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TAKENOUCHI DOCUMENTS BOOK III: Chapter 1

 

American Indians used the Japanese language!

 

In ultra ancient times, the Japanese language was a universal language

Many historians believe that there was a close relationship between the Japanese and the Jews in ancient times. Some historians even suggest that the Japanese are the descendents of the lost ten tribes3 of Israel who disappeared when the Kingdom of Israel perished. Languages similarities between Japanese and Hebrew may be convincing evidence that the Japanese and Jews have common ancestral origins.

Let me show you some examples. Japanese people say 'Koruyoda' (like freezing) when talking about very cold temperatures. In Hebrew, it is 'Koru'. 'Naku (to cry) in Japanese is 'Hanaku' in Hebrew, and 'Hakushu' (to applaud) in Japanese is 'Hakashu' in Hebrew. I found many words with the same sound and meaning, which may not be a coincidence. Good morning in Japanese is 'Ohayo' and in Hebrew 'Boketofu'. These two words do not appear to be close, but if you imagine that 'Boketeru' is derived from 'Neboke' (half asleep in the morning), it is very close. So, there appears to be some link between the two languages.

If these similarities are not by chance, which language influenced the other? In other words was it Hebrew that adopted Japanese or vice versa? How about the relationship between Japan and Israel then? Unless we clarify which language existed earlier, it would be difficult to talk about which country influenced the other. But a clear answer is found in the Takenouchi Documents, which convey the history of ultra ancient times. The Takenouchi Documents clearly state that all races on earth are the descendents of the Sumera-Mikoto; that ancient Japan was the parent nation of all other nations; and that the Sumera-Mikoto appointed Mittoson (a king of a nation) to be a regional ruler in other countries. If this is true, Japanese words which existed in those days would have spread around the world. The Japanese language was a standard language in ultra ancient times. It was however gradually transformed into another language due to repeated Tenpenchii (convulsion of heaven and earth) and the loss of power of the Sumera-Mikoto, which resulted in the loss of the original Japanese language. Many world legends say that humans in olden times used one language. This is a historical fact. One of the most famous episodes is 'the Tower of Babel' in the Old Testament. According to the Old Testament, humans used the same language until the Tower of Babel was constructed. God was offended by the tower because humans were defying God. Hence God destroyed the tower and divided the one language into multiple languages. This story is recorded in the Old Testament probably because a similar incident actually occurred. Ancient people would not make up a story out of nothing. It is important to bear in mind that no matter how strange the legend may sound, a similar incident would have occurred.

The Jews appeared in history during the Mesopotamian civilization in the vicinity of the Tigris River. The Takenouchi Documents say that the person who originally built the Mesopotamian civilization was Yoiropa Adam-Eve Akahito (of the red race) Mesotai, who was one of the sixteen prince/princesses dispatched by the Sumera-Mikoto. The Old Testament says that the first humans who appeared were Adam and Eve. Those two names are derived from Yoiroba Adam-Eve Akahito (red race) Mesotai, who is the ancestral origin of the Mesopotamians.

Hebrew retains Japanese sounds without changing much because the Jewish people follow the old commandments. I toured around the world in an effort to find evidence to support the Takenouchi Documents. I was able to find names of ancient Japanese words in cities and nations around the world. So far, the Jews are the only ones whom I found had retained much of the Japanese language, however, I found a people who had retained more of the Japanese language than Jewish people, i.e. the American Indians.

 

Navajo language still retains Japanese words; 'Acchi', 'Kocchi' and 'Nanji'

At present, most American Indians have abandoned their native language and use the language of the white race which conquered their nation (There is a long and painful history whereby the American Indians were forced to use the language of the white race for survival. For that reason, many of the Native American languages have been lost and only a few American Indians know the origin and meaning of their languages. On the contrary, my research showed that the language the American Indians used up until the 16th century was based on the Japanese language. Some words disappeared, but some still remain in the tribe's names and or names of their people.

I realized this when I experienced a destined event. This occurred in June 1994 on my way to a Mesa, a sacred place for the Hopi tribe. There in the Arizona desert, a Navajo Indian tour guide showed me around the site speaking English. I asked him in Japanese 'Acchi ga Blackmesa desuka' (Is Blackmesa located there) and the guide nodded with a strange facial expression. At that time, there was a big bee crawling on my leg and I said to him in Japanese 'Kocchi ni Hachiga' (There is a bee here). The tour guide was surprised at my words and asked me a question. Actually I was the one who was surprised. I found that in the Navajo Indian language a distant location is 'Acchi' (there) and a close location is 'Kocchi' (here). Then I asked the guide how does one say 'you' in your native language? He replied 'Nanji', which means 'you' in Japanese (A long time ago, perhaps during the Samurai period, Japanese people used this expression so that modern Japanese people may not be familiar with this word).

I also experienced something very interesting when I participated in a Petrography4 Congress. It was the time when I was sightseeing with my neighbor and old friend, Fujiwara Hoshihiro, who is known to have contacted outer space. One day, we both headed for a new destination by car and asked a local person who was knowledgeable of the area so he could drive the car. America's traffic is different from Japan in that there is no traffic congestion once leaving the large cities. We were heading for our destination on a smooth and comfortable road, but there was a speed limit even in the rural area. Fujiwara realized a police speed trap was ahead of us and told the driver to slow down, saying 'Joko, Joko' in Japanese. Fujiwara was so insistent that he forgot that the driver did not understand Japanese. But the driver slowed the car down and we safely passed the police speed trap.

Mr. and Mrs. Nakai (in the center): I communicated in Japanese (Acchi, Kocchi and Nanji); furthest right is the author.

Elder of the Navajo tribe, with deeply lined face. (From Portrait of Native Americans)

 

We were relieved, and at the same time Fujiwara and I looked at each other wondering why the driver slowed down having understood Japanese words. Considering our previous conversation with the driver, we knew that the driver did not understand Japanese. Despite this, the driver slowed the car down.

