Glossary

Ainu – Indigenous ethnic group of Northern Japan, originating in 1200 CE. These hunter-gatherers ate fish and plants and followed a nature-based religion. Contact between the Wa (mainland Japanese) and the Ainu began in the thirteenth century but was limited, allowing ancient Ainu culture to survive intact until the nineteenth century.

Aterui–(died 21, AD 802 in Enryaku) was the most prominent chief of the Isawa tribe of the Emishi, the indigenous people of Northern Japan. Aterui led the fight against the Imperial army in the Thirty-Eight Year War, which began in AD 774 when the mainland Emperor invaded Emishi territory, taking the land from its inhabitants. The Emishi retreated to the North, but the Imperial army continued to advance. Though outnumbered and overpowered, Aterui led the Emishi in a fierce 10-year battle against Imperial conquest. Finally, in 802 after suffering irrevocable losses, the Emishi leaders Aterui and More surrendered with more than 500 warriors. They travelled to Kyoto with an Imperial Army general to negotiate, but were brutally cut down. Their betrayal marked a turning point in Emishi history, leading to fierce uprisings over the ensuing generations. Prior to this incident, mainland Japanese had captured warriors but spared their lives, or deported captured women and children to Western Japan to force their warrior husbands and fathers to join them.

Chunin–Middle-ranking ninja. Within each ninja school (ryu) there were three different ranks. The chunin were trainers and field marshals. They stayed in contact with the head of the ryu, but also controlled the ninja beneath them (genin) who carried out the orders of the highest ranking (jonin) ninja.

Emishi–The Indigenous people of northeastern Honshu, Japan, currently Tohoku, considered “hirsute barbarians” by the mainland (Yamato) Japanese. Some Emishi tribes were believed to be descendants of Jōmon culture and related to the Ainu. The Emishi opposed and resisted the rule of the Japanese emperors during the late Nara and early Heian eras (7th–10th centuries AD).

En–Destiny. Fate.

Ennin–Tendai priest who established the sacred mountain Osorezan in the beginning of the ninth century.

Genin–Lowest-ranking ninja of the three ninja ranks. The genin were given the most dangerous duties, which they took partly in order to prove their loyalty to the jonin, and partly to survive. Some genin used Emishi as slaves, and over time, the classes and races intermingled.

Genesis – The first book of the Hebrew Bible, dating from the 5th century BCE and perhaps older, containing the best-known stories in the Bible, such as the Creation of the World, Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, Noah’s Ark, and the Tower of Babel.

Gilgamesh Epic–Poem from ancient Mesopotamia (current-day Iraq), among the earliest known literary works in the world. Gilgamesh befriends the half-wild Enkidu. The two embark on dangerous quests together, until both ultimately become human. When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh’s sadness leads him to search for immortality.

Henge–The ninja art of disguise.

Hinomoto–Original name for Japan. 日 (Nichi) means “sun” and 本 (Hon) means “origin.” Literal translation: “The place where the sun rises,” or “land of the rising sun.”

Ise shrine–Ancient shrine in Nara, directly connected to the Imperial family. Reportedly the birth place of sun goddess Ameterasu, who gave birth to the unbroken imperial line from which the modern-day Emperor is descended.

Islamic Fundamentalism–Religious ideology advocating a return to the “fundamentals” of Islam as described in The Koran and The Sayings of Muhammad, and a rejection of Western values.

Itako–Blind female shamans in northern Japan who undergo intense training and austere rituals to become mediums who channel spirits in deep trance-like states.

Kannon–Japanese name for Quan Yin or Kwan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, or “she who hears a thousand cries.”

Kanzashi–hair ornaments first used in Japan during the Jōmon period, when such thin rods were believed to have mystical powers, so women wore them in their hair to ward off evil spirits. Modern kanzashi were fashioned from gold, silver, metal, tortoiseshell, and bakelight. Kunoichi used kanzashi and other ornaments for self-defense, and as weapons. Jet inherits a diamond-incrusted silver tama (ball-style) pronged kanzashi from her mother. The tama style usually has a simple colored bead on the end.

Karma–Cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, wherein our actions in this lifetime determine our fate in the next incarnation.

Ki–Life-force energy. (Chinese: chi).

King Solomon–Son of David, founder of the first temple of Israel. Born c. 1011 in Jerusalem, reigned from 971-931 BCE, died c. 932 in Jerusalem. During Solomon’s long reign of 40 years, the Israelite monarchy gained its highest splendor and the king accumulated great wisdom, wealth, and power. In a single year, Solomon collected tributes amounting to 666 talents of gold, or 39,960 pounds (1 Kings 10:14).

