We were delighted to hear from the son of Taku Maru’s original owner, Philip Booth, about his recollections of her and how she got her name.
I am really delighted to see that Atalanta 105 Taka Maru still exists, 61 years on. My father bought Taka Maru, perhaps off the drawing board since I see it was built in May 1959; it was certainly being sailed that summer. It served well but for only about five years and by 1964 we had moved on to a more conventional boat which was I think a Fairey Fisherman. I have particularly fond memories of Taka Maru because it was in her that I made my first crossing of the Channel, from Aberwrac’h to Dartmouth with my older brother as captain.
The origin of the name may amuse you. We had living in our household at the time a Japanese banker, and perhaps to avoid family wrangling, we turned to him for suggestions as to what to call the ne acquisition. His first suggestion, Kamome Maru, was rejected by the registering authority but the less euphonious Taka Maru made it.
Philip booth
Apparently there is a common convention in Japan to add ‘Maru’ to the end of a ship’s name. It means ‘circle’.
The ‘Taku’ part of the name is more complex as it can be used in different ways in Japanese.
This name can be used as 拓 (taku, hira.ku) meaning “clear (the land), open, break up (land)”, 卓 (taku) meaning “eminent, table, desk, high”, 琢 (taku, miga.ku) meaning “polish” or 択 (taku, era.bu) meaning “choose, select, elect, prefer.”
from behindthename.com
I wish we had known this when I owned A105! Lost count of the number of times people asked me what her name meant, but we never though of renaming.