Have you ever wondered where the name Subaru comes from? For most people the name Subaru immediately brings to mind awesome automobiles. Subaru is synonymous with safe, well-made, and exciting vehicles. But was it based on the name of the company's founder, as Oldsmobile, Honda, and Ford were, or is it based on common words as Volvo and Volkswagon are -- or perhaps it's like Lexus, the product of an ad company's research?
Kenji Kita, the first president of Fuji Heavy Industries (the transportation company that owns Subaru) was the one who named the Subaru company. He figured that a special car should have a special name, so he racked his brain to think about what in the world was most special. What he came up with was out of this world.
Subaru is the Japanese name for the Pleiades constellation. You might know this constellation by the name “Seven Sisters” even though just 6 are visible without a telescope. It’s one of the closest star clusters to earth, and is easily spotted by the naked eye. Pleiades is pretty easy to find too. If you can identify Orion’s Belt, you just follow the tail of stars to the obvious cluster.
The Seven Sisters are from Greek mythology. They were the daughters of Atlas, known as the Pleiades (a form of the verb "to sail") because of their importance in navigation for the sailors of ancient Greece. All over the world, people relied on the Pleiades for navigation, and all over the world stories are told about the Pleiades. They turn up in mythology most often as a group of brothers or sisters.
The Pleiades are known in Japan as "Subaru," and the constellation is commonly identified with unity or togetherness. The word "Subaru" even means, “coming together.” This symbolism makes sense. When you look out at the night sky you can see too many stars to count, but when you look at the Pleiades you see six bright stars nestled together.
If you’ve never seen the constellation in the night sky, picture the Subaru logo. The six stars of the logo are meant to represent the likeness of the constellation for which it was named.
Kita's choice of the name Subaru wasn't just about the beauty and grandeur of the stars. It has a special meaning for the Subaru company. Fuji Heavy Industries was created by the merging of five individual companies to create a sixth. And that idea of coming together is what Subaru is all about today.
Head out in your Subaru to your favorite stargazing spot and enjoy the Pleiades on one of these beautiful summer nights!
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