List of Japanese football teams

This list shows the names of the football teams in the divisions of the Japanese J. League ( J リーグ , Jei Rīgu), the Japan Football League ( 日本フットボールリーグ , Nihon futtobōru Līgu ) and the nine regional leagues .

Explanation of the names

The names of most of the teams are made up of phrases made up of bits and pieces in different foreign languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese or Italian), the meaning of which is not readily apparent.

logo	society	Remarks
	Albirex Niigata アルビレックス新潟 Arubirekkusu Niigata	This club plays its home games in the World Cup stadium " Big Swan " in Niigata . The name Albireo refers to the constellation of the swan , which includes a star named Albireo . A swan was chosen as the mascot. In 1999 the club changed its name to Albirex for legal reasons .
	Avispa Fukuoka アビスパ福岡 Abisupa Fukuoka	The name of this association from the southern Japanese city of Avispa Fukuoka is derived from the Spanish word avispa (= wasp ). He should embody aggressiveness and aggressiveness. Before 1995 the club was called first Fujieda Blux , then Fukuoka Blux and finally Fukuoka Brooks .
	Cerezo Osaka セレッソ大阪 Seresso Osaka	The club from Japan's third largest city Osaka took the name Cerezo . Cerezo is the Spanish word for the cherry tree, the tree of Osaka. Similarly, a cherry blossom adorns the club's coat of arms and pink was chosen as the club color, an extremely rare color in football.
	Consadole Sapporo コンサドーレ札幌 Konsadōre Sapporo	In 1996 the Toshiba SC association was renamed Consadole Sapporo . The Italian-looking name is a suitcase word from the syllables do-sa-n-ko ( 道産子 born in Hokkaidō ) read backwards and the Spanish excitement Olé . The club was founded in 1935 as Toshiba Horikawa-chō Soccer-bu ( 東芝堀川町サッカー部 , Toshiba Football Club Horikawa ), in 1980 Toshiba Soccer-bu ( 東芝サッカー部 , dt. "Toshiba Football Club") renamed and existed in this Form until 1995.
	Ehime FC 愛媛 FC Ehime Efu Shī	This club from Matsuyama , the capital of the southern Japanese prefecture of Ehime, is one of only four clubs in the J. League, whose name is composed only of the place name and the addition FC (English for Football Club ).
	Fagiano Okayama FC ファジアーノ岡山 FC	The Italian word fagiano means pheasant and alludes to the mythical peach boy Momotarō ( 桃太郎 ) who, supported by a monkey, a pheasant and a dog, fought a dragon. The club's venue is also called the Momotaro Stadium.
	FC Gifu FC 岐阜 Efu Shī Gifu	This club from the central Japanese prefecture of Gifu is one of only four clubs in the J. League, whose name is composed of the place name and the addition FC (English for Football Club ).
	FC Tokyo FC 東京 Efu shī Tōkyō	This club from the capital Gifu is one of only four clubs in the J. League, whose name is composed only of the place name and the addition FC (English for Football Club ). The club was originally the works team of the Tokyo gas supplier Tokyo Gas .
	Gamba Osaka ガンバ大阪 Gamba Ōsaka	There are two explanations for the club name Gamba of this club from Japan's third largest city Osaka: Gamba means something like foot in Italian, on the other hand gambaru is the Japanese verb for resolute fight and the imperative gambare is a popular cheering call. In keeping with the name, the club colors blue and black were chosen, which on the one hand reflects the company colors of Panasonic and on the other hand is reminiscent of Club Inter Milan .
	JEF United Ichihara Chiba ジェフユナイテッド市原・千葉 Jefu Yunaiteddo Ichihara Chiba	The name of this association from the central Japanese city of Ichihara ( prefecture Chiba ) is the result of a merger of the associations JEF United Ichihara (JE for Japan East, F for Furukawa ) The English word United stands for the union of the two.
	Júbilo Iwata ジュビロ磐田 Jubiro Iwata	The Portuguese name ( júbilo = joy) of this club from the city of Iwata ( Shizuoka Prefecture ) is intended to convey South American flair and enjoyment of the game. The club was founded in 1972 under the name Yamaha FC as a works team for the motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha .
