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| Shogun: Total War - Main Page | Gary's Home Page | |
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Based on: Among Samurai and Shoguns. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, nd. Silver, Alain. The Samurai Film. Cranbury, NJ: A.S. Barnes and Co., 1977. Tames, Richard. A Traveller's History of Japan. 2nd edition. Brooklyn: Interlink Books, 1997. | |||
| age-joro | a courtesan | ||
| akindo | men of commerce; lowest of the four major classes. | ||
| Amaterasu | literally, "Great Divinity Illuminating Heaven"; revered Shinto sun goddess from whom the Japanese imperial family claimed descent. | ||
| ashigaru | lightly armored foot soldiers | ||
| Ashikaga | the military house whose shoguns ruled Japan in the name of the emperor for more than 200 years, from 1336 to 1573, during which time the country was almost constantly in a state of civil strife | ||
| bakufu | literally, "tent government"; military government (AKA the shogunate); originally the field headquarters of a general | ||
| bakumatsu | the fall of a military regime | ||
| budo | martial arts; considered to be a reflection of human perfection, according to Shinto | ||
| buke hatoo or buke shohatto | literally, "Laws for Military Households"; laws issued in 1615 that specified the obligation of the daimyo to the shogun and were the legal basis for control of the daimyo by the bakufu | ||
| buke-zukuri | a relatively modern method of sword mounting with a cross-taped handle. | ||
| bunraku | popular puppet theatre (AKA "joruri") | ||
| burakumin | literally, "village people"; outcasts | ||
| bushi | warrior | ||
| bushi no-ichi gon | literally, "the word of a warrior"; the samurai is obliged to speak the truth, and hearers are obliged to believe what the samurai says | ||
| bushido | literally, "the way of the samurai" or "the way of the soldier-knight" | ||
| butsudo | the way of Buddha; Buddhism. | ||
| byobu | folding screens | ||
| chado | the Way of the Tea (AKA "sado") | ||
| chambara | a realistically staged display of swordfighting in ta jidai-geki or period drama; in motion pictures, a generic designation for a samurai film. | ||
| chanoyu | literally, "hot water for tea"; tea ceremony | ||
| chonin | city people | ||
| chori | outcast class; those who did not belong any of the four castes/classes and who were isolated in ghetto-like communities; for example, tanners, morticians, grave-diggers, sandal-makers, gardeners; see also hinin. | ||
| chugi-bara | suicide out of loyalty; performed by a vassal in order to admonish or follow his master in death. | ||
| concubine | a secondary wife, with a lower social status and fewer rights than the primary wife | ||
| consort | the wife of an emperor, or any of an emperor's female companions, secondary wives, or concubines | ||
| courtesan | an exclusive, high-class prostitute, trained in music, conversation, and the arts, the social graces, and the art of pleasing men. Clients were men of rank or wealth | ||
| dai-sho | a matched pair of long and medium-length swords which could legally be worn only by the samurai class. | ||
| daimyo |
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| daito | long sword, anywhere from 2.5 feet to over 3 feet; aka katana or tachi. | ||
| dojo | gymnasium or place of religious meditation | ||
| domaru | lightweight, wraparound iron body armor that fastened on the side or back, worn by samurai infantrymen (AKA haramaki) | ||
| emakimono | scroll meant to be unrolled horizontally | ||
| eta | impolite traditional term for burakumin | ||
