Glossary and Pronunciation Help

The following is a glossary of Japanese and Chinese words used in the Essays and Classroom Connections for Edo Avant Garde. Each word is connected to a voice file, so you can hear how the word is pronounced.

[Spellings in brackets indicate correct spelling for words that are accepted into English. A number of Japanese words, such as samurai, are found in English language dictionaries and are not italicized as a result in these teaching materials.]

Amanohashidate

A pine covered sandbar in northern Kyoto prefecture that looks like a bridge if you look at it upside down through your legs; one of the most famous sites in Japan

Bashō

Matsuo Bashō, haiku poet, (1644-1694 CE)

Bugaku

Japanese Imperial Court dance; imperial ceremonial dances

byōbu

folding screen; used to partition a room

Chōjū giga

“Scroll of Frolicking Animals”; mid 12th century

daikon

Japanese radish

daimyo [daimyō]

high ranking samurai

Daruma

Bodhidharma; founder of Zen/Chan Buddhism

Do Ho Suh

b. 1962; South Korean sculptor and installation artist

edamame

salted soybeans

Edo

former title of today’s Tokyo; name of a historical period; (1615-1868 CE)

Fuji

the most famous volcanic mountain in Japan and iconic Japanese site

fusuma

sliding doors

futon

a traditional style of Japanese bedding used for sleeping on the floor, and rolled up and stored out of sight every day

Futagami

mountain in Toyama Prefecture, named in the anthology Manyōshū

Gautama Siddhartha

given name of the historical Buddha

Genji

Hikaru Genji, the Shining Prince in the novel The Tale of Genji

Genji monogatari

the novel The Tale of Genji, late 10th century

gofun

an opaque white paint made from pulverized high quality oyster shells

Gutai

Japanese avant garde group formed in 1965 and considered to be an important post-war art collective

haiku [haiku]

a type of short poem with a pattern of 5-7-5 syllables

haniwa

earthenware found around ancient imperial tombs

hanshi

a type of Japanese paper

Hatsunehan

Japanese term for Parinirvana

Heian

name of a historical period; (794-1185 CE)

Hirota

name of character in the 2019 Freeman Book Award winning book The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden

Hohodemi-no-mikoto

A Shinto deity also known as Hoori-no-mikoto in the Kojiki. He is the brother of Hoderi-no-mikoto.

Hon’ami Kōetsu

Kyoto calligrapher and artist; (1558-1637)

Ikebana

Japanese art of flower arrangement

Ise

a geographical location, home to the Ise Shrines, Japan’s most sacred shrines

Ishida Yūtei

Kyoto painter; (1721-1786)

Itō Jakuchū

Kyoto painter; (1716-1800)

Itsukushima (Shinto) Shrine

a UNESCO World Heritage Site located on Miyajima, a small island in Hiroshima Bay

Jōdoin

a subtemple of the Enryakuji Buddhist complex on Mt. Hiei near Kyoto

Jōmon

ancient period of Japan and type of pottery; (ca. 10,000 BCE to ca 250 CE)

Jun’ichirō Tanizaki

a major writer of modern Japanese literature; Tanizaki is the family name; (1886-1965 CE)

Kaibara Ekken

neo-Confucian scholar; name also read Ekiken; (1630-1714 CE)

Kabuki Theater

popular theater of the Edo period using live actors

Kaihō Yūsetsu

Kaihō painter of Kyoto and Edo; (1598-1677 CE)

kakemono

a hanging scroll

kami

the nature spirits or deities of Shinto

Kamo no Chōmei

Kyoto poet; (1155-1216 CE)

kana

the Japanese syllabic writing system

Kanda Tatsuya

name of Buddhist priest interviewed in the film; Kanda is the family name

kanji

part of the writing system in Japan; this term refers to characters originally derived from Chinese characters

Kano

name of an academic painting school; modern spelling also rendered as Kanō

Kanō Sansetsu

Kyoto painter, also written as Kano Sansetsu; (1589-1651 CE)

Kanō Shigenobu

Kyoto painter, also written as Kano Shigenobu; unknown through early 17th century

Kanō Tan’yū

leading academic painter of the Kano painters in Edo, also written as Kano Tan’yū; (1602-1674 CE)

Karasumaru Mitsuhiro

Kyoto courtier, tea specialist, poet and calligrapher; rose to the rank of Major Counsellor at court; (1579-1638 CE)

