GLOSSARY A - L
By Joe Maurantonio
Click Here for M to Z
| A | *** |
| age | to raise, upward |
| age tsuki | rising punch |
| age uke | rising block |
| ago | chin |
| ai | harmony |
| aiki | unified energy |
| aite | opponent |
| amado | lower neck |
| anatoshi | trapping |
| arashi | storm |
| aruki | walking |
| ashi | leg; foot |
| ashi waza | foot techniques |
| ashiguru | foot soldiers; lowest level of bushi |
| ashiko | foot claws (see shuko) |
| atama | head |
| ate | blow, strike |
| ate waza | striking technique |
| atemi | strike; striking the vital points |
| atemi waza | techniques of striking |
| atsu | press |
| awase | to meet; to come together |
| B | *** |
| bakufu | military government of japan |
| barai | to sweep; sweeping motion |
| batto | flowing motion of sword drawing and cutting |
| battojutsu | sword drawing art |
| bisento | heavy battlefield halberd; a variety naginata |
| bo | six foot staff |
| bo shuriken | straight throwing blades (see shuriken) |
| bojutsu | six foot staff fighting methods |
| bokken | wooden practice sword |
| bokuto | wooden practice sword |
| boryaku | concepts of battle strategy |
| boshi ken | thumb drive fist |
| bu | military arts |
| budo | martial ways |
| budo taijutsu | unarmed combat methods of the Bujinkan |
| budoka | one who studies the martial way |
| bugei | martial skill |
| bugo | martial (warrior) name |
| bugu | martial training weapons |
| bujin | warrior spirit |
| Bujinden | Hatsumi Sensei's hombu dojo |
| Bujinkan | divine warrior training hall |
| bujutsu | martial arts; martial techniques |
| bushi | Japanese warrior |
| Bushido | way of the warrior; code of conduct |
| butoku | martial virtue or spirit |
| C | *** |
| chi | earth |
| chi ryaku no maki | earth strategy scroll |
| chimon | earthly forces |
| chu | middle |
| chudan | middle level |
| chunin | middle rank ninja |
| D | *** |
| dai | large, big, great |
| Daikomyosai | three day event celebrating Hatsumi Sensei's birthday |
| daisho | the set of katana and kodachi |
| daito | longer Japanese sword |
| dakentaijutsu | striking body methods |
| dan | level or degree of black belt |
| deai | initiatory action in combat |
| den | legend, tradition |
| densho | traditional scrolls (see also makimono) |
| deshi | student; disciple |
| do | path, road, way; motion; change |
| do jime | choke applied to opponent's sides |
| dojo | training hall, place of the way |
| doko | angry tiger |
| dome | stop; arrest |
| donton jutsu | earth concealment techniques |
| dori | seize, catch |
| doshin | Tokugawa period law enforcement official |
| E | *** |
| empi | elbow |
| enbu | demonstration |
| eri | collar or lapel |
| F | *** |
| fu | negation; wind |
| fudo | immobility |
| fudo kanashibari no jutsu | method of making an opponent hesitate |
| fudo ken | clenched fist |
| fudoshin | imperturbable or immovable spirit |
| fudoza | immovable seat |
| fukuro shinai | leather wrapped split-bamboo training sword |
| furi | to spin or twirl |
| G | *** |
| gaeshi | turn over, throw; reversal |
| gakure | to hide, disappear |
| ganmen | face |
| ganseki | rock |
| ganseki nage | big rock throw |
| garami | to entangle, entwine; bind |
| gari | to reap; hook |
| gata | style, type, pattern; single |
| gatame | to tighten |
| gawa | side |
| gedan | lower level |
| gedan uke | downward receiving flow |
| genin | low rank ninja |
| geri | kick |
| geta | wooden clogs |
| gi | training uniform (also dogi or keikogi) |
| gikan | regard for justice |
| giri | cut, obligation or duty |
| go | five |
| go no sen | responsive initiative |
| godai | five greats |
| gogyo | five transformations |
| gojo gyoku | principle of five feelings and desires |
| gokui | hidden or secret |
| gokui no uta | a poem given to a deshi as a hint toward his quest for mastery |
| gokuraku | paradise; heaven |
| goroshi | to kill; destroy |
| goshi (or koshi) | hip; loins |
| goshin waza | self defense techniques |
| gotonpo | five element concealing and escaping methods |
| gunryaku heiho | military strategy |
| gyaku | reverse; joint manipulation |
| gyaku gi | joint lock techniques |
| gyaku jime | reverse constriction (choke) |
| gyaku tsuki | reverse punch |
| gyoku | gem, jewel; testicles |
| H | *** |
| hachi | eight |
| hachimaki | headband |
| hajime | begin |
| hajutsu | escaping methods |
| hakama | pleated divided skirt |
| hamon | formal expulsion from a tradition |
| han | half |
| hanbo | three foot stick |
| hanbojutsu | techniques of the short staff |
| hane age | jump up, spring up; raising up; wing |
| haori | a type of jacket worn over the kimono |
| happo | eight ways (all directional) |
| happo hiken | eight way secret sword |
| hara | belly; center of one's body |
| haragei | belly art; intuitive thought |
| harai | to sweep; sweeping motion |
| harai goshi | brushing the waist; body throw |
| heiho | strategy; martial principles |
| henka | change; variation |
| hi | secret; to fly |
| hicho | flying bird |
| hidari | left |
| hiden | secret traditions |