| fudai | the daimyos who supported Tokugawa Ieyasu prior to the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which earned them (and their descendants) positions of trust in the shogunate; AKA Hereditary Vassals | ||
| fumie | Christian image used in a ceremony to prove non-allegiance to Chriatianity. | ||
| funshi | suicide out of righteous indignation; aka munen-bara. | ||
| furusato | home vilage | ||
| fusuma | sliding doors | ||
| gagaku | literally, "elegant music"; ceremonial music of the imperial court. | ||
| gaijin | literally, "outside person"; foreigner | ||
| geisha | literally, "accomplished person"; traditional female entertainer. | ||
| gekokujo | literally, "overthrow by underlings"; armed rebellion; the reason for many of the laws and regulations of the Shogunate government. | ||
| gendai-geki | modern drama; stories during the Meiji restoration onward; see jidai-geki. | ||
| genro | elder statesman | ||
| giri | obligation to one's family, clan, class, society, overlord | ||
| go kenin | minor samurai bureaucrat | ||
| Hachiman | the Shinto war god, one of the most popular of the Shinto deities and the patron of all warriors | ||
| haikai | unorthodox or comic linked verses of 17 and 14 syllables composed by a group of poets. The first 17-syllable link later came to stand on its own and was called the haiku | ||
| haiku | a popular form of Japanese lyric poetry consisting of three unrhymed lines of 5,7, and 5 syllables each, with the subject matter originally confined to nature but later expanded to include other subjects | ||
| hamon | crystalline pattern on sword that is a maker's "signature" | ||
| han | province; feudal domain of Edo period | ||
| hara-kiri | literally, "belly cutting" or "stomach-cut"; a common or vulgar term used for seppuku ("disembowelment"), the customary way in which samurai committed ritual suicide; westerners came to refer to it as "harry carry". | ||
| hatamoto | literally, "banner-man"; a direct retainer of the shogun generally appointed to an administrative position in the shogunate, with either an annual stipend or a small fief; middle-ranking samurai | ||
| heimin | commoner, non-samurai | ||
| higeki | sorrowful drama; Japanese term for tragedy. | ||
| hinin | literally "non-man"; for example, beggers, minstrels, panderers, prostitutes; see also chori. | ||
| Hojo clan | an important military house that dominated the Kamakura shogunate by acting as regent for the shogun | ||
| ikebana | art of traditional flower arranging. | ||
| inro | literally, "seal basket"; small decorated box. | ||
| isagi-yoku | literally, "without regrets"; dying after all obligations have been fulfilled. | ||
| issho kemmei | a desperate striving; even unto death, for a place in the world; many of the earliest samurai or mercenaries labored under this principle. ("The Samurai Film", p. 14) | ||
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| jidai-geki | period drama; see gendai-geki. | ||
| jidaimono | history plays | ||
| jindachi-zukuri | a relatively older type of sword-mounting in which the scabbard is tied around the waist with a sash cord. | ||
| joruri | popular puppet theatre (AKA "bunraku"); chanted narrative | ||
| junshi | suicide performed to follow one's master in death; aka oibara | ||
| kabuki | means something like "slanted"; implies eccentric behavior; a style of theatre originated in the 16th century, combining dialogue with interludes of singing and dancing to musical accompaniment. | ||
| kaishaku | the second in hara-kiri, the man who decapitates the performer after the stomach-cut has been accomplished. | ||
| kakemono | verticalhanging scroll. | ||
| kakeimon | type of glazed, enamelled porcelain. | ||
| kami | Shinto deity. | ||