	Kashima Antlers 鹿島アントラーズ Kashima antorāzu	The record champion from the central Japanese city of Kashima ( Ibaraki Prefecture ) derives its name from the English word antlers ( antlers ). The Antlers also use a deer as a mascot, matching their name. The club emerged in 1991 from the Sumitomo Metal Industries' football club , a works team of the Sumitomo industrial group.
	Kataller Toyama カターレ富山 Katāre Toyama	The association from the city of Toyama has put its name Kataller together as a suitcase word from the Japanese phrase 勝たれ katare (= win) and the French word aller (= go). The name should also allude to the Italian word cantare (= to sing) and the Japanese 語れ katare (= to speak), which is written with a different Kanji .
	Kawasaki Frontale 川崎フロンターレ Kawasaki Furontāre	The Italian name of this club from the city of Kawasaki ( Kanagawa Prefecture ), which means something like front , is intended to underline the European style of play and the club's claim to leadership. The club continues to use the nickname Fujitsu FC in memory of the parent company Fujitsu .
	Nagoya Grampus 名古屋グランパスエイト Nagoya Guranpasu Eito	The English name Grampus of this association from the industrial city of Nagoya ( Aichi prefecture ) refers to the mascot, the orca . The former name suffix Eight is officially derived from the eight principles of civil society in the Nagoya City Council.
	Ōita Trinita 大分トリニータ Ōita torinīta	The Italian name Trinita of this association from the southern Japanese city of Ōita ( prefecture Ōita ) means trinity . According to another version, it is composed of the English word trinity and the name Oita. It should symbolize the cooperation between fans, companies and local government and have a European sound. There are three diamonds in the club's coat of arms.
	Kashiwa Reysol 柏レイソル Kashiwa Reisoru	The name of this club from the central Japanese city of Kashiwa ( Chiba Prefecture ), which emerged from a factory team of the Hitachi group, is derived from the Spanish words rey (= king) and sol (= sun), a reference to Hitachi ( 日立 ) , which is written with the sign 日 (= sun).
	Kyoto Sanga 京都サンガ FC Kyōto Sanga Efu Shī	The word Sangha comes from Sanskrit and means something like community. The choice of this term is an allusion to the intellectual roots of the club, which emerged from a college team. The playing color purple is the traditional imperial color, a reference to the origin of the club from Kyoto , the hometown of the imperial family.
	Mito Hollyhock 水戸ホーリーホック Mito Hōrīhokku	The club from the central Japanese town of Mito refers to the English name of the hollyhocks (Alcea rosea), namely hollyhock , which also appear in the club's coat of arms and was the coat of arms of a local clan. Before that, the club was called Prima Ham FC .
	Montedio Yamagata モンテディオ山形	The name of this club from the Yamagata prefecture is composed of the Italian words monte (= mountain) and dio (= god).
	Ōmiya Ardija 大宮アルディージャ Ōmiya Arudīja	The name of this club from Ōmiya , a district of the metropolis of Saitama ( Saitama prefecture) is an artificial word borrowed from Spanish, there ardilla means something like squirrel. Accordingly, this rodent is also a club mascot.
	Roasso Kumamoto ロアッソ熊本 Roasso Kumamoto	The name of the club from the southern Japanese city in the prefecture of the same name Kumamoto is formed from the Italian word rosso for the club color red. After the rise, the club changed its name in 2008 and is now called Roasso Kumamoto , which is a combination of rosso with asso , the Italian Word for ace is.
	Sagan Tosu サガン鳥栖 Sagan Tosu	The name of the association from the southern Japanese city of Tosu , in Saga prefecture, has several meanings. In Japanese it is called sandstone ( 砂岩 ), among other things . This should reflect the club mentality, which is made big and solid from many small parts. In addition, the name can simply mean Tosu in Saga in dialect. The third possibility is that the term should be based on the Italian series champion Juventus Turin (Japanese Yuventosu ).
	Sanfrecce Hiroshima サンフレッチェ広島 Sanfuretche Hiroshima	The name of this club from the southern Japanese city of Hiroshima is an artificial name from the Japanese numeral san (= three) and the Italian word frecce (= arrow). He recalls a parable that is attributed to the samurai Mori Motonari from the 16th century: Mori is said to have asked his three sons to break an arrow each. After they had all succeeded, they were supposed to break a bundle of three arrows, which no one was able to do. Since then the three arrows have been a well-known symbol for the fact that one can achieve more with united forces than alone.
