Origin of the name Subaru :)
21 November 2002 | 01:42 PM
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From: Lancashire
Thought this was quite interesting, from Subaru Global
The first president of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), Kenji Kita, had some definite opinions on the subject of automobiles. "If you're going to build a car, build a full-fledged car." "Japanese cars should have Japanese names." Mr. Kita was ardent about producing passenger cars and was the most passionate of all about the 1954 prototype of the Company's first passenger car, the P-1.
Mr. Kita canvassed the Company for suggestions about naming the P-1, but none of the proposals were appealing. In the end, Mr. Kita gave the car a beautiful Japanese name that he had been quietly cherishing in his heart --- Subaru.
Subaru is the name of a star cluster in the Taurus constellation. Six of its stars are visible to the naked eye, but about 250 bluish stars can be seen if one uses a telescope.
In the West the cluster is called Pleiades, in China, Mao, and in Japan, Subaru ("to govern" or gather together"). In Japan, it also goes by the name Mutsuraboshi ("Six Stars"), under which title it appears frequently in very old Japanese documents such as Kojiki and Manyosyu and literature such as Makura-no-soshi. Clearly, this is one of the clusters much loved by the Japanese from ancient times. Interestingly enough, FHI was created by the merger of six companies, so you can see what a truly evocative name Subaru is.
The first president of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), Kenji Kita, had some definite opinions on the subject of automobiles. "If you're going to build a car, build a full-fledged car." "Japanese cars should have Japanese names." Mr. Kita was ardent about producing passenger cars and was the most passionate of all about the 1954 prototype of the Company's first passenger car, the P-1.
Mr. Kita canvassed the Company for suggestions about naming the P-1, but none of the proposals were appealing. In the end, Mr. Kita gave the car a beautiful Japanese name that he had been quietly cherishing in his heart --- Subaru.
Subaru is the name of a star cluster in the Taurus constellation. Six of its stars are visible to the naked eye, but about 250 bluish stars can be seen if one uses a telescope.
In the West the cluster is called Pleiades, in China, Mao, and in Japan, Subaru ("to govern" or gather together"). In Japan, it also goes by the name Mutsuraboshi ("Six Stars"), under which title it appears frequently in very old Japanese documents such as Kojiki and Manyosyu and literature such as Makura-no-soshi. Clearly, this is one of the clusters much loved by the Japanese from ancient times. Interestingly enough, FHI was created by the merger of six companies, so you can see what a truly evocative name Subaru is.
21 November 2002 | 01:46 PM
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In Japan, it also goes by the name Mutsuraboshi ("Six Stars"), under which title it appears frequently in very old Japanese documents such as Kojiki and Manyosyu and literature such as Makura-no-soshi
21 November 2002 | 01:54 PM
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From: The dark side of the Sun and owner of 2 fairy tokens
The star cluster is also called the Pleiades - the Seven Sisters, and is currently high in the night sky. If you get a clear night and know how to look at it, you can see more than 6 stars with the naked eye. One of the stars is callec Alcyone - recognise that anyone?
21 November 2002 | 02:16 PM
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From: In wrxshire
Subaru is the name of a star cluster in the Taurus constellation. Six of its stars are visible to the naked eye, but about 250 bluish stars can be seen if one uses a telescope.
[Edited by chrisp - 11/21/2002 1:20:11 PM]
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21 November 2002 | 07:24 PM
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From: Mid-Kent
How come the Japanese can only see six stars, when the rest of us can see seven.......
"Plaiedes - in Greek Mythology the 7 daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Their names were Maia, Taygete, Electra, Alcyone, Asterope, Celaeno and Merope. They were pursued by Orion...." But then no Ford can get near a Scooby........
Just thought you'd all like to know..... or not!
Phil
[Edited for a failed smiley]
[Edited by Phil Harrison - 11/21/2002 6:25:42 PM]
"Plaiedes - in Greek Mythology the 7 daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Their names were Maia, Taygete, Electra, Alcyone, Asterope, Celaeno and Merope. They were pursued by Orion...." But then no Ford can get near a Scooby........
Just thought you'd all like to know..... or not!
Phil
[Edited for a failed smiley]
[Edited by Phil Harrison - 11/21/2002 6:25:42 PM]
22 November 2002 | 07:33 AM
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tzo-ba-low only applies to Hong Kong (which means a guy with a broom in Cantonese), it is the Cantonese pronounciation of Subaru.
The official name of Subaru in Hong Kong is 'fu-see', the Cantonese pronounciation of the Kanji characters of Fuji.
Btw, people in Hong Kong call the Evolution 'lo-sion' (meaning Asparagus in Cantonese), the Porsche 'bor-jee' (marbles), the Supra 'jue-par' (pork chop), the Suzuki Vitara 'wai-tar-nai' (Vitasoy, a soy milk drink), the 200SX 'fay-gai' (flying chicken), etc etc...
The official name of Subaru in Hong Kong is 'fu-see', the Cantonese pronounciation of the Kanji characters of Fuji.
Btw, people in Hong Kong call the Evolution 'lo-sion' (meaning Asparagus in Cantonese), the Porsche 'bor-jee' (marbles), the Supra 'jue-par' (pork chop), the Suzuki Vitara 'wai-tar-nai' (Vitasoy, a soy milk drink), the 200SX 'fay-gai' (flying chicken), etc etc...
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