Maru (prefix)

Maru - ( Japanese ( 丸 ) - suffix to the name of the civil and fishing vessels of Japan .

Fukuru Maru Number 5 Fukuru Maru

The suffix "maru" began to be added to the names of Japanese ships at the beginning of the XII century. In Japan, this character means concepts such as “circle”, “walking around”, “ball”, as well as “completeness”, “the highest degree of something”. For example, in a modern Japanese school, the mark “maru” means excellent knowledge of the subject. It is noteworthy that the national flag of Japan - a white panel with a red circle - the "solar disk" - is called " Hinomaru " ( Japanese. 日 の 丸 , "solar circle" ). In the world fleet, the term "maru-ship" even exists - this is the meaning of the entire merchant Japanese fleet. There are several versions of the origin of the tradition of adding the prefix "maru" to the names of the vessels:

• The most common theory is that the ships seemed to the Japanese to be floating locks, and adding “maru” to the name of the ship was intended to protect it, like a magic circle, from all troubles and misfortunes. Gradually, “maru” began to mean not only “completeness”, but also “security”, “power”.
• “Maru” sounds nice to the Japanese, because it is used as a suffix to express tenderness and tenderness. In the old days, “maru” was added to the names of the boys as a wish of the parents so that their child would grow up healthy and happy. This addition to the name showed that parents are proud of their son, have high hopes for him. In any case, the use of this suffix expressed sympathy and love. It is believed that for the same reason, sailors added “mara” to the names of their ships.
• One of the most common explanations for the origin of the “sea” “maru” is associated with the custom in the countries of the East to add suffixes to the names of older and most worthy citizens, meaning “respected”, etc. ^[1] Perhaps this is another explanation for the appearance of the word “maru” in ship names.
• “ Hakudo Maru ” is the name of a celestial creature in Japanese mythology, which, according to legend, came to Earth 5,000 years ago and taught island residents to build ships. And the name "maru" in the names of the vessels provides them with protection of the heavenly patron in swimming.

The following Japanese vessels with the prefix "maru" are most famous in world history:

• Nippon Maru is the flagship of the fleet Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a daimyo, a military and political figure in Japan, who lived in the 16th century. It was the first known historical ship with the word "maru" in the title.
• Komagata Maru ( 駒 形 丸 ) is a ship that transported Indian immigrants to Canada in 1914. Passengers of Asian descent were not allowed to land. This led to a sensational political incident involving human rights violations. ^[2] In 2004, a film called Komagata Maru was made for these events.
• The Montevideo Maru, a Japanese ship that sank during World War II, killed more than 1,000 Australian prisoners of war and civilians. This tragedy is considered the largest marine disaster in the history of Australia.
• Nippon Maru ( 日本 丸 (2 代 ) - Japanese sailing training ship. ^[3]
• The Nisshin Maru is a Japanese whaling vessel involved in clashes with Greenpeace vessels in 1999 and 2006 and with maritime border vessels in 2013.
• " Fukury Maru number 5 " ( Japanese 第五 福 龍 丸 , translated as "Happy Dragon"), which was March 1, 1954 in the area of ​​the test of the American hydrogen bomb ( "Castle Bravo" ) on the Bikini Atoll . The entire crew of the schooner - 23 people - received severe radiation injuries. In 2007, this ship was made a museum in the Tokyo Exhibition Hall.