Due to our curiosity, we asked the driver why he reduced speed. He gave us an unexpected answer. 'Jyoko' in his language means to slow down (the precise Japanese pronunciation is 'Jokou'). The driver at that time was from the Navajo tribe and his name was Nakai William.

I have searched the footprints of ultra ancient archeological sites around the world in relation to Japan. Through my research, I intuitively felt that the language he used was without a doubt ancient Japanese. Then I tested him on how much Japanese he would understand by using which ever word I could think of at that time. He was able to understand many more Japanese words than I could imagine. I finally realized that the language spoken by the American Indians is far closer to Japanese than Hebrew in both sound and meaning.

 

Culture which 'places value on peace and harmony' has been inherited by Americans Indians

The Navajo tribe knew many other Japanese words, for example 'Anji' (a hint or a suggestion). He explained to me the meaning in their native language. 'Anji' is like an imagination as such that an imaginary semi-circle rainbow exists under the earth, reflecting the real semi-circle rainbow over the sky. In other words, a rainbow in the sky suggests a rainbow under the earth. This concept is very similar to the Japanese concept of 'harmony' which was used in ancient times when Japan unified the world. The Navajo tribe not only inherited words, but also the meaning behind the word.

Takenouchi Documents say that ultra ancient civilizations placed value on harmony, i.e. 'If there is Wa' (harmony) everything is good. 'Wa' refers to a ring, circle or sphere. The example of 'Anji' is based on the concept of a circle, i.e. the shape of a rainbow is a circle, not semi-circle. The concept that all things have a perfect shape (circle) existed among ultra ancient people.

The concept of 'Wa' not only remained in the Navajo tribe, but also in many other Indian tribes. The same concept is found in the sacred legend of the Sioux tribe. 'The pattern of behavior of American Indians occurs according to a circle. This is because the power of the universe functions as a circle and all things tend to become round in shape. When our tribe was peaceful in olden times, our power was generated from a sacred circle. As long as the circle was not destroyed, the tribe continuously flourished'. This is the teaching of 'Wa' (circle). It is obvious that a 'circle' here means 'harmony'. This legend may well be based on the concept of the Sumera-Mikoto that was introduced in ultra ancient times when the world was unified under him.

Another noteworthy discovery is that there are many idioms in the American Indian languages which correspond to Japanese idioms (i.e. Other than 'Anji', 'Hojyo' was used by the Navajo tribe). This discovery is very important in understanding the origin of the Japanese language. Modern Japanese written language uses Kanji (an ideogram) and Hiragana (a phonogram) in combination. Since the Japanese language has many homonyms, Kanji plays an important role in conveying the meaning of a word. In particular, idioms can convey many different meanings by combining a few characters. Idioms are generally thought to be created in order to convey as many meanings as possible with only a few Kanji characters, when are combined in different ways and pronounced phonetically. The Navajo tribe uses Japanese idioms with the same sound and the same meaning although they have never used Kanji. What does this suggest? Idioms were not created through a combination of Kanji, but Kanji was applied to idioms which previously existed. This is a great discovery allowing us to re-think the relationship between the Japanese language and Kanji. It is possible to say that Japanese words existed even before Kanji appeared. It is believed that there were no written characters in ancient Japan and Kanji was imported from China to Japan for it to become civilized, but this may well be wrong.

In the Takenouchi Documents, Fuxi and Shen-Nong, legendary Chinese emperors, came to Japan to learn written characters from the Sumera-Mikoto of the 53rd generation of the Fukiaezu Dynasty. If Kanji is the product of Japan, divine characters recorded in the Takenouchi Documents cannot be ignored. Takahashi Yoshinori, a researcher in ancient characters and a friend of mine, said that he succeeded in decoding ancient pictographs and unknown characters by applying divine characters (ancient Japanese characters) to them. It may not be in the distant future before we can decode all American Indian written characters so that we will know how they lived in ultra ancient times.

 

Brazilians encountered ancient Japanese people during a new age of settlement?

Further investigation revealed that it was not only the Navajo tribe, but also other tribes were using the Japanese language. When I visited Sao Paulo in Brazil, I met Mizumoto Mitsuto (deceased), the president of the Sao Paulo Newspaper Company. As part of my routine task was to ask the origin of the place name, so I asked the same question about Sao Paulo. 'What was the original name of Sao Paulo in the native language?' Mizumoto replied after thinking a while 'the native name is 'Ipiranga.' I asked the following question with confidence, as something crossed my mind after hearing the name. 'Is there a big cliff in Sao Paulo?' Mizuki became hesitant because I asked this question out of the blue. He was not able to hide his surprise and replied with an expected answer. 'Yes, certainly there is. How did you know that?'

I suddenly asked this question because I was confident that 'Pira' is an ancient Japanese word referring to a cliff. In fact, the places 'Hayopira' in Hiratori (Piratori) in the Hidaka region in Hokkaido, 'Oh-h (p)ira' in Sendai in Tohoku, 'Oh-pira' in Kyushu all have cliffs. Moreover, 'i' means 'great' so that 'i-pira-nga' would mean 'a great cliff' in ancient Japanese. This interpretation was based on my intuitive thought. I explained all this to Mizuki and he was so interested that he brought me a book the next day about the Tupi Indian, a native tribe. This book talks about the language used by the Tupi Indian and was written by a Portuguese researcher. A Japanese Brazilian translated the book into Japanese as he was very much impressed with the book because of the fact that the Tupi Indian language was very similar to the Japanese language.

