Adopted Sons-in-law
The other day, someone was reading a Rurouni Kenshin story of mine and wanted to know "Was it usual in the Meiji era to refer to a husband by the wife's family name?"
I suppose it's not as well known that it was, if not usual, not outlandish -- not in Meiji, not in the Tokugawa Era and before, not even these days.
From medieval times up through modern times, husbands have on occasion been taken into the bride's family, although the reverse was always more common. Often a family with no sons would either adopt one or take one of their sons-in-law into the household to carry on the family name. In many cases not involving the question of carrying on a name, the couple took on the family name of the party who brought more to the marriage.
As Kenshin is bringing in one somewhat shopworn rurouni and a new sakabatou, and Kaoru is bringing in a rundown doujou in good standing, a name as an instructor, an inherited name and style, one apprentice and the occasional student, several kimono, a few bokken, probably her dad's sword around somewhere, and some actual money, I have always assumed that he would take HER name. ^_^
I suppose it's not as well known that it was, if not usual, not outlandish -- not in Meiji, not in the Tokugawa Era and before, not even these days.
From medieval times up through modern times, husbands have on occasion been taken into the bride's family, although the reverse was always more common. Often a family with no sons would either adopt one or take one of their sons-in-law into the household to carry on the family name. In many cases not involving the question of carrying on a name, the couple took on the family name of the party who brought more to the marriage.
As Kenshin is bringing in one somewhat shopworn rurouni and a new sakabatou, and Kaoru is bringing in a rundown doujou in good standing, a name as an instructor, an inherited name and style, one apprentice and the occasional student, several kimono, a few bokken, probably her dad's sword around somewhere, and some actual money, I have always assumed that he would take HER name. ^_^