| kamikaze | literally, "divine winds"; it was kamikaze that destroyed the Mongol fleet -- twice | ||
| kana | the Japanese phonetic, syllabic writing system | ||
| kanji | Chinese characters. | ||
| kanshi | suicide to admonish an overlord for his unseemly or erratic behavior. | ||
| karoku | the sipend (room, board, and/or a monetary allowance) paid to a clan retainer. | ||
| kataki-uchi | vendetta | ||
| katana | see daito. | ||
| ke-nin | literally, "men of the house"; the term which the daimyo might use to refer to his vassals. | ||
| ken-geki | aka chambara; sword theater; a work of fiction. | ||
| kendo | literally, "the way of the sword"; fencing; the ethics involved in being a sword bearer or swordsman, the demand for perfection (in himself and in his ability to wield the sword). | ||
| kicho | literally, "curtain of state"; a portable curtain that protected people from prying eyes | ||
| kikenshiso | literally, "dangerous notions"; notions of rebellion. | ||
| kimono | a long, wide-sleeved robe, often elaborately decorated and usually belted with an obi, worn by both men and women as an outer garment, frequently in layers, one over another | ||
| kirisutogomen | the right of any samurai to kill instantaneously and without warning any low caste person whom he thought had given him insult. | ||
| koan | riddle used to assist Zen meditation. | ||
| kodan | prose tales of warriors and heroes. | ||
| kodo-ha | "Imperial Way" military faction. | ||
| koi | pedigreed carp | ||
| kojiki | literally, "the record of ancient matters"; quasi-mythical history compiled in the first millenium. | ||
| koku | measure of rice needed to feed one adult for one year | ||
| kosode | literally, "small-sleeved garment"; an early version of kimonos | ||
| kozuka | literally, "blade"; a small knife or dart used for cutting food and for throwing at an enemy; a throwing dart | ||
| kufu | discipline; de-localizing the mind to guard against overconcentration. | ||
| kyokaku | a sword-carrying commoner. | ||
| Kyoto | literally, "capital city"; originally called "Heian-kyo" (literally, "the capital of peace and tranquility") | ||
| Land of the Rising Sun | another name for Japan; China was known as "The Land of the Setting Sun" | ||
| metsuke | spies, roving eyes. | ||
| mise-joro | literally, "shown prostitutes"; common prostitutes who were displayed behind lattices to potential customers outside | ||
| munen-bara | see funshi. | ||
| musha-sugyo | training in hardship; acquisition of skill in the martial arts through practical experience. | ||
| mushin no shin | literally, "no-mindedness"; see discussion under ushin no shin. | ||
| nagako | tang of a sword (where the hilt is fastened to the handle); where the signature of the maker might be placed | ||
| naginata | a halberd-like weapon consisting of a long pole fitted with a one- to two-foot-long metal blade with a slightly curved end somewhat similar to the end of a scythe | ||
| netsuke | intricately carved toggle | ||
| nihon-gi | chronical of Japan; companion volume to the kojiki. | ||
| ninjo | human emotions; man's will; the personal or conscientious inclination which is often opposed or constrained by giri or duty. | ||
| niten-ryu | two-sword style; a method of fighting with both swords simultaneously developed by Musashi Miyamoto. | ||
| no or noh | the classic, aristocratic, highly stylized drama of Japan, developed in the 14th century; performed by male actors exclusively. | ||
| noren | dark blue banners marked with the merchants's insignia | ||
| obi | a sash made of stiff silk worn by both men and women around the waist of a kosode or kimono | ||
| oibara | see junshi. | ||
| oiran | courtesans | ||