Kawanabe Kyōsai

Edo/Tokyo painter and print designer; (1831-1889 CE)

kirikane

cutting gold, silver, copper, tin or platinum into lines, squares or triangles and applying these to a painting or other surface

Kishi Ganku

well-known painter of animals; (1749/56-1838 CE)

Kitano Tenjin Shrine

a Shinto shrine in Kyoto

Kofun

imperial tomb period; (ca. 250-552 CE)

Kokin wakashū Kokinshū

Collection of Japanese Poems of Ancient and Modern Times; anthology of Japanese poetry compiled in 905 CE

kōroku

painting with a thin outline, then adding color

kōzo

mulberry tree or mulberry tree bark used to make Japanese paper; Broussonetia kazinoki x papyrifera

Kuroda Tōkō

scholar-literati painter known for carp paintings; (1785-1846 CE)

kyōga

satirical pictures

Kyōsai gadan

autobiography and painting manual by painter Kawanabe Kyōsai; published in 1887

Kyoto [Kyōto]

ancient imperial capital of Japan

machi eshi

town artists

Man’yōshū

Collection of a Thousand Leaves; anthology of poetry from the late 8th century

Maruyama Ōkyo

Kyoto painter; (1733-1795 CE)

Maruyama-Shijō School

a style of naturalistic painting founded in Kyoto by Maruyama Ōkyo and Matsumura Goshun; (1752-1811 CE)

Matsumoto Kenjirō

interviewee in the film; Matsumoto is his family name; see Shōeidō Gallery below

Matsumura Goshun

Kyoto painter; (1752-1811 CE)

Matsushima

a famous group of islands in Miyagi Prefecture; literally “pine islands”

Miho no Matsubara

pine tree covered scenic area on the Miho Peninsula of Shizuoka City

Miita Myōkyū

name of Buddhist nun interviewed in the film; Miita is her family name

mitate

double vision; a type of playful parody or turning the normal upside down

Mitsui Takatoshi

textile merchant and founder of the Mitsui business conglomerate; (1622-1694 CE)

Miyajima

small island in Hiroshima Bay also known as Itsukushima, known for the Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Miyamoto Sōhō

Chief Buddhist Priest interviewed in the film; Miyamoto is his family name

mokkotsu

boneless painting

Mori Sōsen

Osaka painter; (1747-1821 CE)

Motonaga Sadamasa

abstract painter and founded of the avant garde group Gutai; (Motonaga is the family name); (1922-2011 CE)

Murasaki Shikibu

author of The Tale of Genji; (978-1016 CE)

Musashi Plain

a wild area in what is now North Tokyo; venerated in poetry and painting

Nachi

name of a famous waterfall in Wakayama Prefecture

Nagano

Nagano Prefecture is the location of the Japan Alps

Nagasawa Rosetsu

Kyoto painter; (1754-1799 CE)

Nara

city in Japan; also the name of a historical period; (710-794 CE)

Nihon

日本; land of the rising sun; Japanese word for Japan

Nijō Castle

an early 17th century complex that housed the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu

nikawa

a transparent or semi-transparent animal-derived glue used as a binder and an adhesive

Ninomaru Palace

located within Nijō Castle; an early 17th century complex that housed the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu

Nippon

日本; land of the rising sun; another way to pronounce the Japanese word for Japan

Nogeyama Zoo

Nogeyama Zoological Gardens is located in Yokohama

Noh (nō)

classical theater of Japan, also written as Nō

Parinirvana

The Historic Buddha’s final nirvana

Pu Zhelong

name of a Chinese scientist

renga

linked verse; a Japanese type of collaborative poetry

Rinpa (Rimpa)

name of a group of Edo period painters, also written as Rimpa

Ogata Kenzan

Kyoto and Edo potter and painter; Ogata Kōrin’s brother; (1663-1743 CE)

Ogata Kōrin

Kyoto painter, lacquerware and textile designer; (1658-1716 CE)

Oka Iwatarō

Kyoto folding screen restorer; Oka is the family name

okashi

funny, interesting, amusing

Onna Daigaku

The Great Learning for Women by Kaibara Ekken; 18th century

Qing dynasty

Chinese dynasty; (1644-1912 CE)

Saigyō

Buddhist priest and poet; (1118-1190 CE)

