Kaempfer's Japan: Tokugawa Culture Observed

Glossary of Japanese Terms

Glossary of Japanese Terms The meanings given are those appropriate to Kaempfer’s text. For additional meanings, a dictionary should be consulted. 509 aidagin broker’s fee ama no iwato “heavenly rock door,” behind which Amaterasu (Tenshō daijin) hid in a cave and deprived the world of light amasake sweet rice wine Amida Amitabha Anan sonja Buddha’s disciple Ananda Arara sennin Buddha’s teacher Alara Kalama aratame population survey atotsuke traveling box, fastened at the back of a horse’s saddle awa mori alcoholic beverage made of millet azuki red beans ban guard bashi same as hashi—bridge Benzaiten Sarasvati, the goddess of good fortune bezaisen small Japanese vessel with one sail bikuni nun of a special order, usually attached to but not living within a temple Bitchū modern Okayama prefecture Bizen modern Okayama prefecture bosatsu bodhisattva, a Buddhist saint bōzu Buddhist priest, a bonze bu coin worth one-fourth ryō bugyō magistrate; also used by Kaempfer for bugyō nin, a commissioned official bukkyō the Buddhist faith Bungo province in Kyushu, modern Ōita prefecture bungo sō lit.: bonze of Bungo, a Christian Bunjo mythical figure; according to one legend, she turned into Benzaiten buppō Buddhist law or doctrine bushi samurai, a soldier butsu Buddha, Buddhism, a Buddhist statue butsu dō Buddhism Buzen modern Fukuoka prefecture byōsho ancestral shrine, mortuary tablet chabune small freight vessel chi wisdom chijin godai five generations of terrestrial gods of Shinto chigai dana irregular shelves chigyō a (rice) stipend Chikugo modern Saga prefecture Chikuzen modern Fukuoka prefecture chin used as personal pronoun by the emperor when referring to himself in speech chō measurement usually of 60 ken, 109 meters, 119 yards; a street, town quarter; see appendix 2 chōshi city messenger chōshi no mono city messenger chū middle chūgoshō also: naka oku koshō: valets, personal servants of the lord permitted to enter his personal rooms: the naka oku chūjō court title of the fourth rank chūnagon court title of the third rank chūtō one of the five Buddhist precepts: not to steal Dai Nihon ōdaiki a chronological account of the first 113 Japanese emperors, beginning with Jimmu Tennō, by Yoshida Mitsuyoshi (1598–1672), first published in 1649 daidokoro mono kitchen staff Daijingū Ise shrine daijō daijin court title of the first rank daikan intendant, shogunal agent daimyō great territorial lord daimyōjin name or title for an important god dainagon court title of the third rank Dainichi nyorai Mahāvairocana, Dainichi Buddha dairi emperor; the Imperial court; the Imperial palace Dandoku Mount Dandaka danna congregation of a temple Daruma Bodhidharma Deshima man-made island in the harbor of Nagasaki on which the Dutch were located; also Dejima dō same as michi; the Way dōchūki travel guide dōshin a lower military official and solider (for a detailed description, see book 4, chapter 2) Edo Tokyo Glossary of Japanese Terms 510 efumi stepping on Christian images ema votive picture, originally of a horse en nichi festival day of a temple or shrine En no gyōja founder of Shugen dō, the order of the yamabushi Enma ō king of hell ensho gura ammunition store eta outcast eto the twelve astrological signs that make up the sixty-year cycle Ezo Ainu, Hokkaido fuda no tsuji location for official announcements Fudō myō ō Acala, the God of Fire fujō unclean Fuku shū Fukien funa ban boat guard funagura boat sheds furo Japanese bath; at Kaempfer’s time, a steam bath futsu mochi Artemisia dumplings gawa same as kawa—river gege commoner, as opposed to kuge, a Kyoto aristocrat Gekū see Gekū miya Gekū miya Outer Shrine at Ise genkan ban guard at the entrance of a residence genkan chō register kept at the genkan ban Genroku era name for the years 1688–1704 gi justice, righteousness Gion ox-headed deity, Gozutennō go honorific prefix go hyaku kai the five hundred rules or “admonitions” to be observed by Buddhist priests go i court title of the fifth rank goban dokoro shogunal guard house goban gashira head of the shogunal guard gobansho see goban dokoro gōdō a wild and cruel robber godō spiritual enlightenment gogatsu gonichi the fifth day of the fifth month; also known as Boys’ Day gokai the five Buddhist precepts gokasho the five cities directly under shogunal control gokuraku Buddhist paradise gokuya prison gongen an avatar, an incarnation of Buddha; the deified...