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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

abunai danger

ama Japanese pearl divers

arquebus heavy portable gun, an early rifle

ashigaru foot soldiers, low-ranking samurai

bakemono-jutsu ninja ‘ghost’ technique

bō wooden fighting staff

bōjutsu the Art of the Bō

bokken wooden sword

bonsai small tree

bushido the Way of the Warrior – the samurai code

Butokuden Hall of the Virtues of War

Butsuden Buddha Hall

cha-no-yu literally ‘tea meeting’

chiburi to flick blood from the blade

chi sao sticky hands (or ‘sticking hands’)

Chō-no-ma Hall of Butterflies

daimyo feudal lord

daishō the pair of swords, wakizashi and katana , that are the traditional weapons of the samurai

Dim Mak Death Touch

dojo training hall

dokujutsu the Art of Poison

fudoshin literally ‘immovable heart’, a spirit of unshakable calm

futon Japanese bed: flat mattress placed directly on tatami flooring, and folded away during the day

Gambatte Try your best!

Ganjitsu Japanese New Year festival

gaijin foreigner, outsider (derogatory term)

geisha traditional Japanese female entertainers

gi training uniform

hai yes

haiku Japanese short poem

hajime begin

hakama traditional Japanese clothing

hamon the visual pattern on a sword as a result of tempering the blade

Hanami spring flower-viewing party

hara ‘centre of being’

hashi chopsticks

hatsuhinode the first sunrise of the year

hibachi small charcoal brazier made of clay

Hō-oh-no-ma the Hall of the Hawk

inro a little case for holding small objects

in-yo an old samurai prayer meaning darkness and light

irezumi a form of tattooing

itadakimasu let’s eat

jindou arrows with their blunt wooden ball heads

kachi victory

kachi guri dried chestnuts

kagemusha a Shadow Warrior

kaginawa three-pronged grappling hook on a rope

kakegoe a shout

kakurenbo Japanese version of hide-and-seek

kama a sickle-shaped weapon

kami spirits within objects in the Shinto faith

kamon family crest

Kampai a toast, as in ‘Cheers!’

Kanabō large oak club encased in iron or with studs

kanji the Chinese characters used in the Japanese writing system

kappan a blood stamp sealing a document to make it binding

kata a prescribed series of moves in martial arts

katana long sword

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

kiaijutsu the Art of the Kiai

kimono traditional Japanese clothing

kisha Japanese archery on horseback

kissaki tip of sword

koan a Buddhist question designed to stimulate intuition

kukai a haiku contest

kuki-nage ‘air’ throw

kunoichi female ninja

Kyosha a competition archery contest on horseback

kyujutsu the Art of the Bow

ma-ai the distance between two opponents