Wake translates as "royal descendants". This title would be held by pre-7th century chieftains[1].
A secondary meaning seems to be the name of an actual clan: the Wakabe. The following from Michiko Aoki's Records of Wind and Earth serves to clarify:
Michiko Aoki's Records of Wind and Earth
- Page 188n: Probably Wake no Kimi was related to Prince Homuda. The prince's full name was Homudawake. According to recent studies, Wake derives from the suffix of Homudawake.
- Page 204n: [Referring to Naniha]...This area was known for its excellent blacksmitsh (who were Korean immigrants). The Wakabe were the people of the Wake family...This story suggests that at the time of Kotoku's reign (645-54) the Wakabe people lost their monopoly over the iron industry. Iron ore from that time on had to be turned over to the central government.
- Page 209n: According to the Shinsen shojiroku, the Yamabe's forebear is the same as that of the Wake family
Notes
- ↑ Michiko Aoki, Records of Wind and Earth, page 35