| onnagata | female impersonators; in kabuki, men who acted women's roles | ||
| osho | an instructor of budo; a monk. | ||
| otoko no michi | literally, "the manly way"; for the samurai, living according to the demands of giri and bushido. | ||
| otoshi-zashi | method of wearing a dai-sho or matched pair so that the scabbards are tucked into the kimono sash. | ||
| oyoroi | literally, "great harness"; a box-like sheath with a paneled skirt that hung from the shoulders with broad straps and fastened around the waist | ||
| rango | a game women played where they tried to balance the most go stones on a finger | ||
| ronin | literally, "wave men" or "men of the wave"; samurai who, after the reorganization of fiefs and the establishment of peace by the Tokugawa shogunate, were left unemployed, without a master or income | ||
| ryo | one ryo was the gold equivalent of one koku | ||
| ryo-sebai | double guilt; concept by which a lord or magistrate may arbitrate a quarrel without declaring either party in the right. | ||
| ryobu-shinto | literally, "the two ways of the gods"; a combining of Shinto and Buddhism | ||
| sado | the Way of the Tea (AKA "chado") | ||
| sake | a Japanese alcoholic beverage, often erroneously called a wine, made from fermented rice with a sweet, sherry-like flavor, considered to be the drink of the Shinto kami | ||
| samurai | literally, "those who serve"; aka "the two sword man", since only samurai were permitted to carry more than one sword or to possess a sword more than two feet long. | ||
| sanzuki | bandits; feudal highwaymen who preyed on travellers and isolated villages. | ||
| satori | "enlightenment"; in Buddhist thought, coming to understand the true nature of reality. | ||
| Sengoku Jidai | literally, "Age of the Country at War"; the period from the middle of the 15th century tot he end of the 16th, when battles over shogunal succession kept Japan in a constant state of civil strife | ||
| seppuku | literally, "disembowelment"; the manner in which samurai traditionally committed ritual suicide; also called hara-kiri | ||
| shikken | regent | ||
| shin-ken | literally, "new sword"; the period of swordmaking after 1500. | ||
| shi-no-ko-sho | the four major classes/castes of feudal Japan: warriors, farmers, artisans, and businessmen | ||
| shinogi-zukuri | a long sword blade tempered with a ridge line. | ||
| Shinto | literally, "the Way of the Gods"; the native religion of Japan, an animistic system of beliefs developed from prehistoric practices characterized by a lack of formal doctrine and the belief that all things in nature have their own vital forces, spirits, or gods, called kami, that must be worshiped; see Ryobu-Shinto. | ||
| shikomi-zue | a cane sword; might be carried by those who were not allowed to carry a daito. | ||
| shizoku | descendants of the samurai who lost their privileges in 1876. | ||
| shogun | literally, "commander-in-chief"; originally the title was "seii-taishogun" which means "barbarian-suppressing commander-in-chief"; the equivalent of a field marshall or military governor | ||
| shoto | see daito. | ||
| shushi | ethics | ||
| shushigaku | Sino-Japanese belief that a person's life is governed by the circumstances of his or her birth. | ||
| sokutsu-shi | suicide in honorable expiation for a crime. | ||
| suki | literally, "the space between which something can enter"; a fatal inattention engendered by self-consciousness; see discussion under ushin no shin | ||
| sunyata | literally, "emptiness"; voiding the body of conscious thought, which in swordsmanship guards against over-concentration; see discussion under ushin no shin | ||