The book says that there is a record of a time during the first Japanese settlement in Brazil when 'the further we (Japanese) advanced (into the jungle), earlier Japanese settlers were found'. According to the book, those earlier Japanese settlers wore straw sandals and a straw rain-wear. They called a big fruit 'Kaki' (persimmon) and a crooked object an 'Ibitsu'. They add 'ka' at the end of an interrogative sentence (same as the present Japanese sentence structure). It makes sense that Japanese settlers thought that those earlier settlers were Japanese because their language was similar to the Japanese language. They were found to be the Tupi Indians. So far, I have discovered that the two tribes, the Navajo and Tupi tribes, use many Japanese words. If this research goes further and covers all languages spoken by American Indians, it may be possible t to find new evidence to support the Takenouchi Documents.

I made four tours to various locations in the USA and wherever I visited I conducted my research on American Indians. My research ended with marvelous results. One new discovery was made on my way to San Diego in California by car with Don R. Sumisana, author of 'America - Land of the Rising Sun' (Publisher: Tokuma shoten). During the drive, Sumisana pointed to something, saying 'Ishibei! Ishibei!'. It was a median strip with an L-shaped concrete block on the highway. According to him, American Indians in this region call a wall piled up with the stone, 'Ishibei'. I was stunned because 'Ishibei' is a Japanese word and is used by American Indians also! Further investigation revealed that North American Indians call a stone tool an 'Ishi', which means 'stone' in Japanese. South American Indians call a sun-dried brick wall an 'Adbei', which is the same as the Japanese word, meaning 'sun mud wall'. It consists of a brick, an admixture of mud and vegetable fiber, which was sun-dried until hardened. Thus it is called an 'Adbei' in Japanese.

I experienced many surprises at various places in the US. The most surprising event occurred when I purchased a poster in Virginia in December 1995, which contained the names the American Indian tribes. I was able to read and understand the meaning of their names in Japanese! Then I attempted to investigate the meaning behind American Indian tribes over a period of four days. I succeeded in reading and understanding their names in Japanese (See a comparative table of American Indians). American Indians used the Japanese language and built a society where nature and humans coexisted until Europeans settled in the US in the 16th century. Further investigation suggests that their lifestyle was surprisingly similar to that of the Jomon Japanese people.

 

Lake Ana ('hole' in Japanese) is a hole

Unlike spoken words, the name of a place does not change easily. Even if the land is occupied by a new settler, the same place name is often repeated. A good example is that of the Ainu language (the native people of northern Japan) is still used in many place names in Hokkaido (the Northern Island). Wherever I travel, I always ask for the native place name in my search. Unfortunately, however, as time went by, the meaning and origin of a place name is forgotten and the place name remains as a proper noun, i.e. 'Wakkanai', 'Oshamanbe', and 'Shibecha' are well-known Japanese place names in Hokkaido. But no one can explain the meaning of those place names unless the Ainu language is well understood. The same situation can be applied to place names in the USA.

When I visited Paul Carr, a friend of mine living in Virginia, I tried to find place names on a map which were related to Japanese words. I found Lake Anna on the map, situated near Paul's residence. I asked Paul a question hoping to hear an expected reply. 'What sort of place is Lake Anna? I believe that there should be a hole nearby. Have you ever seen a hole?' His answer did not satisfy my curiosity. 'Unfortunately, there is no hole there. Nothing is special about the lake. It is a beautiful lake'. While I was disappointed with the answer, Paul's father who heard our conversation suddenly joined in. He said 'Paul, don't you know that the lake is artificial? The lake is now filled with water now, but it was a hole with no water in olden times. The lake was created by making use of the hole'. Lake Anna itself is a hole! I was extremely pleased with this finding, which was beyond my imagination. Then I asked his father the origin of the name Anna, but he did not know because the local people called it Lake Anna since olden times. I asked other people, but no one knew the origin. It is now a beautiful lake filled with water.

I was convinced that Anna is a Japanese word, meaning 'hole', because the lake existed long enough for the local people to forget the origin. Paul's father was curious as to why I was so excited about this. So, I explained to him that 'Anna' has the same sound and meaning as in a Japanese word, 'ana'. He was amazed at this story and said 'I will introduce you to some American Indians'. He telephoned the Indian Society. I then met with Christopher Baal, a representative of the Nationwide Indian Society and a descendent of the Pocahontas tribe, which is famous from the Disney movie. My meeting with Christopher Baal enabled me to achieve a great result in my research.

Portrait of Pocahontas: (Oil painting, 1921; painted by Howard Chandler Christy, Illustrators Gallery, New York).

Christopher Baal, style of the elder of the Pocahontas tribe.

 

Finding Japanese words in place names

I was able to find a lot of Japanese words in name places in a book or a map. There is one thing we must bear in mind in searching for ancient words, i.e. how to pronounce the name. Current place names are based on a phonetic sound and written characters are adopted from the phonetic sound. Some examples are name places in Hokkaido, such as 'Wakkanai', 'Oshamanbe', and 'Shibecha' which I previously mentioned. Moreover a phonetic sound of current place names may have slightly changed from the original sound. Kanji for current place names in Japan are sometimes very different from the original meaning because the Kanji was adopted based on original phonetic sound.

Those who have studied a foreign language probably can guess how poor human's ability for hearing is. For instance, Japanese people study English very hard during junior high school years. They often manage to read and write English to a certain degree, but cannot speak English at all. This is because the Japanese people try to pronounce English phonetically from the spelling of a word. In other words, the gap between spelling and pronunciation is wide even though Japanese people are familiar with English. The same can be said of Americans. When Americans try to spell a Japanese word in English, the spelling would be based on phonetic sounds, in other words, a Romanized Japanese script. This causes the pure Japanese sound to be lost. Moreover, Americans pronounce Japanese name places with an English accent so that the original Japanese sound is further lost.

