The Wombat File Is Yours to Keep: The Friday Quiz: Abraham Shogun

A quick one this week, a little nibblet of etymological trivia to munch on before the weekend. And, before we get started, the missing answers left over from last week: #2 is India, #5 is Armenia.

After the arrival of the American Commodore Perry in Japan in 1853, and the subsequent signing of the Treaty of Kanagawa, American envoys used a Japanese honorific when addressing the shogun, the military ruler who held power. This term found its way back to the U.S. and Britain --John Hay, President Lincoln's private secretary, later picked up on this and used it, humorously, in addressing Lincoln. And Sir Rutherford Alcock popularized the term in Britain by including it in the title of his memoir of service in Japan: The Capital of the [word]: A Narrative of a Three Years' Residence in Japan.

What's the word?

First correct guess posted to comments wins a rare set of Aleister Crowley bobblehead dolls, perfect for mounting on your home altar in the secret chamber in the basement. No Googling or using Enochian Magick to get the ascended spirit masters to give you the answer. One guess per comment, but comment as often as you like.

Comments

argh! I just posted Armenia before I saw that you'd already announced it! And of course, India - I was accosted by dozens of Romanii kids in Bombay and Bangalore. They were cheeky.

Was the word Pooh-bah?

Posted by: bootsy3000 | July 18, 2008 01:38 PM

Tono? (Or Tono-sama?)

Posted by: art | July 18, 2008 09:58 PM

Hey, did we ever find out the authors of mystery quotations numbers two and three from a couple weeks back?

Posted by: gavinedwards | July 19, 2008 12:55 AM

San?

Posted by: Jonathan | July 19, 2008 05:19 PM

I hope my 48 hours of keeping Boxjam occupied pay off when I post "honcho."

Posted by: herbivorous | July 19, 2008 07:54 PM

Maybe just sama?

Posted by: Jonathan | July 19, 2008 09:47 PM

Gavin, I can't believe I never supplied those answers! It's Edith Wharton and Jhumpa Lahiri, respectively.

Still nothing here. It's a word that, in its transliterated & slightly altered form, doesn't look to most English speakers like Japanese.

Posted by: BT | July 22, 2008 11:38 PM

Another clue: the word has an economic, rather than political or military, resonance, to our ears at least.

Posted by: BT | July 23, 2008 02:26 PM

Yen?

Posted by: Jonathan | July 24, 2008 04:13 PM

Again: not a word most of us would associate with Japan.

It's possible that your first exposure to the word came from its prominent inclusion in Milton Bradley's The Game of Life.

Posted by: BT | July 25, 2008 10:33 AM

"Rare Yellow Seersucker" jay?

All I remember about the Game of Life is that you discover some bird like that on one of the spaces.

Posted by: boxjam | July 25, 2008 12:13 PM

Tycoon?

Posted by: boxjam | July 25, 2008 12:28 PM

TYCOON!

Hooray, it's not another unfinished quiz.

Thanks, Boxjam. Please drive your plastic convertible to the mansion. Everyone else -- you're in the Poor House.

Posted by: BT | July 25, 2008 02:21 PM

The Wombat File Is Yours to Keep

The Wombat File is a Delaying Tactic that May Save Your Life

The Friday Quiz: Abraham Shogun

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