the country of Japan in Japanese. It is pronounced Nippon or Nihon.
The story of how the Chinese began calling Japan Ji-pang or Zu-pang (written as 日本) is not over. To be more precise, towards the end of the 6th century (the exact year is unknown), the Japanese government began calling the country Nihon. Until the 7th century, Japan was called "Wa" or "Yamato" using the Chinese character 倭.
When the Japanese government sent a sovereign message to the Chinese government around the beginning of the 7th century, it used a term similar to "the land where the sun rises." The Japanese government changed the country's name from Wa (Yamato) to Nihon (Nippon) in the early 8th century. Interestingly, the Japanese took the Chinese government and their thoughts into consideration when naming the country, perhaps to show their respect for the Chinese, as Japan is located where the sun rises for the Chinese, not the Japanese.
The national flag of Japan is called the "Rising Sun Flag." The Japanese flag with the sun in the center was first used in the early 7th century. However, the color scheme on the flag is said to have been different from what it is today. The original color scheme was a yellow sun and a red background. Toward the end of the Edo period, this flag was flown on ships to indicate nationality. It was later used in many other places.
Although it has a very long history, the Rising Sun Flag only became the national flag of Japan in 1999!
Marco Polo, the Italian trader and explorer, introduced Japan to the Western world during the 13th century. He never actually traveled to Japan, but instead went to southern China. There, people told him about Japan. For the people of southern China, where Marco Polo had traveled, Japan lies in the direction where the sun rises. Therefore, people called it Ji-pang or Zu-pang, which can be translated as "the origin of the sun," meaning the place where the sun originates. The Japanese write 日本 to represent the country of Japan in Japanese. It is pronounced Nippon or Nihon.
The story of how the Chinese began calling Japan Ji-pang or Zu-pang (written as 日本) is not over. To be more precise, towards the end of the 6th century (the exact year is unknown), the Japanese government began calling the country Nihon. Until the 7th century, Japan was called "Wa" or "Yamato" using the Chinese character 倭.
When the Japanese government sent a sovereign message to the Chinese government around the beginning of the 7th century, it used a term similar to "the land where the sun rises." The Japanese government changed the country's name from Wa (Yamato) to Nihon (Nippon) in the early 8th century. Interestingly, the Japanese took the Chinese government and their thoughts into consideration when naming the country, perhaps to show their respect for the Chinese, as Japan is located where the sun rises for the Chinese, not the Japanese.
The national flag of Japan is called the "Rising Sun Flag." The Japanese flag with the sun in the center was first used in the early 7th century. However, the color scheme on the flag is said to have been different from what it is today. The original color scheme was a yellow sun and a red background. Toward the end of the Edo period, this flag was flown on ships to indicate nationality. It was later used in many other places.
Although it has a very long history, the Rising Sun Flag only became the national flag of Japan in 1999!
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