Don't Weep, Mr. Toyoda, Seppuku is Still an Option

Here's an explanation for why the automaker family is named Toyoda while the car company is called Toyota, courtesy today's Washington Post. I could have looked into this before, but I never have. The question's in the news now for all too obvious reasons.

"The company started by [Akio] Toyoda's grandfather did indeed have his name -- Tokyo Toyoda Motor Sales -- until 1936, when a stroke of the brush changed it to Toyota.

"Writing 'Toyoda' in Japanese requires 10 brush strokes, explains John R. Malott, president of the Japan-America Society of Washington DC, but writing 'Toyota' requires eight.

"While eight is considered an auspicious number, 10 is not, said Malott, who visited with the company during his years as a State Department official. Ten consists of two strokes crossed against each other and resembles the 'plus' symbol, or even a crossroads or an uncertain path. Not a good omen for a company."

I checked the Toyota recall list the other day. Not rushing out to buy the latest models, it turns out, can have its advantages. Neither of our cars is new enough to be affected by poor quality control on the part of the automaker in the mid- to late 2000s.