"Yoshimono" is a rare surname found on the Japan Sea coast, such as in Toyama Prefecture, and is pronounced "aimono." Aimono is a word that refers to something that is halfway between dried food and living things, and the kanji characters are thought to be ateji.
There are various theories as to why this kanji character came to be used, but the exact reason is unknown. The most likely theory is that there were 40 types of food called "aimono."
In the Edo period, merchants who dealt in aimono (food that has been cultivated in the Edo period) were called yosomonoya (forty-three goods), which later became a family name. Furthermore, the word yosomono led to the reading of "yoso" as "ai," and surnames such as Yosogawa, Yosozumi, Yosota, and Yosoya were born.
Forty things = Aimono
"Yoshimono" is a family name that is pronounced "Aimono". There are said to be about 200 people with this name in Toyama Prefecture, and about 700 people in the whole of Japan.
What is “knowing unusual surnames”?
It is said that there are approximately 30 Japanese surnames, including different readings. We will introduce some of the most unusual surnames, their pronunciations and origins, as well as areas where they still exist in large numbers.
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