Al-Kindi – Arab astronomer, mathematician, physician. 801-873 CE.
Amaterasu – A major Shinto diety, part of the origin myths of Japan.
Amida Buddha – A representation of Buddha associated with Pure Land Buddhism, a Japanese sect of Mahayana Buddhism.
Bancha – A standard grade of green tea.
Barbican – A fortified gatehouse.
Batō Kannon – Buddhist deity of the horse.
Bo shuriken – An iron throwing spike.
Bokken – A wooden training sword.
Bugeisha – A master of martial arts.
Chō-Han – A traditional dice game. Two dice shaken in a cup, bets take on the likelihood of an odd or even roll. The house keeps a cut of the stake.
Cuirass – An armoured breast plate.
Daimyō – A regional feudal lord.
Daitoku-ji – ‘The Temple of Great Virtue’ located in Kyoto. One of fourteen temples dedicated to the Rinzai school of Zen.
Diamotsu – Battle of Diamotsu, 1531 CE.
Dōsojin – Shinto deity believed to protect travellers from evil spirits.
Echizen – Medieval province, now the northern part of Fukui Prefecture.
Emishi – The indigenous tribes of Japan.
Etchū – Medieval province, now Toyama Prefecture.
Freshwater Sea – Medieval name for Lake Biwa (also The Inland Sea).
Fundoshi – A loin cloth.
Fushimi Inari – Kyoto temple dedicated to the Shinto rice god Inari, patron of merchants and manufacturers.
Gallnut Dye – A tooth sealant used in the ‘Ohaguro’ practise of blackening teeth.
Gekokujō – ‘Low conquers high’, a situation in which a low-born man overthrows his social superior.
Gigaku – An extinct form of masked dance/drama, a forerunner of Noh.
Ginkaku-ji – ‘Temple of the Silver Pavilion’, Kyoto.
Go – A traditional Chinese board game in which black and white counters (stones) are placed on a grid board. Each player attempts to encircle and convert their opponent’s counters.
Goban – the 19x19 grid board used in games of go.
Hachiman – Shinto god of war, protector of warriors.
Hakama – Traditional Japanese leg-wear.
Haori – A jacket.
Hanten – A jacket. Less formal than a haori. Often quilted.
Hashi – Chopsticks.
‘Hé?’ – ‘eh?’
Hichiriki – A double-reed flute.
Hida – Medieval province, now the north of Gifu Prefecture.
Honshu – Largest of the islands of Japan.
Hotei – An incarnation of Buddha-nature, usually represented with a fat belly and welcoming smile.
Humming Bulb Arrows – Singing arrow-heads used to signal the commencement of battle.
Iga Ware – Dark and starkly simple form of ceramic.
Inkstone – A small dish in which an inkstick is ground and the powder mixed with water.
Izanami-no-Mikoto – Mythological goddess of life and death. Name means ‘she who invites’.
Jingasa – A conical hat made of iron or leather worn by foot soldiers.
Jōkamachi – A‘town-beneath-the-castle’.
Jūnihitoe – An elegant and elaborate kimono.
Kaga – Medieval province, now part of Ishikawa Prefecture.
Kakebuton – A quilted bed-cover.
Kami – Shinto spirits.
Kata – A sequence of ritualised martial arts manoeuvres.
Katana – The archetypal samurai sword.
Ki – Life force (from the Chinese Qi).
Kimono – A T-shaped shirt/robe.
Kobusen – One of the denominations of Chinese copper coins used as currency in Japan.
Kohai – a junior, or pupil.
Kyoto – Capital of Japan 1180-1868 CE.
Kyoyochi Pond – A water garden in the precincts of Ryōan-ji, ‘The Temple of the Dragon at Peace’, Kyoto.
Manjū – A popular bean paste pastry.
Mon – Unit of Japanese currency 1336-1870.
Moxibustion – A traditional Chinese therapy in which dried mugwort is burned on the skin.
Muhammad ibn Zakariyā Rāzī - Persian alchemist, physician and chemist, 854-925 CE.
Naginata – A curved blade attached to a wooden staff. A weapon associated with foot soldiers and warrior monks. Also associated with women trained in martial arts.