Saigyō monogatari emaki

Illustrated Scrolls of the Tales of Saigyō

Sakai Hōitsu

Edo painter and haiku poet; (1761-1828 CE)

samurai [samurai]

military of various ranks

Seikenji

name of Buddhist temple in Shizuoka Prefecture

Seitaka

Seitaka-dōji; boy attendant to the Buddhist deity Fudō Myō-ō

Sekishu-Banshi

Craftsmen Association (Japanese: Sekishū Banshi)

sensei

teacher; a term of respect used when referring to or speaking to your teacher; can be used alone without adding the teacher’s family name

Sesson Shūkei

Zen monk and painter; (1504-1589 CE)

Shakyamuni

the Historic Buddha

shasei

portraying the subject as it appears to the eye; depicting optical reality; drawing from life

Shibata Zeshin

painter and lacquerware designer; (1807-1891 CE)

Shimai Soshitsu

name of a successful merchant of Hataka; (1539-1615 CE)

Shin Kokinshū

New Collection of Old and New Poems; poetry anthology compiled in 1205 CE

Shinto [shintō]

name of indigenous form of nature worship in Japan

Shiraga Kazuo

a member of the avant garde Gutai group; (Shiraga is the family name); (1924-2008 CE)

Shōeidō Gallery

Full name is Matsumoto Shōeidō; a gallery in Kyoto that belongs to the family of Matsumoto Kenjirō, who is interviewed in the film

Shogun (shōgun)

the highest ranking military figure

shoin-zukuri

a type of residential architecture prominent in the Edo period in the houses of the high ranking military, Buddhist temples, and then in the homes of wealthy commoners; this style became the basis for “traditional” Japanese architecture in the modern era

Soga Nichokuan

Sakai area painter who specialized in falcon painting; (fl. First half of 17th century)

Soga Shōhaku

Kyoto and Omi area painter; (1730-1800 CE)

sumi

black ink used in East Asian painting

suminagashi

a marbling technique in Japanese painting

sutra

Buddhist scriptures

tanuki

Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus; also called racoon-dog in English

tansu

a mobile storage unit that was used in the Edo period but it still used today in Japanese homes

tarashikomi

dropping color or ink onto wet paint

tatami mat

a type of flooring used in Japanese architecture

Tawaraya Sōtasu

Kyoto artist; (1590s – 1640s CE)

Tendai

a sect of Mahāyāna Buddhism brought to Japan from China during the Heian Period

Tenshōin

a sub-temple of Myōshinji, Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto

Tiantai

a mountain in China

tokonoma

an alcove

Tokugawa

name of historic period or a family/clan name; (1615-1868 CE)

Tokugawa Iemitsu

third shogun of the Tokugawa or Edo period; (1604-1651 CE)

Tokyo [Tōkyo]

capital of Japan

torii

literally “bird perch”; gates that denote sacred Shinto space

Tosa

name of painting school patronaged by both Tokugawa shogunate and the imperial family

Tosa Mitsuoki

Sakai area and Kyoto painter; (1617-1691 CE)

Tōshōdaiji

a temple in Nara

Totoro

a nature spirit in the anime My Neighbor Totoro [Tonari no Totoro]

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

alternative name for Utagawa Yoshitoshi; woodblock print designer and painter in Edo; (1839-1892 CE)

tsunami [tsunami]

long high wave caused by an earthquake

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

woodblock print designer in Edo; (1797-1861 CE)

Utagawa Yoshitoshi

woodblock print designer and painter in Edo; (1839-1892 CE)

Utsu

name of mountain known for its overgrown ivy and maple trees in ancient Suruga Province

washi

a type of Japanese paper using plant fibers and processed by hand

Watanabe Shikō

Kyoto painter; (1683-1755 CE)

Yamashita Yūji

Meiji Gakuin Japanese art history professor interviewed in the film

Yamazaki Joryū

woman painter; also read as Yamazaki Ryūjo; (1716-1736 CE)

Yosa Buson

scholar-literati painter and haiku poet; (1716-1783 CE)

Yoshino

Mt. Yoshino, a famous cherry blossom viewing site in Nara Prefecture

Yugawara

a town in Kanagawa Prefecture which is the location of the Living National Treasures Museum

xiesheng

Jap: shasei; portraying the subject as it appears to the eye; depicting optical reality