Yoda and the Japanese

I don't know about all you guys, butI've always wonder where George Lucas thought up the name "Yoda". Well, the other day I was paging through a book my sensei gave me, when I came across the word Yôda.

13th headmaster Yôda (Manzai) (Manzô: Sanshô) Yorikatsu

it is the 13th headmaster in the martial art called Iai-Dô. This paticular rank falls into the Iai-Dô of the Musô Shinden Ryû, the Tanimura branch.

I am not Japanese, and I know very little, so I found this interesting and I was delighted with my discovery. I know ther have been threads previously on origins of names, but I just had to share this with Star Wars friends.

 

Good pickup

You almost learn something new everyday.

 

Very cool

~aeryn

 

I was suprised, and happy, since no one told me this... heehee... But I am very aware that George Lucas picks up names from other places...

And for the record, as most of you may already know or heard of, but I will say it again. An obi is the band of fabric a geisha uses to tie her kimono.

 

It's also a martial arts belt. For instance, I'm a shiroi obi (white belt) in jujitsu.

 

true, but it's more awkward as a geisha belt

 

Yoda is a japanese surname

Obi is a belt, Kenobi is a sword belt

Kamino is japanese to "Kami" means paper

ANH is based on a Kurosawa movie, "The Seven Samurai".
Kurosawa is one of GL's role models next to Orson Welles

 

Wow. I knew most of that, but I'm glad to see some one who knows her way around... tell me, do you do any martial arts?

 

doesn't Kami mean God?

 

Dooku means 'poison' in Japanese...
And Padme means 'compassion' in Sanskrit, too.

"You have learned much, young one!"
"You'll find I'm full of trivia!"

 

Yeah, I thought Kami meant god too.

Kaminari is thunder god...which is the name of a story I'm writting.

Ken I know is sword, lik ein Kendo. Do meaning "way of". Kendo, way of the sword.

Dooku and poisen? I haven't heard that one. I think Anakin was suppose to mean something too, like "one without a family" or something like that. Vader means father, but I forgot what language.

 

Vader means father, but I forgot what language.

Darth Vader means in Dutch (NOT german) Dark Father.