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One of our most common gags here at Graveyard Baseball is to do a literal translation of Lions players and their family names. On Twitter, it often looks like this:
#埼玉西武ライオンズ 直訳スタメン
— Graveyard Baseball (@GraveyardBall) October 8, 2022
左 Golden Child
遊 Root Paddy
捕 Forest
一 Mountain River
指 Chestnut Mountain
二 Outside Cape
三 贈与者
右 Love Ladle
中 Bell Tree
投手 Tall Bridge#npbeng @Cape_Lions @64Uni_Lions @EthanRKassel
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Here is the 2022 edition of every Seibu Lions player.
To prevent redundancy, we have assigned 田 to paddy and 野 to field. If some guys have the same family name, we've translated their first name as a bonus. When seeing that kanji, the last name is first, first name is last.
For players with the same surname, we also translated their first name.
Italicized names are players who are not returning for 2023.
All draft picks from 2022 are not included since they won't play until 2023.
Pitchers:
Tatsushi Masuda 増田: More paddies
Kona Takahashi 髙橋 光成: Tall bridge, Light growing
Ken Togame 十亀: Ten turtles
Kaima Taira 平良: Flat Good
Yutaro Watanabe 渡邉: Ford Edge (ford as in ferry crossing or transit, not the car).
Tetsuya Utsumi 内海: Inside Sea (Inlet)
Ryosuke Moriwaki 森脇: Forest Armpit (or side / flank)
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Infielders:
Sosuke Genda 源田: Root paddy (源 [gen] can refer to the origin or root of something)
Hotaka Yamakawa 山川: Mountain river
Takeya Nakamura 中村: Center village
Haruka Yamada 山田: Mountain paddy
Shuta Tonosaki 外崎: Outside cape (cape as in headland, not the cloak)
Kakeru Yamanobe 山野辺: Mountain Field Area
Ryota Kawano 川野: River Field
Seigo Nakayama 中山: Center Mountain
Tatsushi Masuda 増田: More paddies
Kona Takahashi 髙橋 光成: Tall bridge, Light growing
Ken Togame 十亀: Ten turtles
Shota Hamaya 浜屋: Beach Roof
Katsunori Hirai 平井: Flat well
Yasuo Sano 佐野: Assistant field
Ichiro Tamura 田村: Paddy village
Keisuke Honda 本田: Book Paddy
Shota Takekuma 武隈: Warrior shadow
Tatsuya Imai 今井: Now well (Well as in the noun, not the adverb/adjective)
Katsunori Hirai 平井: Flat well
Yasuo Sano 佐野: Assistant field
Ichiro Tamura 田村: Paddy village
Keisuke Honda 本田: Book Paddy
Shota Takekuma 武隈: Warrior shadow
Tatsuya Imai 今井: Now well (Well as in the noun, not the adverb/adjective)
Kaima Taira 平良: Flat Good
Yutaro Watanabe 渡邉: Ford Edge (ford as in ferry crossing or transit, not the car).
Tetsuya Utsumi 内海: Inside Sea (Inlet)
Ryosuke Moriwaki 森脇: Forest Armpit (or side / flank)
Kaito Yoza 與座: Participation Seat
Tetsu Miyagawa 宮川: Shrine River
Hiroki Inoue 井上: Well Top
Hiroki Inoue 井上: Well Top
Koki Matsuoka 松岡: Pine Tree Hill
Takeru Sasaki 佐々木: Assistant Tree
Katsuhiko Kumon 公文: Government Documents
Ren Omagari 大曲: Big Bend
Yoshinobu Mizukami 水上: Water Top
Chihiro Sumida 隅田: Corner Paddy
Shunsuke Sato 佐藤: Assistant Wisteria
Shinnosuke Hada 羽田: Feather Paddy
Masaya Kuroda 黒田: Black Paddy
Yuto Akagami 赤上: Red Top
===
Catchers:
Tomoya Mori 森: Forest
Masatoshi Okada 岡田: Hill paddy
Shoya Makino 牧野: Shepard Field
Masato Saito 齊藤 誠人: Adjusted Wisteria, Sincere Person
Sena Tsuge 柘植: Mulberry Plant
===
Catchers:
Tomoya Mori 森: Forest
Masatoshi Okada 岡田: Hill paddy
Shoya Makino 牧野: Shepard Field
Masato Saito 齊藤 誠人: Adjusted Wisteria, Sincere Person
Sena Tsuge 柘植: Mulberry Plant
Yuto Koga 古賀: Old Joy
Daichi Nakaguma 中熊: Center Bear
===
Infielders:
Sosuke Genda 源田: Root paddy (源 [gen] can refer to the origin or root of something)
Hotaka Yamakawa 山川: Mountain river
Takeya Nakamura 中村: Center village
Haruka Yamada 山田: Mountain paddy
Shuta Tonosaki 外崎: Outside cape (cape as in headland, not the cloak)
Kakeru Yamanobe 山野辺: Mountain Field Area
Ryota Kawano 川野: River Field
Kento Watanabe 渡部: Cross Section
Takayoshi Yamamura 山村: Mountain Village
"Brandon" Taiga Tysinger ブランドン: Broom Hill
Due to going by his given name and not being a foreigner as someone born in Okinawa, Brandon gets recognized here.