Kojiki–“Record of Ancient Matters.” Japan’s oldest book, dating from the early 8th century. Composed by Ono Yasumaro by Imperial request, this collection of myths depicts the origin of the islands of Japan and the Japanese Gods (kami).

Kuchiyose–A ritual performed by blind female shamans (itako), who summon the spirits of the dead and deliver messages in the voices of the deceased to their relatives.

Kunoichi–Female Ninja. The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the ideo-gram for woman: (女 onna), written as ku (く) - no (ノ) - ichi (一). Has also been read as the Japanese number ku (九) “nine” and the particle no (の) for “and” and ichi (一) for “one,” literally translated as “nine and one,” meaning the number of orifices on a female body. Unlike their male counterparts, kunoichi specialized in henge disguise, assassination through poison, and spying rather than in combat, which they reserved to defend themselves against capture. They would often disguise themselves as geisha, prostitutes, entertainers, fortune tellers, and servants to get close to the enemy. They also used the art of seduction.

Jonin–Highest-ranking ninja. The jonin were the managers of each ninja ryu, which they ran according to each family’s philosophy and specialty.

Lake Usorisan–Emerald blue lake on the volcanic Mt. Osore. Believed to be the Sanzu River, the Japanese equivalent to the mythical River Styx, the bridge between earth and the great beyond.

Long Walk–In 1830, American President Andrew Jackson approved the Indian Removal Act, a law providing for the resettlement of Native Americans to lands West of the Mississippi River. Almost 60,000 Native Americans were forced to migrate. In 1863, after many months of imprisonment, about 8,000 Navajo men, women, and children were forced by the U.S. Army to leave their homeland in New Mexico and make a grueling 300-mile march to a desolate strip of land known as Bosque Redondo. This is remembered as “the Long Walk.”

Matsumura Clan–A powerful dynasty based on a real clan which originated from a seventh century Japanese aristocrat–politician whose four sons inherited power from their father, establishing their own powerful families, and whose two daughters married two generations of emperors to gain power within the government. The Matsumura clan maintained power in the Imperial household for more than thirteen years, except from the fourteenth to the mid-nineteenth century, when Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the Tokugama Shoguns took over total control of Japan. In modern times, a descendent of the clan was prime minister before the Pacific war.

Mikado–The ancient emperor of Japan.

Namu Amida Butsu–“I pray to lord buddha for salvation”—a Buddhist prayer intoned to reach enlightenment, especially when dying.

Natsukashii–Nostalgia. A sense of deja vu, or longing for something in the past.

Navajo Code Talkers–Native Americans from the Navajo Nation who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Code talkers transmitted secret tactical messages over military telephone or radio using codes based on their native languages, enhancing the communications security of vital front-line operations. As Navajo was spoken only on the Navajo lands of the American Southwest, its syntax, tonal qualities, and dialects made it unintelligible to anyone without extensive exposure and training. Navajo was unwritten and has very complex grammar, so it made a perfect base language for military code. During World War II, fewer than 30 non-Navajos, none of them Japanese, could understand it.

Ninja–Hidden tribe of warriors who first surfaced in sixteenth-century Japan, a time of civil war. “Nin” means to hide, both physically and mentally, “ja” means person. The samurai lords needed ninja spies to help infiltrate rival strongholds. Their relationship was based on a per-job contract. The only way out of the contract was to fulfill it or die trying. A ninja could work for a rival lord once he was a free agent. Nin is composed of blade (yaiba) 刃 and heart 心—the ninja had to steel himself against emotion, to “put the blade over the heart” (忍者). The original meaning of that character was “cruel,” but the meaning evolved to “the heart that can endure cruelty.”

Ninja dog – Since ancient times, dogs have been used in warfare by the Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Romans, Britons, and Native Americans. There was also a tradition among the ninja classes of using dogs as warriors. In modern times, dogs have been used by Americans, Germans, Russians, French, and others in warfare. Canines were trained in combat as well as employed as scouts, sentries, and trackers. In recent years, canines have been used as police dogs and for drug and explosive detection.

Nodo-botoke–Adam’s apple. Literally, “buddha in the throat.” After death, Japanese burn bodies and family members pick out the bones with long chopsticks. This bone is considered sacred.

Onigiri – Rice balls made with various fillings such as salmon and pickled plum, wrapped in nori seaweed.