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| tachi | a long sword; see daito. | ||
| taisho | general | ||
| tanto | a short sword or dagger; the shortest of the three swords; see katana and wakizashu | ||
| tatami | straw mat | ||
| tenka-fubu | literally, "rule the empire by force"; motto of Oda Nobunaga | ||
| tenno | literally, "heavenly sovereign"; i.e., the Emperor | ||
| tozama | vassals who swore allegiance to Tokugawa Ieyasu only after he defeated them at the Battle of Sekigahara and so were never fully trusted; also called Outside Lords | ||
| uji | clan or family | ||
| ujigama | religion of familial gods | ||
| ukiyo | the "floating world" of transient beauty; a shinto concept of creation | ||
| ukiyo-zoshi | literally, "books of the floating world" | ||
| ushin no shin | consciousness of oneself "The Samurai Film" by A. Silver, p. 31: For the thinkers of feudal Japan, the chief impediment to perfection in swordplay or any endeavour is ushin no shin or the mind conscious of itself. For the samurai specifically, this over-consciousness is manifest in suki: literally, "the space between which something can enter"; figuratively, the minute hesitation or pause for thought which can become the unguarded instant when the enemy strikes. For Takuan [a 17th century sage], the acquisition of technique is not sufficient and, initially at least, actually engenders greater suki; but as the various moves become more reflexive, he admits that the tendency may be reversed. There are two ontologies of the sword, which instruct the practitioner against suki. The first is kufu ("discipline"), a basically Confusian notion of delocalising the mind. Since in this system the mind is evanescent, some swordsmen practice "stomach-thinking" or situating the mind in the body centre, so that it may freely and rapidly move from there to an arm or hand or foot or wherever it is needed to parry or dodge a blow. To the warrior who follows butsudo, this is not enough. Since any thought no matter where it resides breeds delay, the necessary concept is sunyata ("emptiness"), voiding the body of all consciousness until a stat of mushin no shin or "no-mindedness" is attained. ... In practice, the fighter with "no mind" is expected to become one not just with his own weapon but with his assailant and his assailant's weapon as well. Giving himself over entirely to the unconscious and beyond concerns of winning or losing, his actions should be totally spontaneous and directed by something higher than his subjective being. | ||
| waka | the classic Japanese poetic form, severely elegant in style, typically consisting of only 31 syllables | ||
| wakashu | in kabuki, the name given to the young men who took over the roles of the actresses when women were banned from the stage. Many of the wakashu were also prostitutes and were eventually also banned from acting | ||
| wakizashi | the second longest of the swords, the katana being the longest; could be a little over two feet long | ||
| yakuza | gangster | ||
| yamabushi | wandering holy man | ||
| yari | lance weapon | ||
| yojimbo | bodyguard; a bodyguard was a low-caste individual. | ||
| yukaku | brothel district | ||
| zankanjo | a note of explanation left at the site of an assassination. | ||
| Adachi Yasumori | ah-dah-chee yah-soo-moh-ree | |
| Age-joro | ah-geh-joh-roh | |
| Asai Ryoi | ah-sye ryoh-ee | |
| ashigaru | ah-shee-gah-roo | |
| Ashikaga Takauji | ah-shee-kah-gah tah-kah-oo-jee | |
| Ashikaga Yoshiaki | ah-shee-kah-gah yoh-shee-ah-kee | |
| Atsuhira | ah-tsoo-hee-rah | |
| Atsuyasu | ah-tsoo-yah-soo | |
| bakufu | bah-koo-foo | |
| Buke Shohatto | boo-keh sho-haht-toh | |
| bunraku | bun-rah-koo | |
| bushido | boo-shee-doh | |
