Art name facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Art name |
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| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 號 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 号 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | “mark” | ||||||||
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| Vietnamese name | |||||||||
| Vietnamese alphabet | tên hiệu | ||||||||
| Hán-Nôm | 𠸛號 | ||||||||
| Korean name | |||||||||
| Hangul | 호 | ||||||||
| Hanja | 號 | ||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||
| Kana | ごう (modern usage) がう (historical usage) |
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| Kyūjitai | 號 | ||||||||
| Shinjitai | 号 | ||||||||
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An art name is like a special nickname or a professional name. Artists, poets, and writers in East Asia use these names. You might also hear them called a pseudonym or pen name.
These names have different local names. In Mandarin Chinese, it's called hào. In Japanese, it's gō. In Korean, it's ho. And in Vietnamese, it's tên hiệu.
The idea of using art names started in China. There, educated people used them as nicknames. Later, the custom became popular in other East Asian countries. This includes Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and the old Kingdom of Ryukyu.
Sometimes, artists would pick new art names. They did this at different times in their careers. Often, a new name marked an important change in their life. For example, Tang Yin from the Ming dynasty had over ten hào. The Japanese artist Hokusai used at least six names between 1798 and 1806. Kim Jeong-hui from the Joseon Dynasty had an amazing 503 art names!
Contents
History of Art Names
Art Names in China
In Chinese culture, a Hao is an honorific name. People either chose it themselves or others gave it to them. This usually happened when they reached middle age. Once someone had a Hao, others could call them by it. This was true even if the person wasn't there. Most Hao were chosen by the person. But sometimes, a high-ranking official or even the ruler would give one.
Using these names for art or writing began later. This was during the Six Dynasties period. Tao Yuanming and Ge Hong were among the first writers to give themselves Hao.
Art names became very popular during the Tang dynasty. People could create their own Hao. Or, others might give them a name. Most Hao fit into a few main types:
- Names from where they lived: Some Hao came from a person's home or its features. For example, Tao Yuanming was "Mister Five-Willows" (Wuliu Xiansheng). Su Shi was "Householder of the Eastern Slope" (Dongpo Jushi). This was because of his home when he was exiled. These names were usually chosen by the person.
- Names from famous sayings: Some Hao came from well-known phrases by the person. Ouyang Xiu was "Householder of the Six Ones" (Liuyi Jushi). This was because he described himself with "one myriad books, one thousand inscriptions, one qin, one game of chess, one flask of wine and one old man."
- Names from poems or images: These Hao were often given by others who admired the artist. Li Bai was called "Banished Immortal" (Zhe Xianren). This was because of his free spirit. The poet He Zhu was known as "He the Plum" (He Meizi). This came from a famous line he wrote about yellow plums.
- Names from jobs or birthplaces: Some Hao came from a person's official job or where they were born. Du Fu was "Du of the Ministry of Works" (Du Gongbu). He had briefly been a senior officer there. Tang Xianzu was called "Tang of Nanhai" because it was his birthplace.
By the Song dynasty, most educated people used each other's art names. These names often changed. This practice continued until the 20th century.
Art Names in Japan
In early modern Japan, during the Edo period, woodblock print artists used gō. An artist's first gō was usually given by their teacher. This teacher was the head of an art school. The gō often included one of the characters from the master's own gō.
For example, one of Hokusai's first art names was Shunrō. His teacher, Katsukawa Shunshō, gave him the character 'shun' from his own name.
You can often see how artists were connected this way. Later, it became a common system. The first character of a student's gō was often the last character of the master's gō. This was especially true in the Utagawa school.
For instance, an artist named Toyoharu had a student named Toyohiro. Toyohiro, in turn, taught the famous landscape artist Hiroshige.
Another student of Toyoharu was Toyokuni. He became the main head of the Utagawa school. Toyokuni had students like Kunisada and Kuniyoshi. Kuniyoshi then taught Yoshitoshi. Yoshitoshi's students included Toshikata.
Art Names in Korea
In Korea, these names are called ho (Hangul: 호; Hanja: 號). They came to Korea from China during the Three Kingdoms of Korea period (57 BC – 668 AD). Today, they are not as common. However, some modern writers use pen names (Hangul: 필명; Hanja: 筆名; RR: pilmyeong). These are very similar to a type of ho called aho.
People can choose their own ho. Or, others might give them one. People usually pick their own ho based on what the name means. When others give a person a ho, it often shows their relationship. For example, a parent to a child, a friend to a friend, or a teacher to a student. Names can also be chosen to avoid naming taboos.
Most ho have two characters. But they can be any length. The poet Kim Sang-ok had one that was ten characters long (Hangul: 칠수삼과처용지거주인; Hanja: 七須三瓜處容之居主人). A person can also have many ho. Kim Sang-ok had over twenty! The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture says he had the most art names of any modern Korean poet. An extreme example is the Joseon scholar Kim Jeong-hui. One calligrapher estimated he had as many as 503. Some people change their ho to show changes in their mood or situation.
Some ho are only written in the Korean alphabet, Hangul. They don't have matching Chinese characters (Hanja). This can also be a special choice. For example, the linguist Lee Byeong-gi chose a pure Hangul name (Hangul: 가람; RR: Garam). He did this partly to show his feelings as a Korean independence activist.
When someone explains their ho, the explanation is called a hobyeon (Hangul: 호변; Hanja: 號辨) or hogi (Hangul: 호기; Hanja: 號記). There are also books that list and sort different ho. These books are called hobo (Hangul: 호보; Hanja: 號譜).
Types of ho
Korean ho can be divided into two main types: aho (Hangul: 아호; Hanja: 雅號) and dangho (Hangul: 당호; Hanja: 堂號).
- Aho: These are the typical art names. They are pseudonyms for artists, writers, and other creative people.
- Dangho: This refers to the name of the building where an intellectual lived. Korean intellectuals often named their houses. So, people could be called by their house's name. For example, if someone's house was named Ch'unghyodang (Hangul: 충효당), people might say, "Ch'unghyodang went to the park." This helped tell apart people with similar names. While dangho was usually for the house owner, it could also refer to others living there. For example, "the eldest son of Ch'unghyodang."
Reusing Art Names
In some art schools, especially the main Utagawa school, the most senior member's gō was passed on. When the master died, the main student would take his position and his gō. Sometimes, artists would also take the gō of a previous artist as a sign of respect. This can make it tricky to know who made a certain artwork.
To help figure out the date of a print, experts look at the censors' seals. The art style is also very important. For example, when Kunisada changed his gō to Toyokuni, he started signing prints in a special way. He used an oval seal called toshidama (meaning 'New Year's Jewel'). This seal had a zig-zag in the top right corner. His students continued this practice.
Today, when scholars study these names, they use Roman numerals. This helps identify which artist used a certain gō. So, Kunisada I is also known as Toyokuni III. This means he was the third artist to use the Toyokuni gō.
See also