One such example is 'Lewis Mountain' located near Lake Anna. This name was found to have originated from a mountain in Japan called the 'Ryuzu' Mountain. How is 'Lewis related to 'Ryuzu? This mountain is spelled as 'Lewis' and pronounced as 'Lewize' in English. When this is pronounced in Romanized Japanese, it becomes 'Ryuze' (dragon head). Thus the original word of 'Lewis' becomes 'Ryuze'. I heard in the local town that this place name derived from a person named 'Lewis', but I discovered evidence that 'Lewis' actually means 'Ryuze' (dragon head). Proof of that is a cave called 'Ryurei' situated at a mountain. In Japan, there is the 'Ryurei' Mountain where a 'Ryurei' (dragon spirit) is enshrined. This shows evidence that dragon deities were enshrined at Mt. Lewis (When I visited Mt. Lewis, I saw beautiful dragon clouds).

Entrance board to the 'Luray' caverns

 

When I looked at a map from this viewpoint, I was able to find many place names in Japanese. 'Missouri' means 'to sell water', 'Miami' means 'mesh basket', 'Illinois' means 'an inlet', 'Kansas' means 'south-west region' and to name a few (Sumisana said that 'Kansas' means 'Kansai' (west), but I interpreted it as 'south-west' because of further reasons). 'Kansas' also means 'ornamented hairpin'. In this region, people tie their hair in a different way; the Osage tribe (Osage in Japanese means tie hair on both sides) tie their hair on both sides, and the Quapaw tribe ('Quapaw' in Japanese means 'bobbed hair style') bob their hair. In other words, some place names are probably related to their hairstyles). My investigation revealed that American Indian-related place names can be read in Japanese, and also indicate geographical features, such as Lake Anna, as well as the tradition of a tribe, and their hairstyle.

 

Aleut, Osage, Navajo, Anasazi', Ojibwa and Ottawa Tribes

No one truly understands the meaning of American Indian tribal names. It was a mystery for American Indians themselves. When I analyzed their names from a Japanese language point of view, the tribal names were found to contain many messages, i.e. tribal history, physical characteristics, residential place history and the plants they grew. For instance, the 'Aleut' tribe conveys a message that they crossed the Bering Strait in olden times. The 'Osage' tribe conveys their particular bobbed hair style, which is also popular in Japan. The Hopi tribe conveys the meaning that they are the descendents of Hohi-no Mikoto, a child of Susano-ono Mikoto, who appears in the Takenouchi Documents, to name a few. The Navajo tribe conveys the message that they used to live in a cave. Their original name would be 'Anabaho' (place of a hole) and the 'A' has been lost for some reason. The Navajo tribe is also called the 'Anasazi' tribe, also means 'Anasashi' (blessed pit, a tribe living in a pit-dwelling) in Japanese as they were blessed with sea and mountain produce. The 'Ojibwa' (uncle-aunt) tribe would mean that the facial feature of the tribe looked like that of the Sumera-Mikoto's uncle or aunt. The 'Ottawa' (Ah! you were there!) tribe indicates the fact that the Sumera-Mikoto were surprised to find the tribe, 'Oh! you were there'. The 'Tonkawa' (a rich river) tribe who live beside a rich river would show their respect to the 'rich river'. The 'Tamaulipec' (jewel-selling) tribe would probably be selling jewels. The 'Pima' (spare time) tribe would have had lots of spare time. The 'Iroquois' (dark color) tribe would have had dark skin, the 'Quapaw' (bobbed hairstyle) tribe would have had bobbed hairstyle, and the 'Kansa' (ornamental hairpin) tribe would have worn beautiful ornamental hairpins. The 'Assinibon' (leg-ribbon) tribe would have tied a ribbon on their legs.

Some tribes were named by their behavior. The 'Mandan' (idle talker) tribe would have had a lot of idle chats. The 'Coora' (Hey you!) tribe would often be scolded to be quiet as they were noisy. The 'Chinsian' (deep thinker) tribe would have thought matters deeply. The 'Hidatsa' (fire-receive) tribe would have received lots of fire because they liked tobacco. The 'Shawnee' (firm disposition) tribe would have had a strong disposition. The 'Mackenzie' (hate to loose) tribe would have hated to loose. The 'Kiowa' (faint hearted) tribe would be fainthearted. The list continues forever.

The tribal names would probably have come directly from the Sumera-Mikoto. Tribes may not know the full meaning of their tribal names, but they maintain their names generation after generation. There is also material evidence to explain tribal names in Japanese. For instance, no one really knows the meaning of the 'Mohican' tribe who has a peculiarly long hairstyle, but it can be explained using Japanese words 'grave- monument-circle'. An ancient monument found near their village appears to be an ancient stone circle. The tribe in ancient times would probably have protected the stone circle5 which was a grave for their ancestors. The Sumera-Mikoto would have been impressed by their deeds and named the tribe 'Mohican', because that tribe was able to pass down their heart of respecting ones ancestors to future generations.

Mohican Stone Circle (grave-monument-circle): From America's Stonehenge brochure, front cover.

 

The Powhatan (pole and flag) tribe would probably mean 'a pole and a flag', which is the same as in Japanese. When I interviewed the elder of the Powhatan tribe, I asked her whether the tribal name would come from 'a pole and a flag'. The elder and the tribe people were stunned by my words and pointed to the entrance of a house where a pole with 32 feather flags flew, which is the symbol of the tribe. The pole was painted red, which matches with the description in the Takenouchi Documents that the ancestor of American Indians is a red race (Hiuke-ebirosu-boston-akahito (red race) Mittoson). I had no doubt that the feathers represent flags. My theory was supported by this material evidence. What I was impressed with most was that the elder used the word 'red' in her business card. This suggests that the tribe is proud of being a red race. Her skin color was in fact red, which is appropriate to say that she is from the red race.

Red (flag) pole with 32 feathers (flags): A symbol of the Powhatan tribe, which has been handed down from generation to generation.

Elder of the Powhatan tribe: With the name 'Red' on her business card.

