Young Samurai_ The Way of the Sword - Chris Bradford [113]
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
bō wooden fighting staff
bōjutsu the Art of the Bō
bokken wooden sword
bushido the Way of the Warrior
Butokuden Hall of the Virtues of War
Butsuden Buddha Hall
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
chudan middle
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
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
gi training uniform
hai yes
hajime begin
hakama traditional Japanese clothing
Hakuhojo the Castle of the White Phoenix
hanami cherry-blossom viewing party
hanetsuki a traditional Japanese game similar to badminton
hashi chopsticks
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
itadakimasu let’s eat
kami spirits within objects in the Shinto faith
kamon family crest
kanji the Chinese characters used in the Japanese writing system
kata a prescribed series of moves in martial arts
katame waza grappling techniques
katana long sword
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
kissaki tip of sword
koan a Buddhist question designed to stimulate intuition
kozo the paper mulberry tree
kumite sparring
kunoichi female ninja
kyudoka practitioner of archery
kyujutsu the Art of the Bow
makiwara padded striking post
menuki decorative grip ornament
mochi rice dumpling
mokuso meditation
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
nasu eggplant, aubergine
ninjutsu the Art of Stealth
Niten Ichi Ryū the ‘One School of Two Heavens’
niwa garden
obake karuta Japanese card game (monster cards)
obanyaki sweet bean-filled pastry
obi belt
ofuro bath
ohajiki a game using small coin-shaped playing pieces
origami the art of folding paper
ozoni traditional soup served on New Year’s Day
randori free-sparring
rei call to bow
roji Japanese garden
Ryōanji the Temple of the Peaceful Dragon
sado the Way of Tea
sake rice wine
sakura cherry-blossom tree
sashimi raw fish
sasori scorpion
satori enlightenment
saya scabbard
sayonara goodbye
seiza sit/kneel
Senbazuru Orikata One Thousand Crane origami
sencha green tea
sensei teacher
seoi nage shoulder throw
shaku unit of length, approximately equal to one foot or thirty centimetres
shamisen three-stringed musical instrument
shi the number four, or death shinobi shozokuthe 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
sohei warrior monks
sushi raw fish on rice
taijutsu the Art of the Body (hand-to hand combat)
Taka-no-ma Hall of the Hawk
tamashiwari Trial by Wood; woodbreaking
tantō knife
Taryu-Jiai inter-school martial arts competition
tatami floor matting
tempura deep fried seafood