Ingen-mame

Ingen-mame (インゲン豆) is the word for green beans. The word is odd in that it seems to bear no resemblance at all to the western terms used to describe the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), a plant native to Mesoamerica and South America. In fact, it almost seems like a Chinese name. In fact, it is. The bean is named after a Chinese monk, poet, and calligrapher, Ingen (隱元隆琦, Yinyuan Longqi in Chinese), who came to Japan in 1592 to spread a Buddhist sect, and apparently brought green bean seeds along with him.