 

There appears to be another meaning to the tribal name. When I gathered the names of tribes in the same region together, I found something like a message or prediction. Let me cite those tribal names; the 'Conoy' tribe, the 'Tucarora' tribe, the Powhatan tribe, and the Cherokee tribe. When I read their names in one sentence in a Romanized script in that same order, it read 'Conoy Tucarora Powhatan Cherokee'. This means in Japanese 'Konoyo' (this age) 'Tsuzukudaroka' (can continue?) 'Mohatan' (soon to be destroyed) and 'Kaeroka' (let's go back to Japan). This prediction does not give a positive message, but could be a precise and accurate prediction if we are aware of the fact that American Indians were deprived of their land by settlers from Europe. Furthermore, the Powhatan tribe was the first who were destroyed in the British invasion of the 17th century. Did the Sumera-Mikoto of that time give the name 'Powhatan' because he knew of the tragic fate of the tribe?

White westerners killed:American Indians of Japanese Jomon origin, one after another (From the Powhatan Tribes).

 

The Takenouchi Documents mostly contain records relating to the lineage of the Sumera-Mikoto, so predictions are rarely found, except in some divine edicts which the Sumera-Mikoto received. This may suggest that through the divine edicts the Sumera-Mikoto were able to foresee the future. If so, the American tribal names which the Sumera-Mikoto gave could be predictions made by the Sumera-Mikoto.

 

Decoding the lifestyles of the American Indians from the Japanese language through place names and people's names

One can now see and understand that Indian tribal names convey certain aspects of tribal history. Likewise, names of places and people can also convey certain aspects of the lifestyles of American Indians. In particular, American Indians on the east coast still preserve names related to agricultural products, as they seem to have had rich land in past times. The 'Potawatomi' (crop-rich) tribe means 'rich crop', and the 'Oneida' (blessed-flourished-filled) tribe would mean that their crop fields were blessed and flourished. The Onondaga (blessed-blessed-field-rich) tribe would mean that their field crops were rich and blessed. All of these suggest that the crops were abundant in the fields.

It is not well known that American Indians had a custom of eating rice. Indian tribes, including the Powhatan tribe, who lived along the east coast and the middle reaches of the Mississippi River, used to eat grains in ancient times, which are similar to wild plants grown in rice fields. Rice appeared to be very popular among American Indians in ultra ancient times. Some tribal names suggest this, such as the 'Cayuga' (Okayu = porridge) tribe and the 'Wampanoag' (Waprameshi = Wappa local rice dishes) tribe. Near Wampanoag, is Massachusetts, which means 'a strait where a trout gathered' in Japanese. It is pleasant to imagine that ancient Indians had Wappa rice with trout that was caught in Massachusetts during the trout season.

Harvesting crops from the rice paddy field with a canoe

(From: "The Travelers Guide to Native Americans")

Separating rice: This suggests that rice was popular in ultra ancient times

(From: "The Traveler's Guide to America").

 

Other tribal names suggest that American Indians in ancient times had a luxurious life because the land was rich. The Huron (perennial youth and long life) tribe suggests that the tribe enjoyed long life and the 'Motaganais' (Mondainai = no problem) tribe indicate that they never experienced any problems. Some other tribal names make us think of good old days. The 'Cree' (Kurii = chestnut-many) tribe suggests that they harvested lots of chestnuts and the 'Narraganset' (form a line-hawk-strait) tribe suggests that they lived in a strait where hawks formed a line during the migrating season.

 

The Tribal Name Indicates a Feature of the Tribe

Left:       the PIMA            (ample spare time) tribe

Right:      the CREE            (chestnut) tribe

Left:       the CROW          (hardship) tribe

Right:      the APACHE      (excellent) tribe

Left:       the IOWA           (weak will) tribe

Right:      the HOPI            (successor to the blood line of Hohi-no Mikoto) tribe

 

People's names provide more interesting details. Since Indians did not leave their history in written records, we have no choice but to rely on oral history and the few records that white people documented in the 16th century. When I examined the names of American Indians in Japanese, I was able to understand aspects of their lifestyle clearly, which could not possibly be known otherwise. Rich land was not only expressed in the tribal names, but in the names of the people. For instance, the name 'Werowance' (plant-lots of crops) suggests that people were working hard to plant as many crops as possible because their rich land produced more crops as they sowed more seed. The name gave me the impression that people in those days worked very hard while farming. So, the name was given, hoping that their descendents would expand their fields and sow as much crop as possible. The elders who danced before the Sumera-Mikoto with head dress would have been encouraged by the Sumera-Mikoto to 'Motto-tobe' (fly more), and then named the tribe 'Motto-tobe'. These are peaceful names, but there are some names which are not like this. There was a courageous man in the Powhatan Tribe who fought against the Englishmen in the 17th century and his name was 'Opechancanouge'. No one really thought of the meaning of his name, but Japanese people can guess that the American Indian had a hidden meaning in his name. It would probably mean 'Oikaesukotoga kanoda' (it is possible to repel enemy). The tribe named the courageous man as 'Opechancanouge' hoping that he would repel invaders from their land. Another courageous person's name is 'Tatacoope' (Let's fight). This suggests that this courageous man was given the name by the tribe in the hope that he would fight against an enemy to protect the rich land. There was no way the American Indians could win the battle against western invaders because they never wanted to fight. They led a peaceful society, whereas the western invaders possessed modern weapons. Despite the fight by a courageous man, the tribe was destroyed as predicted by its name.

Unfortunately, the modern Powhatan tribal people would have been completely forgotten the meaning of their ancient words. In their historical documents, there is an illustration of a man dressed in a big apron. The description of the man is 'Quiyoughcosuck' (a holy man). In Japanese this would mean 'Kuiyougu-yogosu-fuku' (A clothes to make dirty while having a meal) in other words, an apron. A person who made a copy of the record would have misinterpreted the man as a holy man simply because he was dressed and looked very different to the other tribal people who did not normally wear clothes.

Right:      Quiyoughcosuck in apron.     (From the Powhatan Tribe).