	Shimizu S-Pulse 清水エスパルス Shimizu Esuparusu	This club plays its home games in Shimizu ( Shizuoka Prefecture ). Hence the S in the name. When the planning for a professional football league began in 1989, several companies founded the S-Pulse project (English for pulse ) with the aim of setting up an advertising platform for the prefecture in professional football.
	Shonan Bellmare 湘南ベルマーレ Shōnan berumāre	The name of the association from the central Japanese city of the port city of Hiratsuka in Kanagawa prefecture refers to the Shōnan area , one of the most popular holiday regions on the main island of Honshū . The word Bellmare is based on the Italian bella mare (= beautiful sea).
	Thespakusatsu Gunma ザスパクサツ群馬 Zasupa Kusatsu Gunma	The first part of the name of the association from the central Japanese city of Kusatsu in Gunma Prefecture is an artificial word from the English words The Spa Kusatsu ( The Kusatsu Spa ). Spa - after the Belgian health resort Spa , is the English word for medicinal bath. To strengthen the local identity, the name of the prefecture was added to the club name in 2013. Originally the club was called Liaison Kusatsu Football Club and recruited its players at the Higashi Nihon Soccer Academy . In 2002 the club was renamed K. Kusatsu Onsen Football Club .
	Tochigi SC 栃木 SC Tochigi Esu Shī	This club from the central Japanese city of Utsunomiya ( Tochigi Prefecture ) was founded by teachers in 1953 and was then called Tochigi Teacher's Football Club ( 栃木教員サッカー部 , Tochigi Kyōin Sakka Bu). In 1994 the club was renamed Tochigi SC , as it began to include football players with other professions.
	Tokushima Vortis 徳島ヴォルティス Tokushima Vorutisu	The name of the club from the southern Japanese city of Tokushima alludes to the Italian word vortice (= vortex), as Naruto has the famous Naruto whirlpool , a tidal whirlpool in Naruto Street .
	Tokyo Verdy 東京ヴェルディ Tōkyō verudi	This capital association with the former name Yomiuri adopted a western sounding art name. Verdy , which is supposed to be reminiscent of the green club color, goes back to the Italian word verdi (= green) and at the same time has an English sound in the ears of the Japanese.
	Urawa Red Diamonds 浦和レッドダイヤモンズ Urawa Reddo Daiyamonzu	This club, which plays its home games in Urawa , emerged from a works team of the Mitsubishi industrial group. The English name refers on the one hand to the owner Mitsubishi, whose company logo consists of three red diamonds, on the other hand, the English nickname Reds is a reference to Manchester United .
	Vegalta Sendai ベガルタ仙台 Begaruta Sendai	The name of this association from Sendai in Miyagi prefecture refers to the famous Tanabata festival in Sendai and is formed from the names of two stars from the Tanabata legend: Wega and Altair . According to legend, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the two stars Wega (constellation Lyra) and Altair (constellation eagle) meet in the sky. According to ancient Chinese tradition, these stars represent lovers who are separated by the Milky Way for the rest of the year .
	Ventforet Kofu ヴァンフォーレ甲府 Vanfōre Kofu	The name of this association from Kofu , the capital of the Yamanashi prefecture, is composed of the French words vent (= wind) and foret (= forest). This creates a reference to Takeda Shingen , a general who lived in Yamanashi in the 15th century, and whose powers were described by the metaphor " wind in the woods, fire on the mountains ".
	Vissel Kobe ヴィッセル神戸 Visseru Kobe	The name of this club from Kobe ( prefecture Hyogo ) is composed of the English terms victory (= victory) and vessel (= ship). The aim is to combine the claim to success with the maritime tradition of the Kobe seaport.
	Yokohama F. Marinos 横浜 F ・マリノス Yokohama Efu Marinosu	This association from Japan's second largest city Yokohama derives its name from the Spanish word marino : (= sailor). The F comes from the German word wing . The Spanish name Marinos is intended on the one hand to recall Argentinian football and on the other hand to the tradition of Yokohama as one of the most important seaports in Japan.
	Yokohama FC 横浜 FC Yokohama Efu Shī	This club from the central Japanese city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture is one of four clubs in the J. League, whose name is composed only of the place name and the addition FC (English for Football Club ).