Naka-ima – A Shinto concept of times as ‘the eternal present’.
Nara – Capital of Japan 710-794 CE.
‘Neh?’ – ‘Is that so?’
Ninja – Highly trained soldiers, usually mercenaries, specializing in infiltration and assassination.
Ninjitsu – The necessary skills of a ninja, eg: climbing, archery, silent swimming, disguise, concealment, etc.
Nobori – Large battlefield flags.
Noh – Traditional form of musical drama.
Nōshū – An alternate name for Noto, a province in medieval Japan.
Nurizaya – Type of hilt/scabbard wood traditionally used to dress swords when not in use.
Obi – Sash worn around the waist. (The stiff, formal sash is known as the kaku-obi, whereas the softer, more informal sash is known as the heko-obi.)
Ōnin Wars – The devastating civil war, 1467-1477 CE, which led to the destruction of Kyoto and the beginning of the Age of the Warring States.
Oshiroi – Face powder made from ground white rice (name means ‘honourable white’).
Pagoda – A tiered tower.
Palanquin – A litter, similar to the western sedan chair.
Palisade – A perimeter wall composed of tree trunks sharpened to a spike.
Pure Land Buddhism – One of the dominant strains of monastic Buddhism in medieval Japan.
Rajōmon Gate – The Kyoto city gate at the southern end of the great Suzaku Avenue, a wide boulevard which led to the outer gates of the Imperial Palace.
Ri – A unit of length equivalent to 3927m or 4295 yards.
Ryō – A gold coin worth a thousand brass coins, or enough rice to feed a person for four years.
Ryōan-ji – ‘The Temple of the Dragon at Peace’, Kyoto.
Saké – Rice wine, traditionally drunk warm.
-sama – A suffix indicating respect and deference to the person being addressed.
Samue – The simple work clothes of Buddhist monks.
Samurai – ‘One who serves.’ The military nobility of Japan.
Sarutahiko Ōkami – Shinto deity, sometimes portrayed as a monkey god. Often regarded as a patron spirit of martial arts.
Sashimono – A pennant worn by samurai as they entered battle.
Saya – A scabbard.
Sekino – Capital of Etchū province.
Sengoku Judai – The Age of the Warring States, 1467-1603 CE.
Seppuku – Ritual suicide. Also known as hara-kiri.
Shachihoko – Mythological creature with the body of a carp and the head of a tiger. Often used as roof ornaments to protect buildings from fire.
Shenqu – A preparation of wheat used in the treatment of acute ailments.
Shatranj – Early Persian form of chess.
Shinano –Medieval province, now Nagano Prefecture.
The girlbi – Alternate name for ninja.
Shiokowa no gawara – Battle of Shiokowa no gawara, 1531 CE.
Shō – Standard bottle measure of sake. Approx 1.8 litres.
Shōgun – The military ruler of Japan.
Shoji – A sliding partition wall. Paper over a wooden frame.
Suzaku Ōji – The wide central avenue of Kyoto which led to the gates of the Imperial Palace.
Tabi – Split-toed socks.
Takase bune – Flat bottom river boat used for navigating the Takase River, Kyoto.
Tantō – Short blade sword/knife.
Tatami – A rice straw mat.
Tatenawate – Battle of Tatenawate, 1530 CE.
Tendai – Japanese school of Mayahana Buddhism.
Tengu – Shinto daemon. A harbinger of war. Often portrayed as a bird of prey.
Tenryū Shiseizen-ji – Head temple of Renzai Zen Buddhism, Kyoto.
Topknot – Traditional samurai hair arrangement.
Tövd – Mongolian name for Tibet. (Means ‘snowy’.)
Tsuba – Sword hilt guard.
Tsuka – Sword hilt.
Uji – Area to the south of Kyoto associated with high-grade green tea.
Usa Hachimangū – Main temple to Hachiman, Shinto divinity of war, in the city of Usa.
Wakasa – Medieval province, now the southern part of Fukui Prefecture.
Warded Lock – One of the earliest forms of lock using a key cylinder.
Yamabushi – A mountain ascetic.
Yōkai – Phantoms, apparitions.
Za – Feudal trade guilds.
Zabuton – A floor cushion.
Zōri – Thonged sandals.