Middle:    Moto-tobe                           (From the Native American)

Left:       Werowance.                         (From the Powhatan Tribe)

 

The Powhatan tribal people did not realize this mistake because they had forgotten the meaning of their ancient language. When I explained the meaning of each word from a Japanese language point of view, they were stunned. They even told me in a sad face that they were not able to read the ancient Powhatan language. They have only traditions handed down orally and in the current lifestyle. Even in the current lifestyle is difficult to maintain in a modern age, as experienced by the Ainu people of Japan.

 

TRIBAL NAMES OF AMERICAN INDIANS COMPARED WITH THE JAPANESE MEANINGS

TRIBAL NAME

PRONUNCIATION

JAPANESE MEANING

ABNAKI

ABUNAKI

Tribe that lives in a dangerous area

ALASKAN

ARUASHIKA

Tribe that lives near a place where sea lions live

ALEUT

ARUITE

Tribe that walked across

ALGONQUIN

ARUGONKIN

Tribe that possesses a mine

ALIKARA

ARIKARA

Tribe that lives in a dry land

APACHE

APPACHI

Tribe that is an excellent tribe 'Ah, Pacchi', (Excellent!)

ARAPAHO

ARAPONE

Tribe that has crops on rough land

ASSINIBON

ASHINIRIBON

Tribe that tied a ribbon on the leg

AZUTEC

ASHITEKU

Tribe that lives in a reed house (riverside building material)

BANNOCK

BANNO-OKU

Tribe that lives deep inside the rock

BEOTHUK

BEOTOKU

Tribe that casts off the moorings from the shore

BEAVER

BERABERA

Tribe that keeps chatting

BILOXI

BIROKISHI

Tribe the lives on a wide and large shore

BORJENO

BOJINO

Tribe that holds a pole

CADDO

KADO

Tribe with a horn

CARIBOU ESKIMO

KARIBOU ESKIMO

Eskimo tribe that uses hunting pole (eat sea lion's liver)

CATAWBA

KATAUBA

There is a storyteller in the tribe

CAYUGA

KAYUGA

Tribe fond of porridge

CAYUSE NEZPARCE

KAYUSE NEZUPASERI

Tribe told 'return it, give up without sleep'

CHEHALIS

CHEARI

Knowledgeable tribe

CHEROKEE

KEROKE

Tribe said 'Let's go home'

CHEYENNE

CHIEINNE

Tribe said 'Damn! Nothing' (no crops were harvested)

CHICKASAW

CHIKASOU

Tribe who has a close blood line with the Sumera-Mikoto

CHINOOK

CHINOOKU

Tribe that lives outback

CHINSIAN

CHINSHIAN

Tribe that quietly thinks

CHIPEWYAN

CHIPPEYAN

Tribe that is short in height

CHUMSHMONO

SHUMASUMONO

Tribe that lives near an area where trout gather

COAHUILTEC

KOGAFUETEKU

Tribe with increasing number of descendents

COEUR D'ALENE

KOEURU DARENE

Tribe asked 'who is going to cross over'?

COMANCHE

KOMANCHE

Tribe at a loss

CONCHO

KONJYO

Tribe with a strong will

CONESTOGA

KONESUTOGA

Tribe asked 'Is this the person'?

CONOY

KONOYO

Tribe named 'this age'.

COORA

KO-RA

Tribe scolded by the Sumera-Mikoto 'Kora'!

COPPER ESKIMO

KOPPE ESKIMO

Tribe that eats the liver of short sea lions

CREE

KURII

Tribe that eats chestnut

CREEK

KURIKUU

Tribe that eats chestnut

CROW

KUROU

Tribe with hardship (lots of lines in the face)

DELAWARE

DERAWARE

Tribe that appears once.

DAGRIB

DOGURIBA

Tribe that eats acorns.

ERIE

ERIE

Tribe that lives near the straits

ESKIMO

E ASHIKA KIMO

Tribe that eats sea lions' liver

HAIDA

HAIDA

Tribe that peals off the skin of animals and the bark of trees

HIDATSA

HIDATOSA

Tribe who was told 'hidatosa' (It was a fire)

HOPI

HOPI

Tribe who succeeded the blood line of 'Hohi-no Mikoto' (Sumera family)

HUICHOL

FUICHIORU

Tribe that plays the flute

HUPA

FUUBA

Tribe that lives near the river where the wind and waves are strong.

HURON

FURO

Tribe with a long life and perennial youth.

IOWA

IYOWA

Tribe with a strong will (determination)

INUIT

INUITO

Tribe residing in Northwest

ILLINOIS

IRINOISU

Tribe that lives near the straits

KANSA

KANSA

Tribe that wears an ornamental hairpin

KARANKAWA

KARANKAWA

Tribe that lives near a dried river (without water)

KERESAN

KERESA

Tribe who asked for food, saying 'tabenomo-o wakete-kudasai'

KICKAPOO

KIKUAPO

Tribe rumored to be stupid

KIOWA

KIYOWA

Tribe that becomes weak

KLAMATH

KURAMASU

Tribe that eats trout

KOOTENAI

KOTTENAI

Tribe from the unfrozen river

KOYUKON

KOYU KON

Tribe who said 'Kiyukon, Kimashitayo, Aatamokimasenka' (will come, have come, why don't you come)

KUTCHIN

KUCCHIN

Tribe that eats anything

KWAKIUTL

KAWAKIRITORU

Tribe that peals off skin

LIPAN APACHE

RIPPANA APPACHI

Marvelous Apache tribe

MACKENZIE ESKIMO

MAKENZE ESKIMO

Tribe that eats liver of the sea lion and said 'Makenze' (will not be defeated)

MANDAN

MANDAN

Tribe that has idle talk

MASSACHUSETTS

MASUATSUSETO

Tribe that lives near the straits where trout gather.

MAYA

MAYA

Tribe that truly flourishes

MENOMINEE

MENOMINE

Tribe living in the area where rice is harvested and there is abundant rice.

