Young Samurai: The Ring of Wind (39 page)
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Authors: Chris Bradford
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Japanese GlossaryBushido
Bushido
, meaning the ‘Way of the Warrior’, is a Japanese code of conduct similar to the concept of chivalry. Samurai warriors were meant to adhere to the seven moral principles in their martial arts training and in their day-to-day lives.
 | | Virtue 1: Gi – Rectitude |
 | | Virtue 2: |
 | | Virtue 3: |
 | | Virtue 4: |
 | | Virtue 5: |
 | | Virtue 6: |
 | | Virtue 7: |
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
| arigat ō gozaimasu | thank you very much |
| atake-bune | large Japanese naval warship |
| b ō | wooden fighting staff |
| bonn ō | the 108 worldly desires that Buddhists believe all humans are afflicted with |
| bushido | the Way of the Warrior – the samurai code |
| ch ō -geri | butterfly kick |
| daejon | ( Korean ) large rocket-like arrows tipped with iron and leather flights |
| daimyo | feudal lord |
| daish ō | the pair of swords, wakizashi and katana , that are traditional weapons of the samurai |
| Dim Mak | Death Touch |
| doku | poison |
| d ō shin | Edo-period police officers of samurai origin (low rank) |
| endan | ninja smoke bombs |
| fugu | blowfish or puffer fish |
| Fuma | Wind Demons |
| gaijin | foreigner, outsider (derogatory term) |
| geisha | a Japanese girl trained to entertain men with conversation, dance and song |
| haiku | Japanese short poem |
| hamon | artistic pattern created on a samurai sword blade during tempering process |
| hashi | chopsticks |
| horagai | conch-shell trumpet |
| horoku | a spherical bomb thrown by hand using a short rope |
| itadakimasu | let’s eat! |
| kagemusha | a Shadow Warrior |
| kamikaze | lit. ‘divine wind’, or ‘Wind of the Gods’ |
| kanji | Chinese characters that are used also by the Japanese |
| katana | long sword |
| ki | energy flow or life force (Chinese: chi ) |
| kiai | literally ‘concentrated spirit’ – used in martial arts as a shout for focusing energy when executing a technique |
| kimono | traditional Japanese clothing |
| kissaki | tip of sword |
| koban | Japanese oval gold coin |
| kobaya | small Japanese naval boat |
| Koketsu | Jaws of Death (or Tiger’s Den, or dangerous place) |
| komus ō | Monk of Emptiness |
| kuji-in | nine syllable seals – a specialized form of Buddhist and ninja meditation |
| kumode | spiked ‘bear paw’ on a stout pole used as a grappling iron and weapon |
| metsubishi | blinding powder, a ninja weapon |
| metsuke | technique of ‘looking at a faraway mountain’ |
| Mizujiro | ‘castle in the sea’ |
| mochi | rice cake |
| mon | family crest |
| mushin | a warrior’s state of ‘no mind’ |
| naginata | a long pole weapon with a curved blade on the end |
| Namu Daishi | This is the mantra of Kobo Daishi, |
| Henjo Kongo | which translates as ‘Homage to the Saviour Daishi, the Illuminating and Imperishable One!’ |
| nenju | Buddhist rosary beads |
| Nihon Maru | Japanese naval flagship |
| ninja | Japanese assassin |
| ninjat ō | ninja sword |
| ninjutsu | the Art of Stealth |
| ninniku | the philosophy of the ninja, ‘cultivating a pure and compassionate heart’ |
| Niten Ichi Ry ū | the ‘One School of Two Heavens’ |
| n ō ky ō ch ō | temple stamp book |
| obi | belt |
| ofuro | bath |
| omamori | Buddhist amulet to grant protection |
| osame-fuda | paper prayer slips |
| o-settai | the action of giving of food and money to pilgrims |
| ronin | masterless samurai |
| sai | a pointed, dagger-shaped metal truncheon, with two curved prongs called yoku projecting from the handle |
| saké | rice wine |
| sakura | cherry-blossom tree |
| Samsara | the Buddhist concept of a ‘world of suffering’ |
| samurai | Japanese warrior |
| sashimi | raw fish |
| saya | scabbard |
| seki-bune | medium-sized Japanese naval warship |
| sensei | teacher |
| Sha | ninja hand sign, interpreted as healing for ninjutsu purposes |
| shachihoko | an animal in Japanese folklore with the head of a dragon and the body of a carp |
| shakuj ō | Buddhist ringed staff used primarily in prayer, and as a weapon |
| Shichi H ō De | ‘the seven ways of going’, the art of disguise and impersonation |
| shinobi shozoku | the clothing of a ninja |
| Shogun | the military dictator of Japan |
| shoji | Japanese sliding door |
| shuinsen | Red Seal ship |
| shuko | climbing claws |
| shuriken | metal throwing stars |
| sohei | warrior monks |
| suigun | ‘water army’ |
| sumimasen | excuse me; my apologies |
| s ū tra | a Buddhist scripture |
| taijutsu | the Art of the Body (hand-to-hand combat) |
| tant ō | short knife |
| Taryu-Jiai | interschool martial arts competition |
| tatami | floor matting |
| tessen | iron fan |
| torii | a distinctive Japanese gate found at the entrance to Shinto shrines |
| wagesa | a stole, a strip of cloth worn by monks and priests |
| wakizashi | side-arm short sword |
| wako | Japanese pirates |
| yuloh | a large, heavy sculling oar used in the Far East |