| hiji | elbow |
| hiken juroppo | sixteen hidden weapons (fists) |
| hiki | to pull |
| hira | flat, even, level |
| hira shuriken | flat blades (shaken) |
| hiza | knee |
| ho | direction, way; principle; direction |
| hodoki | free, loosen, unbind |
| hoi | encircling |
| hojo | binding and securing |
| hojojutsu | binding techniques using a tying cord to restrain prisoners |
| hoko | encircling tiger |
| hokojutsu | stepping (walking) arts |
| hombu | main dojo |
| hon | main; true; regular; normal |
| hon jime | main constriction (choke) |
| hyoho | see heiho |
| hyoshi | rhythm |
| I | *** |
| i | mind, heart; will, intention |
| iai | motion of sword drawing and cutting |
| iaido | sword drawing way |
| iaijutsu | techniques of sword-drawing |
| ichi | one |
| ichimonji | the written character one in Japanese |
| in | soft, negative, dark, female (yin) |
| inton | concealment and camouflage |
| iri | to enter |
| irimi | entering |
| itami | pain |
| J | *** |
| jigoku | hell |
| jime | to constrict, tighten, choke |
| jin | man |
| jin ryaku no maki | man strategy scroll |
| jissen gata | real fighting; true fightingforms |
| jo | four foot walking staff; upper |
| jo sokutei | raised sole |
| jodan | upper level |
| jodan uke | upper receiving flow |
| jojutsu | techniques of the stick; stick art |
| jonin | leader ninja |
| ju | ten |
| jujutsu | techniques of flexibility; art of flexibiity |
| jumonji | the written character ten in Japanese |
| jumonji uke | cross-arm block |
| junan taiso | body conditioning and flexibility |
| jutaijutsu | grappling methods, throws, locks, holds |
| jutsu | techniques; art or method |
| jutte | a metal truncheon |
| K | *** |
| ka | fire |
| kaeshi | to turn over, throw |
| kaeshiwaza | reversal (escape) techniques |
| kage | shadow |
| kagi | hook |
| kaiden | master's certificate |
| kaiten | rolling; overturn |
| kakato | heel |
| kakato geri | heel kick |
| kaku | angle; horn |
| kama | sickles |
| kamae | attitude, posture, stance |
| kami | dieties; demi-gods |
| kanji | Chinese pictographic characters used in written Japanese |
| kansetsu waza | joint manipulation skills |
| kappo | resuscitation methods |
| karate | empty hand; (older: Chinese hand) |
| kashira | cap end |
| kata | shoulder; arranged forms; single, one; style, type, pattern |
| kata dori | shoulder grab |
| katana | Japanese sword; long sword |
| katate | one-handed, single hand |
| katsu | resuscitation methods |
| kawa | side |
| keiko | training; practice |
| ken | fist; heavy straight-blade sword; weapon |
| kendo | way of the sword; modern Japanese fencing |
| kenjutsu | sword methods, swordsmanship |
| kenpo | fist way; sword way |
| keri | to kick |
| kesa giri | diagonal cut |
| ki | internal energy, spirit, mind, heart, soul, rise |
| kiai | spirit shout, focus life energy. |
| kiaijutsu | techniques of kiai |
| kihon | foundation, basic, fundamental |
| kihon happo | fundamentals eight ways |
| kihon waza | fundamental techniques |
| kikaku ken | head-strike fist |
| kime | restraint, focus (mental, spiritual or physical); chest muscle |
| kimono | traditional dress of the Japanese |
| kiri | to cut, mist, fog |
| kishomon | vow on entering a classical tradition |
| ko | child; hook, barb; small; tiger |
| ko ashi | small walking steps |
| kobudo | classical martial ways |
| kobuto wari | helmet splitter |
| kocho | butterfly |
| kodachi | short sword |
| koe | body weak point at hip and groin joint (femoral artery); voice; tone |
| kogoroshi | killing the child |
| kogusoku | grappling; usually in armor |
| kohai | junior |
| koho | rear, back |
| kokoro | spirit, heart, or mind |
| koku | ancient weight measurement to specify income |
| kokyuho | breathing method |
| koppojutsu | bone striking method |
| koroshi | to kill |
| koryu | classical or old tradition |
| kosei | offensive |
| koshi | hip area; loins |
| kote | wrist, forearm |
| kote gaeshi | wrist reversal; wristlock |
| kotsu | essence, point; bone |
| ku | air, sky; emptiness; void; nine |
| kubi | neck |
| kubi nage | neck throw |
| kudaki | crush, break, smash; shatter |
| kuden | oral teachings |
| kuji in | nine syllable seals |
| kukan | "space" and the timing within the space |
| kumi uchi | grappling position |
| kumite | free sparring |
| kumiuchi | grappling position |
| kunoichi | 'nine plus one'; female ninja |
| kusarifundo | short chain with weighted ends |
| kusarigama | sickle and chain |
| kukan | "space" and the timing within the space |
| kuzushi | to break; breaking opponent's balance |
| kyo | unpreparedness; false |
| kyojitsu | truth and deception; fienting |
| kyojitsu tenkan | theory of alternating appearances of reality |
| kyoketsu shoge | sickle blade weapon with weighted cord |
| kyoman | observation and perception |
| kyomon | religious understandings |
| kyu | step, grade; rank of green belt |
| kyuba | archery and horsemanship |
| kyudo | archery; way of the bow |
| kyusho | vital points, pressure points, weak points |
Click Here for M to Z