indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Type Surname
Usage Japanese
Scripts 土方, 土片, 泥方, 泥片(Japanese Kanji) ひじかた(Japanese Hiragana) ヒジカタ(Japanese Katakana)
Meaning & History
From 泥 (hiji) meaning "mud, mire," more often written as 土, from tsuchi meaning "earth, soil, dirt, mud," and 方 (kata) meaning "direction, way" or, more rarely, 片 (kata) meaning "one (of a pair); incomplete, fragmentary" (cognate with 方).One bearer of this name was Hijikata Toshizō (土方 歳三) (1835-1869), the vice-commander of the Shinsengumi.