METARACATARA

METTARAKATARA

Tribe who talks about anything (without paying any attention)

MIAMI

MIAMI

Tribe who makes a basket made of bamboo and catches fish with it.

MICMAC

MIKUMAKU

Tribe that puts something around the body for protection.

MISSOURI

MIZUOURI

Tribe that sells water

MIWOK

MIOUKU

Tribe with abundant crops (rich)

MODOC

MODOKU

Tribe that makes deadly poison

MOHAWK

MOHAUKU

Tribe that eats water plants and floating marine plants.

MOHICAN

MOHIKAN

Tribe with their gravestones in a stone circle

MONACAN

MONAKAN

Tribe is in the middle of doing something

MONTAGNAIS

MONTAGANAISU

Tribe that has no problems (good)

MONTAUK

MONTAUKU

Tribe that makes the gate high

MANTICOKE

NANTEKOKE

Tribe who was told 'Nantekoke' (nantekotoda) (What is the matter?)

NARRANGANSET

NARANGANSETO

Tribe that lives near the area where hawks come, forming a line

NASKAPI

NASUKAPI

Tribe in Asuka

NATCHEZ CHOCTAW

NANTATTE CHOKUTOU

Tribe with the direct lineage

NAVAJO

(A)NABAYO

Tribe that came out of a cave (Anasachi, blessed cave)

NISQUALI

NISHIGAARI

Tribe that has trout

NOOTKA SONGISH

NOTAKA SONGISHI

Tribe who became lost because they were left behind

OJIBWA

OJIOBA

Tribe who looks like the uncle and aunt of the Sumera-Mikoto

OMAHA

OHMAHA

Tribe that grows hemp plants

ONEIDA

ONEIDA

Tribe that dedicates cultivated crops without forgetting gratitude and has blessed and flourishing paddy fields.

ONONDAGA

ONONDAGA

Tribe that expresses gratitude for the blessings of the paddy fields. Blessed and rich paddy fields.

OSAGE

OSAGE

Tribe that divides the hair in both sides and ties it

OTTAWA

OTTAWA

Tribe that had someone who resembled an uncle or aunt (Ottawa = there was someone there)

PAPAGO

PAPAGO

Tribe that is spoiled by the mother

PEQUOD

PEKODA

Tribe that lives in the harbor near the sea side

PIMA

PIMA

Tribe with lots of spare time

POMO

POMO

Tribe that lives near an area where crops grow better

POTAWATOMI

POTAWATOMI

Tribe which is rich and blessed with paddy fields.

POWHATAN

POUHATAN

Tribe with the symbol of the pole and flags. 'Mou hatan suru' (to be destroyed soon).

QUAPAW

KAPPA

Tribe with bobbed hairstyle

QUILEUTE OKINAGAN

KUIRUTE OHKINAGAN

Tribe that eats large hawk

SALINA

SARINA

Tribe that was told to 'sarina' (leave)

SEMINOLE

SAMINORE

Tribe that said to 'senakano mini nore' (ride on the back)

SENECA

SENEKA

Tribe that lives on the ridge of the mountain

SHASTA

SHATTA

Tribe that lives on the lower part of the mountain slope

SHAWNEE

SHOUNE

Tribe with strong will

SHOSHONE UTE

SHOSHONE UTE

Tribe that said 'shosho ute' (hit sometimes)

SIOUX

SHIOUKU

Tribe that has salt coming out of the soil

SQUAWMISH

(A)SUKAUMISHI

Tribe that lives near the seashore where sea lions give birth

TAMAULIPEC

TAMAURIPEKKU

Tribe that sells jewels

TILLAMOOK

(U)CHIRAMO-OKU

Tribe that also lives outback

TLINGIT

TORIKITE

Tribe that eats birds which fly into them

TONKAWA

TOMUKAWA

Tribe that lives near a rich river

TUSCARORA

TSUZUKAROKA

Tribe that said 'Tsuzukarouka' (can it continue?)

WAMPANOAG

WAMUPANOAJI

Tribe that likes 'Wappa' rice (local rice dish in Japan)

WAPPINGER

WAPPINJYA

Tribe that said 'ware ware pintoshiteirunjya' (we are very fine)

WINNEBAGO

WINNEBAKO

Tribe that plants and grows tobacco leaf (cigarette)

YAQIMA

YA KINA

Tribe that encourages people to 'Ya kina' (Yah, come)

YAKUINA

YA KUINA

Tribe that tells people to 'Ya kuina' (Yah, eat)

YAQUI

YAKUI

Tribe that burns fields

YAVAPAI

YABAPAI

Tribe that does not do good things (bapai = yabai = dangerous things)

YUKON

YUKON

Tribe that said 'iko' (let's go)

YUROK

YURU OKU

Tribe that lives deep in the forest away from the river where water flows slowly

ZUNI

ZUNI

Tribe that gets stuck-up (zu = stuck up)

Note: Some names can be pronounced in a different way, i.e. Missouri can be MIZU-RI or MIZOURI. The name commonly pronounced in the US is adopted in this table.

 

The last Indian, Ishi, led a Japanese lifestyle

It was already mentioned that American Indians called 'stone' or 'ishi'. There is an American Indian who used 'ishi' as his name. Ishi is believed to be the last Indian who lived at Oroville in northern California, and who preserved his traditional lifestyle without abandoning his native life and culture. At present the largest dam in the US was constructed at Oroville which flooded an ancient landscape. There is a Dam memorial museum at the corner of the dam which shows his lifestyle.

