Jipangu

Jipangu or Zipangu (ジパング) is a obfuscated name for Japan that has recently come into vogue for Japanese movies, animes, video games, etc. The English word "Japan" has a circuitous derivation; but linguists believe it derives in part from the Portuguese recording of the early Mandarin Chinese word for Japan: Cipangu. In modern Japanese, Cipangu is transliterated as ジパング which in turn can be transliterated into English as Jipangu, Zipangu, Jipang, or Zipang.

Examples

• Jipangu (1990) information about the movie Jipangu in the Internet Movie Database

• Ezipangu.org a web magazine for "Transcultural Networking"

• Zipangu Club (in Japanese) a JR West website encouraging experience the "old Japan" via rail.

• TBS Animation Zipangu Homepage (in Japanese) a promotional site for an anime set in an alternate history of World War II

See also

• Names of Japan
• Foreign branding