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Today we list terms in the letter grouping K through R. A reminder: this is a list of Japanese words for some of the objects/titles for which I've used English translations in the novel itself.
As with previous items in the list, if you are interested in pronunciation of these words, this is a decent resource.
Kabuto: Iron helmet worn by samurai. (Ashigaru wore a simpler helmet, called jingasa, that could also be used as a cooking pot.)
Kami: Spirit, deity. Used to refer to the indigenous gods of Japan.
Kana: “Women’s writing”. A phonetic syllabary (as opposed to kanji, which used Chinese characters to write down Japanese sounds) introduced around the Heian period (late eighth century).
Katana: Long-sword, specifically a long single-edged blade of gentle curvature, intended to be worn in a scabbard thrust through the sash (obi) with the edge facing upward.
Kimono: Literally “thing to wear”. Generally used to refer to the robe-like long-sleeved clothing worn by most people in the pre-modern period.
Kuge: Literally “royal family”, the word is used to describe the nobility gathered around the emperor.
Machi: Originally a block of the capital’s street grid. Eventually it came to mean “town” or “city” as well.
Miyako: “Capital”. The term often used to name Kyoto, especially by its inhabitants.
Mon: Family crest, embroidered or printed on the clothing of samurai to show the identity of the clan they belonged to or were in service to.
Naginata: A pole-arm, pretty much obsolete in the Sengoku Jidai but once popular with warrior monks and female fighters. It consisted of a medium-length shaft topped with a long, broad, curving blade.
Ōnin no Ran: Literally “Disturbance of Ōnin”. A civil war that began in the Ōnin era (1467 CE) and lasted a decade, during which much of Kyoto was destroyed by the combatants.
Onryō: Literally “vengeful spirit”. A type of ghost believed able to have an impact on the physical world as a means of gaining vengeance for wrongs done to the person while alive.
Rōnin: Literally “wave man”. A samurai without a lord and so adrift in society. During the Sengoku Jidai the word did not have quite the pejorative quality it had a hundred years later.
Next Characters Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6
Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14
Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Author's Note Glossary
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