I looked at the exhibits while wondering why he called himself 'Ishi'. Based on the knowledge I gained from this exhibition, I realized that he was using the same stone tool which was used in Japan during the Stone Age. Probably he was so skilled at using the stone tool he called himself 'Ishi'. He hunted with a bow, caught fish in the river, and butchered prey with the stone. The stone tool was not the only one that drew my attention. A basket for carrying fish after the catch also attracted me. The basket is very similar to a 'Biku' (a wicker) basket used for carrying fish in Japan. The place where he lived was called 'Yana'. Those who are familiar with fishing in Japan will know that 'Yana' in Japanese means a fish trap, where fish are caught in a trap made of branches or bamboo in the river. There is no material evidence that American Indians used the 'Yana' to trap and catch fish, but such a name was presumably given because a fish trap was used there.

Author at Ishi Museum, beside the portrait of Ishi.

 

There were many other stone tools that reminded me of Japanese stone tools. One such example was the hatchet. The 'Hatchet' stone tool was used to peal bark off a tree, is very similar to the Japanese 'chouna' (hatchet). In English, an axe is called a hatchet as well, which sounds like 'Hasshota'. 'Hatchet' is also used in French and German. 'Chouna' might have derived from 'Hasshorunata'. 'Hashoru' is often used when you cut off or omit something so this word might have changed from the word meaning to 'cut off'. 'Cut short' in English might have come from 'Hasshota' because it is still used to refer to a short object which was cut short from a long object. In any case, it seems the words like 'ishi', and 'hasshota' originated in Japan and spread throughout the world.

A hatchet called 'Hasshota'.

American Indians make fire by causing friction on a wooden board called a fire board. I was stunned because I knew that a Shinto shrine in Japan uses the same tool as a sacred tool for making fire during rituals.

The Shinto shrine I referred to is the Ise shrine which enshrines the Amaterasu (Sun, Fire) God, the god of the Japanese royal family. Fire is produced during rituals in the same way American Indians produced fire. The Ise shrine has preserved it's tradition from the ancient divine era. In other words, this fire-making method was conveyed to the American Indians from Japan.

Tool to make fire during the fire-making ceremony, which has been handed down at Ise shrine.

Fire-making ceremony handed down at the Ise Shrine.

Ancestors of American Indians also used the same tool to make fire.

It is said that the Japanese people migrated to North America and handed down this tradition.

 

The Worship rock which enshrines dragon deities

The place name of 'Oroville' in Japanese means 'Oro' or 'gold' and 'ville' which means village. In other words, it is the village of gold. An original name of Oroville found on the map was 'Konkow'. Coincidentally 'Konko' (gold and ore) in Japanese, has the same pronunciation as 'Konkow'. 'Village of gold' means the village has gold. When I realized this, I was as pleased as if I had actually found gold. This evidence ties Japan with the American Indians even more strongly.

What is more surprising to me is the rock, which is in the courtyard of the memorial museum. It is not known how or why the rock originally came to be there or if it was brought there by someone. I found Petrography depicting a dragon deity on the surface of the rock. There are many small rocks around there and I intuitively felt that this place was an 'Iwakura'6 (a place where a god calmly sits). The center of this Iwakura was this rock. When I got closer to the rock, I found a rounded hole in the top, and I clearly saw the engraved wave patterns starting from the top and a diamond shape starting from the middle all the way to the bottom. On the right side of the diamond shape, there was a zigzag pattern suggesting lightening and rain, with a countless number of direct lines. 'Without a doubt, this represents a dragon deity! The zigzag and direct lines on the right represent rain and lightening, showing the power of dragon deity, and the continuing diamond shape would be the body of the dragon'. Having been convinced of this, I wondered what would happen if water is poured from the top of the rock where the hole was situated. When I poured water on it, it ran down along the zigzag lines and the diamond shape, showing vividly the shape of a dragon deity. At first, I did not know why the diamond shape represented a dragon. The next day when I was taking shower, I recalled that the Mayan's used a diamond shape to represent the scales of a dragon. In Japan, there is a family crest which uses the shape of the scales, made by a combination of triangles. American Indians combined two triangles and the repeated diamond shape to represent the body of a dragon. I realized this when I was taking a shower. Maybe the power of this dragon deity is of one who controls water.

Strangely enough, Oroville is located in Mizugame in California. This is a place where water is important and the rock with the dragon petrography is located on a hill overlooking the dam. I was able to see this dragon rock because Henry Aihara, an instructor at the Vega Macrobiotic Institute at Oroville, invited me there by simply saying 'there is petrography at the Ishi Museum. Let' me take you there'.

When I told this story to Mr. Aihara, his wife promised to honor the dragon deity rock by offering red rice on the 1st and 15th day of each month at the rock. The dragon deity of America and the ancestors of the American Indians who engraved the image of the deity on the stone would be very pleased.

'Mizugame' (water jar) in California: A worship stone at the Oroville Memorial Museum, which is engraved with a dragon.

Author beside the ‘Mizugame’ (water jar) in California: A worship stone at the Oroville Memorial Museum, which is engraved with a dragon.

 

In this holy area, many stone circles were discovered where the ancestors of American Indians are enshrined. To my surprise, such stones have the academic name 'Ogham' (meaning 'to worship' in Japan). It is hard to believe, but true. There is no doubt that this name is derived from the Japanese word 'Ogamu'. American Indians enshrined a dragon deity in the form of a rock, which they worshipped, hoping for an abundant harvest.

The courtyard of the museum is in the shape of a circle with stones laid down to form the 16 sunlight directions. With a dragon deity worship rock and the 16-sunlight directions of the courtyard protecting the water jar of California, this is a very holy place. It is not known who designed this museum. If I asked the person who designed the courtyard (hoping that the design was based on what I believe) the answer would probably be that it's a mere coincidence. Behind such coincidence, I feel the unseen arrangement of God. This petrographic dragon deity rock has been reported to the Japanese Petrography Society through Yoshida Nobuhiro, a friend of mine and a leading petrography researcher.

The courtyard has a round shaped layout.

For some reason, the stone surrounded by a courtyard at the memorial museum is in the form of sixteen light directions.

The author: Investigating the stone circle in the vicinity of the dragon deity rock.