Talk:Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai

Is 国 a Japanese word? That is the Chinese simplified version of 國, and I think Japanese kanji only utilise the traditional Chinese forms when those are used. -- yueni 22:10, 28 October 2005 (UTC)

I don't know any Chinese, but it's possible that the simplified version of 'country' was actually taken from Japanese. Or maybe not. But 国 is the standard (widely-accepted) Japanese character for 'country' (kuni, koku), see also:. In fact, if you go back on the history of the Characters in Bleach series page, you'll notice that we used 国 previously. However, I was once re-reading the manga and noticed the more archaic version used, so that is the correct version. -- Ynhockey 23:00, 28 October 2005 (UTC)

Okay, so this has been puzzling me. Which exactly is Yamamoto's surname and given name? Obviously "Yamamoto" is his surname and what he's usually addressed by, but is Genryuusai a part of his surname, or is it his given name, with Shigekuni being a second given name? I wonder partly because (to my recollection) no one ever addresses him as "Shigekuni"-anything, but he is called Yamamoto-soutaichou and Genryuusai-dono. (well, and Yama-jii, but I don't think that one counts) As I recall (though mind, my memory may be faulty on this point), characters addressed as "dono" are often called by their given names (e.g. Kaien-dono), which if true might imply that Genryuusai is his given name, and in which case this article would need to be corrected. Does anyone have any clear idea on this? --ACDragonMaster 00:34, 22 August 2006 (UTC)
 * It's hard to say whether Yamamoto has a first or last name, considering he is over 2000 years old. It's more like a lot of attributed names, with Yamamoto being equivalent to a last name. However, Genryūsai would definitely be more a part of the surname, clan, or title, than of any given name. -dono is an honourary suffix, somewhat similar to -san, it should technically be used after the last name. Sometimes -san is also used with first names (e.g. Rangiku-san). -- Ynhockey (Talk) 10:43, 22 August 2006 (UTC)
 * I think Yamamoto can be assumed to be a surname, considering that it's always spoken first when someone refers to him by his full name in the Japanese. It also *is* a real Japanese surname.  Genryuusai I have no idea, as I've never heard anything like it before, and can't find any matches in the dictionary I use.  As for Shigekuni, that could be either or, but looking up those particular kanji, the dictionary lists it as a surname.  Granted, there's no guarentee that dictionary is 100% accurate, but it's at least some ideas to start with.  As it is, my gut impression has always been that his name is "Yamamoto Genryuusai-Shigekuni", or put in western order, "Genryuusai-Shigekuni Yamamoto", as opposed to the order suggested in the article.  I could be wrong, but unless someone can either point to an official source or speak from a perspective more familiar with the subject matter, I think it's worth looking into. --ACDragonMaster 21:45, 26 August 2006 (UTC)
 * If it matters, the Bleach databook (page 200) uses Shigekuni Yamamoto. -- Ynhockey (Talk) 11:47, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

I just wanted to note that in a lot of stories I've read, Samurai have a "childhood name" and an "adult name" they receive when they become samurai. Therefore, their adult name is their first name, and their childhood name tends to be dropped when they become adults. I'd say Shigekuni is his mature name, and Genryuusai is his given name. Scorpie 18:11, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

Character Outline Addition
I added at the end of the first paragraph:

"Despite his old age, he has a very muscular body."

I couldn't figure out how to word it properly, so if anyone knows a better way of explaining his build, please do so. I figured that stating his muscular build is something worth mentioning. MastaFighta 20:19, 29 July 2007 (UTC)