Talk:Tanba Province

Tanba versus Tamba

Is this article named "Tamba" because it's easier to say it that way in English, vs. the "actual" spelling in Japanese? I mean, the province's name in kana would be たんば (丹波) (Tanba) ...just wondering if someone could explain. -Tadakuni 04:16, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

There does seem to be no rhyme or reason, yes.

Tamba ---> -- Cleveland Museum of Art

Tanba ---> -- University of British Columbia and -- Kyoto Prefecture Web Site

But not all conundrums are amenable to a practical resolution, I'd guess.

Good question ... thought-provoking. Ooperhoofd 20:19, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

丹波国 in the Japanese wikipedia spells it as "tanba" in kana. The issue is with English-speakers, I think. It's easier to say "Tamba" for westerners who might not take the time to get the nuance of the n in "Tanba" correct. For instance, Emperor Jinmu becomes "Emperor Jimmu" on the English Wikipedia, even though there's no single "letter m" in Japanese (though there is a "letter n"). So it boils down to ease vs. technical accuracy, I guess. -Tadakuni 21:16, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

I think the general guidelines of the WikiJapan Project suggest that it should be "Tanba," so this article should probably be moved. Douggers 01:24, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

Corollary thread

Re: explanatory spelling note in first paragraph, see discussion thread at Talk:Emperor Temmu#Tenmu versus Temmu. --Tenmei (talk) 16:16, 28 January 2009 (UTC)