Virtue 3:
Jin
– Benevolence
Jin
is a combination of compassion and generosity. This virtue works together with Gi and discourages samurai from using their skills arrogantly or for domination.
Virtue 4:
Rei
– Respect
Rei
is a matter of courtesy and proper behaviour towards others. This virtue means to have respect for all.
Virtue 5:
Makoto
– Honesty
Makota
is about being honest to oneself as much as to others. It means acting in ways that are morally right and always doing things to the best of your ability.
Virtue 6:
Meiyo
– Honour
Meiyo
is sought with a positive attitude in mind, but will only follow with correct behaviour. Success is an honourable goal to strive for.
Virtue 7:
Chungi
– Loyalty
Chungi
is the foundation of all the virtues; without dedication and loyalty to the task at hand and to one another, one cannot hope to achieve the desired outcome.
A short guide to pronouncing Japanese words
Vowels are pronounced in the following way:
‘a’ as the ‘a’ in ‘at’
‘e’ as the ‘e’ in ‘bet’
‘i’ as the ‘i’ in ‘police
‘o’ as the ‘o’ in ‘dot’
‘u’ as the ‘u’ in ‘put’
‘ai’ as in ‘eye’
‘ii’ as in ‘week’
‘ō’
as in ‘go’
‘ū’
as in ‘blue’
Consonants are pronounced in the same way as English:
‘g’ is hard as in ‘get’
‘j’ is soft as in ‘jelly’
‘ch’ as in ‘church’
‘z’ as in ‘zoo’
‘ts’ as in ‘itself’
Each syllable is pronounced separately:
A-ki-ko
Ya-ma-to
Ma-sa-mo-to
Ka-zu-ki
bushido
| the Way of the Warrior
|
Butokuden
| Hall of the Virtues of War
|
cha-no-yu
| literally ‘tea meeting’
|
chi sao
| sticky hands (or ‘sticking hands’)
|
chiburi
| to flick blood from the blade
|
Chō-no-ma
| Hall of Butterflies
|
daishō
| the pair of swords,
wakizashi
and
katana
, that are the traditional weapons of the samurai
|
dokujutsu
| the Art of Poison
|
fudoshin
| literally ‘immovable heart’, a spirit of unshakable calm
|
fukuwarai
| children’s game like ‘Pin the tail on the donkey’
|
futon
| Japanese bed: flat mattress placed directly on
tatami
flooring, and folded away during the day
|
gaijin
| foreigner, outsider (derogatory term)
|
Ganjitsu
| New Year festival
|
hakama
| traditional Japanese clothing
|
Hakuhojo
| the Castle of the White Phoenix
|
hanami
| cherry-blossom viewing party
|
hanetsuki
| a traditional Japanese game similar to badminton
|
hatsuhinode
| the ‘firsts’ of the year: for example, the first visit to a temple in the New Year
|
inro
| a little case for holding small objects
|
irezumi
| a form of tattooing
|
kami
| spirits within objects in the Shinto faith
|
kanji
| the Chinese characters used in the Japanese writing system
|
kata
| a prescribed series of moves in martial arts
|
katame waza
| grappling techniques
|
kendoka
| sword practitioner
|
kenjutsu
| the Art of the Sword
|
ki
| energy flow or life force (Chinese:
chi
or
qi
)
|
kiai
| literally ‘concentrated spirit’ – used in martial arts as a shout for focusing energy when executing a technique
|
koan
| a Buddhist question designed to stimulate intuition
|
kozo
| the paper mulberry tree
|
kyudoka
| practitioner of archery
|
kyujutsu
| the Art of the Bow
|
makiwara
| padded striking post
|
menuki
| decorative grip ornament
|
momiji gari
| maple-leaf viewing
|
Mugan Ryū
| the ‘School of “No Eyes”’
|
musha shugyo
| warrior pilgrimage
|
mushin
| a warrior’s state of ‘no mind’
|
nage waza
| throwing techniques
|
ninjutsu
| the Art of Stealth
|
Niten Ichi Ryū
| the ‘One School of Two Heavens’
|
obake karuta
| Japanese card game (monster cards)
|
obanyaki
| sweet bean-filled pastry
|
ohajiki
| a game using small coin-shaped playing pieces
|
origami
| the art of folding paper
|
ozoni
| traditional soup served on New Year’s Day
|
Ryōanji
| the Temple of the Peaceful Dragon
|
sakura
| cherry-blossom tree
|
Senbazuru Orikata
| One Thousand Crane origami
|
shaku
| unit of length, approximately equal to one foot or thirty centimetres
|
shamisen
| three-stringed musical instrument
|
shi
| the number four, or death
shinobi shozoku
the clothing of a ninja
|
Shishi-no-ma
| Hall of Lions
|
Shodo
| the Way of Writing, Japanese calligraphy
|
shoji
| Japanese sliding door
|
shuriken
| metal throwing stars
|
taijutsu
| the Art of the Body (hand-to hand combat)
|
Taka-no-ma
| Hall of the Hawk
|
tamashiwari
| Trial by Wood; woodbreaking
|
Taryu-Jiai
| inter-school martial arts competition
|
tempura
| deep fried seafood or vegetables
|
tetsu-bishi
| small sharp iron spike
|
toshigami
| spirits of the New Year
|
wakizashi
| side-arm short sword
|
yakatori
| grilled chicken on a stick
|
Yamabushi
| mountain monk, literally ‘one who hides in the mountains’
|
Japanese names
usually consist of a family name (surname) followed by a given name, unlike in the Western world where the given name comes before the surname. In feudal Japan, names reflected a person’s social status and spiritual beliefs. Also, when addressing someone,
san
is added to that person’s surname (or given names in less formal situations) as a sign of courtesy, in the same way that we use Mr or Mrs in English, and for higher-status people
sama
is used. In Japan,
sensei
is usually added after a person’s name if they are a teacher, although in the Young Samurai books a traditional English order has been retained. Boys and girls are usually addressed using
kun
and
chan
, respectively.
ORIGAMI
:
HOW
TO
FOLD
A
PAPER
CRANE
How to fold a paper crane, by Akemi Solloway (née Tanaka) and Robyn Hondow
Begin with a large square piece of paper – one side coloured and the other plain. In all diagrams, the shaded part represents the coloured side and dotted lines the creases. Make sure all creases are sharp by running your thumbnail along them.
Step 1.
Place the paper with the plain side down on the table. Fold it in half diagonally and open. Then fold in half the other way and open.