Natsuo Takizawa 滝澤: Waterfall Swamp
Shinya Hasegawa 長谷川: Long Valley River
Shota Hiranuma 平沼: Flat Marsh
===
Outfielders:
Yuji Kaneko 金子 侑司: Gold child, Assistant director
Takumi Kuriyama 栗山: Chestnut mountain
Outfielders:
Yuji Kaneko 金子 侑司: Gold child, Assistant director
Takumi Kuriyama 栗山: Chestnut mountain
Manaya Nishikawa 西川: West River
Seiji Kawagoe 川越: River surpass
Masato Kumashiro 熊代: Bear substitute
Shohei Suzuki 鈴木: Bell tree
Daisuke Togawa 戸川: Door river
[Aito] Takeda 武田 愛斗: Military paddy, Love Big Dipper / Ladle (Takeda has his first name registered)
Wataru Takagi 高木 渉: Tall Tree, Ford (as in fording or crossing a river)
Seiji Kawagoe 川越: River surpass
Masato Kumashiro 熊代: Bear substitute
Shohei Suzuki 鈴木: Bell tree
Daisuke Togawa 戸川: Door river
[Aito] Takeda 武田 愛斗: Military paddy, Love Big Dipper / Ladle (Takeda has his first name registered)
Wataru Takagi 高木 渉: Tall Tree, Ford (as in fording or crossing a river)
Junichiro Kishi 岸: Beach
Gakuto Wakabayashi 若林: Young Grove
Yuta Nakamigawa 仲三河: Between Three Rivers
===
Ikusei:
Toshihiro Idei 出井: Exit Well
Hiromasa Saito 齊藤 大将: Adjusted Wisteria, General
Sho Ito: 伊藤: Italian Wisteria
Joseph Ken Miyamoto 宮本: Shrine Book
Taishi Mameda 豆田: Legume Paddy
Kaito Awatsu 粟津: Millet Harbor
Towa Uema 上間: Above Space
Takeru Furuichi 古市: Old Market
Keishin Kawamura 川村: River Village
Hitoto Komazuki 駒月: Horse Moon
Kosuke Noda 野田: Field Paddy, Abundance of help
Satoshi Kuroda 黒田: Black Paddy
Shogo Akada 赤田: Red Paddy
Eiji Kiyokawa 清川: Pure River
Hayato Aoki 青木: Green Tree
===
Manager and Coaches:
Hatsuhiko Tsuji 辻: Intersection
Manager and Coaches:
Hatsuhiko Tsuji 辻: Intersection
Kiyoshi Toyoda 豊田: Rich Paddy
Shigenobu Shima 嶋: Island
Masahiro Abe 阿部: Corner head of Yamato Group (saw Africa for Abe's name, but too confusing)
Fumiya Nishiguchi 西口: West Mouth
Tomoaki Sato 佐藤: Assistant Wisteria
Kazuo Matsui 松井: Pine Tree Well
Hiroyuki Takagi 高木 浩之: Tall Tree, This Abundance
Yosuke Hiraishi 平石: Peace Stone
Shigenobu Shima 嶋: Island
Masahiro Abe 阿部: Corner head of Yamato Group (saw Africa for Abe's name, but too confusing)
Fumiya Nishiguchi 西口: West Mouth
Tomoaki Sato 佐藤: Assistant Wisteria
Kazuo Matsui 松井: Pine Tree Well
Hiroyuki Takagi 高木 浩之: Tall Tree, This Abundance
Yosuke Hiraishi 平石: Peace Stone
Kosuke Noda 野田: Field Paddy, Abundance of help
Satoshi Kuroda 黒田: Black Paddy
Shogo Akada 赤田: Red Paddy
Eiji Kiyokawa 清川: Pure River
Tatsuyuki Uemoto 上本: Top Book
Tatsuya Ozeki 小関: Small Connection
Tatsuya Oishi 大石: Big Rock
Norio Tanabe 田辺: Paddy Border
Hisashi Takayama 高山: Tall Mountain
Shota Nakata 中田: Center Paddy
Shuichiro Osada 長田: Long Paddy
Yuji Onizaki 鬼崎: Demon Peninsula
===
Bonus: Foreigners
As a continuous gag, we reverse translate the foreigners to see what their name in Japanese would literally look like, not just katakana sounds. Here is what their names would look like in kanji. Chinese names also included.
