Ezo (蝦夷^?, also spelled Yezo or Yeso) is a Japanese name which historically referred to the lands to the north of Japan. It was used in various senses, sometimes meaning the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō, and sometimes meaning lands and waters further north in the Sea of Okhotsk, like Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. The word Ezo could also refer to the peoples that the Japanese encountered in these lands.

The spelling Ezo reflects the pronunciation in Modern Standard Japanese. The spelling Yezo reflects its pronunciation circa 1600 AD, when Europeans first came in contact with Japan. It is this historical spelling that is reflected in the scientific Latin term yezoensis, as in Fragaria yezoensis and Porphyra yezoensis.

History[link]

The first published description of Ezo in the West was brought to Europe by Isaac Titsingh in 1796. His small library of Japanese books included Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu (三国通覧図説, An Illustrated Description of Three Countries^?) by Hayashi Shihei.^[1] This book, which was published in Japan in 1785, described the Ezo region and people.^[2]

In 1832, the Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland supported the posthumous abridged publication of Titsingh's French translation of Sankoku Tsūran Zusetsu.^[3] Julius Klaproth was the editor, completing the task which was left incomplete by the death of the book's initial editor, Jean-Pierre Abel-Rémusat.

See also[link]

• Republic of Ezo

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Cullen, Louis M. (2003). A History of Japan, 1582-1941: Internal and External Worlds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10-ISBN 052182155X/13-ISBN 9780521821551; 10-ISBN 0521529182/13-ISBN 9780521529181; OCLC 50694793
• Hayashi, Shihei. (1786). Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu (三国通覧図説, An Illustrated Description of Three Countries^?). Edo: Manuscript. OCLC 44014900
• Klaproth, Julius. (1832). San kokf tsou ran to sets, ou Aperçu général des trois royaumes. Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 2563166; also OCLC 561284561

External links[link]

• Waseda University — Hayashi Shihei. (1785). 三国通覧図説 (Sangoku Tsuran Zusetsu)

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Rafet El Roman
Background information
Born	(1968-08-25) August 25, 1968 (age 43)
Origin	Havsa, Edirne, Turkey
Genres	Pop
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals and guitar
Years active	1992–present

Rafet El Roman (born August 25, 1968 in Havsa, Edirne, Turkey), is a pop star in his home country.^[1] He got his name from a fictional character named "El Romano".

Biography[link]

When Rafet's parents moved to Germany in 1970, he lived with his grandmother until he was 7 years old at Uzunköprü Ömerbey. After he finished first grade at primary school in the village, he was sent to his parents in Germany. He completed his education in Germany. He speaks German, English, Italian and Turkish. He started writing his first lyrics at 16 years old.

In 1984 he contacted Stefan Somogyfoki from Midnight Entertainment and in 1987 he played the leading role in the Fantasy Movie Defender. At this time he learned a lot about film making and acting. Also, he started to co-direct his own fighting scenes in movies. Everyone could see his talent for acting and the art of making movies. At this time he started to write his first songs Benimlen and Seni Seviyorum.

He gave his first stage performances in 1988. In 1992, he was voted "Best of the Year" by Saarlaendischer Rundfunk Radio. In 1994, he was awarded with Media Artist Award in Frankfurt Cultural Festival. In August 1995, he returned to Turkey and released his first solo album. The album Gençliğin Gözyaşı (The Tears of the Youth) sold over one million having hits like Sorma Neden, Seni Seviyorum and Amerika. In October 1997, he released his second album En Güzel Günler Senin Olsun (Have The Most Beautiful Days). In 1998, he released his first solo album in Europe. In 1998, he played in the film Propaganda with major stars of the Turkish cinema history such as Kemal Sunal and Metin Akpınar.

In May 1999, he had a huge success with his third album Hayat Hüzünlü (Sorrowful Life). In 2000, Rafet El Roman vocalized the song Bir Gol Daha (One More Goal) with Mehmet Ali Erbil for the Turkey national football team's Euro 2000 campaign. In 2000, he was the principal actor in the cinema film Offside (Dar Alanda Kısa Paslaşmalar) with co-star Müjde Ar. In 2001, with his own lyrics and song, he sang a duet with Aşkın Nur Yengi "Peşindeyim" (I Am In The Pursue Of You).

He released the fourth album Hanimeli (Lonicera) in January 2001 and his fifth album 5 Nr. Aşk (Love Nr. 5) in April 2002. He released his 6th album, Sürgün (Exile), in the summer of 2004 and this album sold the best. The album had been one of the favorite albums of 2004 with many hit songs. In summer 2005, he released the seventh album Kalbimin Sultanı (The Sultan of My Heart) in honour of his 10th Year. The album became the top seller after initial release. He received the MÜYAP “Golden Butterfly”, POPSAV "The Most Successful Pop Singer of the Year" awards. In 2006 summer, he released the album Gönül Yarası (Heart Pain).

Rafet El Roman aims to introduce new names to the music market with his music production company "RER" established in 2000. Also, it is among the greatest desires of Rafet El Roman to be a scenarist and director of his own film.

Personal life[link]

He has two daughters with former wife, beauty contest winner Tuba Altıntop. The couple divorced in 2002. They have been receiving wide interest in the media with the ongoing custody battle over their daughters.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Official web page