| chihaya | chee-hah-yah | |
| Chikamatsu Monzaemon | chee-kah-mah-tsoo mohn-zah-eh-mohn | |
| Chushingura | choo-sheen-goo-rah | |
| daimyo | dye-myoh | |
| Echigoya | eh-chee-goh-yah | |
| Edo | eh-doh | |
| fudai | foo-dye | |
| Fujiwara Michinaga | foo-jee-whah-rah mee-chee-nah-gah | |
| funanoe | foo-nah-noh-eh | |
| genji | gehn-jee | |
| genroku | gehn-roh-koo | |
| giri | ghee-ree | |
| Go-Daigo | goh-dye-goh | |
| Go-Ichijo | goh-ii-chee-joe | |
| Hachirobei | hah-chee-roh-bay | |
| haikai | hye-kye | |
| haiku | hye-koo | |
| hara-kiri | hah-rah-kee-ree | |
| Heian | hay-ahn | |
| heike | hay-keh | |
| Hidetsugu | hee-deh-tsoo-goo | |
| Hideyori | hee-deh-yoh-ree | |
| Hiei | hee-ay | |
| Himeji | hee-meh-jee | |
| Hokkaido | hohk-kye-doh | |
| Hon'ami Koetsu | hohn-ah-mee koh-eh-tsoo | |
| Horikawa | hoh-ree-kah-wah | |
| Hyogo | hyoh-goh | |
| Ichijo | ee-chee-joh | |
| Imagawa Yoshimoto | ee-mah-gah-wah yoh-shee-moh-toh | |
| Ise | ee-seh | |
| jidaimono | jee-dye-moh-noh | |
| joruri | joh-roo-ree | |
| kaneie | kah-neh-ee-eh | |
| Kare-san-sui | kah-reh-sahn-soo-ee | |
| kasagi | kah-sah-ghee | |
| kicho | kee-choh | |
| kinai | kee-nye | |
| koan | koh-ahn | |
| korechika | koh-reh-chee-kah | |
| kosode | koh-soh-deh | |
| Kusunoki Masashige | koo-soo-noh-kee mah-sah-shee-geh | |
| masamune | mah-sah-moo-neh | |
| masasue | mah-sah-soo-eh | |
| masatsura | mah-sah-tsoo-rah | |
| matsujiro | mah-tsoo-jee-roh | |
| Matsuo Basho | mah-tsoo-oh bah-shoh | |
| Mikawa | mee-kah-wah | |
| Mise-joro | mee-seh-joh-roh | |
| Murasaki Shikibu | moo-rah-sah-kee shee-kee-boo | |
| Nagahide | nah-gah-hee-deh | |
| Naginata | nah-ghee-nah-tah | |
| netsuke | net-skay | |
| Nihon Shoki | nee-hohn shoh-kee | |
| nijo | nee-joh | |
| ninigi | nee-nee-ghee | |
| Nitta Yoshisada | neet-tah yoh-shee-sah-dah | |
| Oichi | oh-ee-chee | |
| oyoroi | oh-yoh-roh-ee | |
| rango | rahn-goh | |
| ronin | roh-neen | |
| saiko | sye-koh | |
| samisen | sah-mee-sehn | |
| samurai | sah-moo-rye | |
| Sei Shonagon | say shoh-nah-gohn | |
| Seii-taishogun | say-ee-tye-shoh-goon | |
| Seikenji | say-kehn-jee | |
| Sekigahara | seh-kee-gah-hah-rah | |
| Sengoku Jidai | sehn-goh-koo jee-dye | |
| Sen no Rikyu | sehn noh ree-kyoo | |
| seppuku | seh-poo-koo | |
| sewamono | seh-wah-moh-noh | |
| Shikoku | shee-koh-koo | |
| Shimabara | shee-mah-bah-rah | |
| Shinmachi | sheen-mah-chee | |
| Shoshi | shoh-shee | |
| Sonezaki-Shinchi | soh-neh-zah-kee-sheen-chee | |
| Sotoba Komachi | soh-toh-bah koh-ma-chee | |
| Suruga | soo-roo-gah | |
| tachi | tah-chee | |
| Tadayoshi | tah-dah-yoh-shee | |
| taika | tye-kah | |
| Taira Kiyomori | tye-rah kee-yoh-moh-ree | |
| Takahide | tah-kah-hee-deh | |
| Takeda Katsuyori | tah-keh-dah kah-tsoo-yoh-ree emphasis for "Takeda" is on the first syllable and the other two syllables are spoken very quickly, with little emphasis | |
| Takeshiuchi Sukune | tah-keh-shee-oo-chee soo-koo-neh | |
| Takezaki Suenaga | tah-keh-zah-kee soo-eh-nah-gah | |
| Tanegashima | tah-neh-gah-shee-mah | |
| teishi | tay-shee | |
| tendai | tehn-dye | |
| tenka fubu | tehn-kah goo-boo | |
| Tokaido | toh-kye-doh | |
| Tokubei | toh-koo-bay | |
| Tokugawa Ieyasu | toh-koo-gah-wah ee-eh-yah-soo | |
| Tomoe Gozen | toh-moh-eh goh-zehn | |
| torii | toh-ree-ee | |
| Toyotomi Hideyoshi | toh-yoh-toh-mee hee-deh-yoh-shee | |
| Tsuchimikado | tsoo-chee-mee-kah-doh | |
| Tsunayoshi | tsoo-nah-yoh-shee | |
| Tsurehide | tsoo-reh-hee-deh | |
| Tsushima | tsoo-shee-mah | |
| Ukiyo | oo-kee-yoh | |
| Yorimichi | yoh-ree-mee-chee | |
| Yoshitsune | yoh-shee-tsoo-neh | |
| Zeami | zeh-ah-mee |
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