Glossary of Samurai & Related Words By Handmadesword.com PR Dept. www.handmadesword.com

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Samurai: Member of the warrior class. The word "samurai" is derived from the archaic Japanese verb "samorau," changed to "saburau," meaning "to serve"; thus, a "samurai" is a servant, i.e. the servant of a lord.

Ronin: Master-less Samurai. A Samurai became a ronin under two circumstances. The first was when the samurai had shamed himself in the eyes of his master, but refused to commit seppuku. The second case of a samurai becoming a ronin resulted from his master’s death in one of the countless battles.

Buke (武家) : A martial house or a member of such a house

Mononofu (もののふ): An ancient term meaning a warrior.

Musha (武者): A shortened form of Bugeisha (武芸者), lit. martial art man.

Shi (士): A word roughly meaning "gentleman," it is sometimes used for samurai, in particular in words such as 武士 (bushi, meaning warrior or samurai).

Tsuwamono (兵) : An old term for a soldier popularized by Matsuo Basho in his famous haiku. Literally meaning a strong person.

Bushido: The Way of the Warrior (Such as loyalty to one’s master, selfdiscipline, bravery, honor, ethical behavior). The philosophy of Bushido is "freedom from fear." It meant that the Samurai transcended his fear of death. It was

influenced

by

Confucianism,

Zen

Buddhism

and

Shinto.

From

Confucianism it inherited filial fidelity and loyalty to one's lord. From Zen Buddhism it learned not to fear death and control one's body and mind. From Shinto, it learned to worship the emperor.

Giri: Samurai's duty. "Duty" is a primary philosophy of the Samurai.

Zanshin: Samurai's sensing danger. It is the ability of the samurai to sense danger, trained into him from his youth by teachers that would sneak up on him until his senses were acutely developed.

Seppuku: Ritual suicide. The only way out for a defeated samurai was death or ritual suicide. A samurai stabs a knife into his abdomen and literally disembowels himself by cutting out his guts. After the samurai disembowels himself another samurai, usually a kinsman or friend, slices his head off.

Musha-shugyo: Warrior pilgrimage. It was a samurai tradition, in which a warrior would become ronin and travel the land, fighting in duels to establish

and perfect his own skill, and to promote the strength and value of his school. It was started by Musashi. Musashi became the archetypal unkempt, invincible ronin, as he ed through duels and wars undefeated.

Mon: Family crest worn on montsuki

Montsuki: Kimono top Japanese wore at formal occasions

Hakama: Divided skirt-pants Samurai wore

Ken: sword - refers specifically to an ancient straight-bladed sword made before the ninth century with both single and double cutting edges and curved point sections. These early swords were apparently carried slung from the waist by cords or some other materials. They range from two to four feet in length and various shapes of hilts.

Tachi: refers to long, deeply curved sword that mounted Samurai used in ancient Japan. As early as the 8th century, the straight-bladed sword began to change to one with more curvature in a longer and a stronger blade with a single cutting edge---Tachi. The curved form of sword was better suited to the needs of the Japanese fighting man; the tachi became the principal weapon of the bushi (warrior). It was specially suited for the horse-mounted combat of the late 8th century. Usually Tachi measures almost four feet in length.

Daito: Long sword. (katana, uchi-katana, tachi, no-dachi ) – nagasa (length) over 2 shaku(shaku = 11.9 inches )

Shoto: Short sword. ( wakizashi, chisa-katana ) – nagasa (length) between 1 and 2 shaku(shaku = 11.9 inches )

Tanto: A common Japanese single or, occasionally, double edged knife or dagger with a blade length between 15 and 30 cm (6"–12"). Tanto first began to appear in the Heian period. Tanto were mostly carried by Samurai.

Daisho: Samurai's two swords (one long - katana, one short - wakizashi)

Katana: Long sword Samurai worn. Katana emerged in the sixteenth century as a curved, single-edged weapon of the Samurai warrior class in Japan. A replacement of the long Tachi.It was Smaurai’s most important weapon. When paired with a shoto (short sword) such as a wakizashi or the dagger-like tanto, the result is a daisho. Throughout the Era of States at War, it was a symbol of Samurai’s status as a warrior, his obedience to the code of Bushido and his undying loyalty to his master. Most Katana was about 42 inch from tip to pommel.

Wakizashi: Short sword Samurai worn. The wakizashi was usually worn together with the katana to make a Daisho or pair by the samurai or swordsmen of feudal Japan. Most wakizashis are between 12 to 24 inches.

Naginata: Long pole with curved blade on one end. The Samurai sometimes use the Naginata while fighting at close quarters on horseback. It was made from a short, curved blade, like that of a wakizashi, but it was attached to a staff. The staff Naginata could be from 38 inch to 4 feet long. This made the weapon extremely useful in close quarters.

Ryu: Particular school or style of martial arts

Bo-jutsu: Staff fighting

Kyo-jutsu: Bow and arrow fighting

So-jutsu: Spear fighting

Kyuba no michi: The Way of the Horse and Bow