Abe

Herkunft & Geschichte

Abe is one of Japan's oldest surnames, borne by the ancient Abe clan that appears in Nihon Shoki as descendants of the imperial line serving as regional administrators. The characters 阿部 originally referred to a geographical feature — a slope (阿) and district (部). The Abe clan produced many distinguished scholars, priests, and warriors, including the famous court astrologer Abe no Seimei, who became a legendary onmyoji sorcerer.