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Bonus: Foreigners
As a continuous gag, we reverse translate the foreigners to see what their name in Japanese would literally look like, not just katakana sounds. Here is what their names would look like in kanji. Chinese names also included.
Nien Ting Wu 呉: Donor / Zouyosha (贈与者)
While Wu is Taiwanese, his name can also reference being a Giver though it mostly represents a kingdom/dynasty.
Brian O'Grady: Noble / Koushou (高尚)
O'Grady's name has Gaelic origins being a derivative of the word for noble.
Dietrich Enns: God's Helmet / Kami Kabuto (神兜)
Enns, of Irish origins is short for Anselm of German descent which is God's helmet.
Burch Smith: Strike / Dageki (打撃)
Smith has Old English origins for a strike, the noun for the action of hits with a hammer or another craftsmen tool.
Jantzen Witte: White One / Shirojin (白人)
Witte has Dutch and Germ)an origin. Very similar to how Wade LeBlanc has white as his surname with French origin.
"Bo" Takahashi: To Live / Ikiru (住む)
While Bo is a nickname, we'll include this name as Scandinavian descent given he goes by this instead of his surname meaning to Live or Dwell.
Ikusei:
Romer Cuadrado: Square / Shikaku (四角)
In Spanish, Cuadrado is the word for square.
Jasier Herrera: Iron Mine / Tetsukouzan (鉄鉱山)
Herrera, with Spanish origin, is an iron mine. Fittingly 鉄 is the same character for Nishitetsu, the former Lions name in Fukuoka.
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Bonus: Samurai Japan
Just for fun we've thrown in Samurai Japan's squad for the 2023 World Baseball Classic going beyond Genda and Yamakawa.
Yu Darvish ダルビッシュ: 托鉢 (Takuhatsu たくはつ)
With Darvish having Iranian descent, his family name is a Sufi holy man derived from ‘Dervish’ a member of a Sufi Muslim religious order from Pahlavi driyosh meaning ‘beggar one who goes from door to door’.
托鉢 would count in religious manners of begging or monk's begging.
Shohei Ohtani 大谷: Large Valley
Shosei Togo 戸郷: Door Village
Yuki Matsui 松井: Pine Tree Well
Roki Sasaki 佐々木: Assistant Tree
Taisei Ota 翁田: Venerable Old Man Paddy
Hiromi Itoh 伊藤: Italian Wisteria
Yoshinobu Yamamoto 山本: Mountain Book
Ryoji Kuribayashi 栗林: Chestnut Grove
Shota Imanaga 今永: Now Eternal
Atsuki Yuasa 湯浅: Hot Water Shallow
Yuki Udagawa 宇田川: Roof Paddy River
Hiroya Miyagi 宮城: Shrine Castle
Keiji Takahashi 高橋奎二: Tall Bridge, Constellation Two.
Hiroto Takahashi 高橋宏斗: Wide Ladle
Takuya Kai 甲斐: A-Grade Beautiful
Takumi Oshiro 大城: Big Castle
Yuhei Nakamura 中村: Center Village
Tetsuya Yamada 山田: Mountain Paddy
Shugo Maki 牧: Pasture
Takumu Nakano 中野: Center Field
Kazuka Okamoto 岡本: Hill Book
Munetaka Murakami 村上: Village Above
Kensuke Kondo 近藤: Near Wisteria
Ukyo Shuto 周東: Circuit East
Masataka Yoshida 吉田: Joy Paddy
Seiya Suzuki 鈴木: Bell Tree
Lars Nootbaar: 著名 / ちょめい Chomei
Nootbaar's family name has Dutch descent and references being notable or famous.