Osore-zan (恐山)–A mountain in the center of the remote Shimokita Peninsula of Aomori. One of the three largest sacred Buddhist mountains in Japan (the others are Koya-san in Nara and Hiei-san in Fukui). Osore-zan is the oldest, considered a sacred center by indigenous tribes such as the Ainu and Emishi even before Buddhism came to Japan in the fifth century. Animistic beliefs held that natural places themselves were god; ancient tribes revered mountain spirits. According to myth, Mount Osore (“Mount Fear”) marks the entrance to Hell, with a small brook running to the neighboring Lake Usorisan. The “Bodai Temple” on the mountain holds the twice-yearly Itako Taisai festival.

Ōu Mountains – Mountains in Tohoku, northern Honshu. The range is the longest in Japan and stretches 311 miles (500 km) south from the Natsudomari Peninsula of Aomori to the Nasu volcanoes at the northern boundary of the Kanto region.

Rinzai Roku– The Sayings of Zen Master Rinzai. Zen was brought from China to Japan by Línjì Yìxuán (Japanese name: Rinzai Gigen, who died in 866). The Rinzai School of Zen stems from the Linji lineage and is known for its blunt style.

Ryu – Ninja school or family. There were many schools of ninja, each descendants of a family that mastered a special technique such as spying, surveillance, counter-espionage, or assassination. The Iga and the Koga were the biggest ryu, or schools.

Samurai–The shogun’s soldiers, who came from the upper classes.

Sanka – Nomads whose ancestors were said to be the ancient Izumo people. In ancient Japan, the Sanka traveled around Japan selling bamboo crafts to survive. They built a kind of network, picking up information and carrying it from town to town. This street knowledge was of great value to the aristocrats and samurai lords, who were out of touch with common life. The nomads decided to sell that information, thus giving birth to the ninja spy.

Shinado–Meaning “wind” in ancient Japanese. The Kuroi family were entertainers—dancers, acrobats, and singers. The specialty of their ryu was to move like the wind.

Shinobi– Shinobi (忍) means “to steal away” and “to forbear.” This ancient Japanese word for “ninja” connotes both stealth and invisibility. Mono (者) means “person.” Shinobu means “to hide.”

Shinobi kotoba–The ninja language.

Sozu–Scarecrow. The ninja art of stopping one’s breath or pretending to be dead.

Taijutsu–Physical training/conditioning.

Tendai Buddhism–Tendai (Chinese: Tiantai) Buddhist teachings were first brought to Japan by the Chinese monk Jianzhen (Japanese: Ganjin) in the middle of the eighth century and flourished under the patronage of the Japanese imperial family and nobility, particularly the Matsumura clan. In 794, the Imperial capital was moved to Kyoto, where Tendai Buddhism became the dominant form of mainstream Buddhism in Japan and gave rise to later developments in Japanese Buddhism. Nichiren, Honen, Shinran, and Dogen—all famous thinkers in non-Tendai schools of Japanese Buddhism—were all initially trained as Tendai monks.

Tetsubishi–spiked metal caltrops commonly used for evasion and escape, constructed in such a way that when thrown, a tip always sticks up. Ninja scattered them on the ground when fleeing to halt or slow enemy pursuit. Their tips could also be poisoned to make them more deadly.

Tsubute–Flat, round metal “ninja skipping stones” used for throwing as weapons or as distractions.

Wa–Mainland (Yamato) Japanese, as opposed to indigenous tribes like the Ainu and Emishi.

Zen–A school of Mahayana Buddhism. “Zen” is translated from the Chinese word Chán, a word itself derived from the Sanskrit dhyana, which means “meditation.” The aim of Zen practice is to discover this Buddha-nature within each person, through meditation and mindful awareness of daily experiences. Zen originated in China at the Shaolin Temple, and was spread by the Indian prince turned monk named Bodhidharma. Zen Buddhism was first documented in China in the 7th century AD. It came to Japan in the 11th century. There are two main schools—Rinzai and Soto.

Zendo–Temple hall for sitting in Zen meditation.

Yakuza–Japanese organized crime syndicate. The term “yakuza” comes from a Japanese card game called Oicho-Kabu. The worst hand in the game is a set of eight, nine, and three. In traditional Japanese forms of counting, these numbers are called ya, ku, and sa or za. The yakuza took this name because the Ya-Ku-Za hand requires the most skill (at judging opponents, etc) and, obviously, the best luck in order to win. The name was also used because it signified bad fortune, presumably for anyone who went up against the group.