MARTIAL ARTS DICTIONARY
FORMAT TRANSLITERATION BIBLIOGRAPHY NIHONGO KANJI GLOSSARY
かがみ
kagami
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYSTEM
Lit. Mirror. In the Shinjibukan school, the use of mirrors is extremely important for practicing katas, movement and techniques.
かい
kai
(B) BUDŌ — GENERAL TERMS
Lit. Association. In the case of all Martial Arts, the words association or organization, are written with the word kai. For example, the Shinjinbukan association is called Kokusai Shinjinbukan Karate Dō Kyōkai.
かいちょう
Kaichō (alt. kaichou, kaicho, kaichoo)
(B) BUDŌ — GENERAL TERMS
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYLLABUS
Lit. President or chairman. The tittle Kaichō is given to the president or chairman of a Martial Arts Association or Federation. For example, the current President of the Shinjinbukan International Association is Onaga Yoshimitsu Kaichō.
かいしゃ
kaisha
(N) NIHONGO — CULTURE
Lit. Company, corporation. All Japanese companies are also referred as kaisha
かかと
kakato
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — BODY PARTS
Lit. Heel or Arch of Foot.
kakie
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYLLABUS
An ancient Ti tradition used to train with a partner. It utilizes circular hand motions and while maintaining arm contact, the wrist hooks into the opponent. Therefore, by learning to feel the opponent’s arm movement and by using pushing or pulling, an endless number of close combat techniques and counter techniques are possible. At the Shinjinbukan school, Kakie is always practiced from the jigotai stance, while keeping the waki closed (side of the body below the armpit). There three general categories of Kakie: Hichi Gaki, Ushi Gaki & Hani Gaki.
Unfortunately, there many misconceptions about Kakie among many martial artists:
Misconception #1: Kakie as a simple exercise for timing and body conditioning.
When done correctly, Kakie is the one of Ti’s training methods used to develop close combat techniques. Indeed, there are some basic drills, but beyond this introductory level, there is a complex hand & footwork that is far from basic.
Misconception #2: Kakie is a variation from Chinese push hands or sticky hand techniques.
From the outside, they might look the same, but there are major differences. Kakie was designed a method to learn Ti. Therefore, it must use Ti’s unique body mechanics, stances, body posture and movement, which are unique to Okinawan Martial Arts.
Misconception #3: Kakie is only practiced in Gōjū Ryū and not in Shōrin Ryū styles.
Kakie has been part of the Okinawa Ti training tradition for centuries. Therefore, Kakie is not exclusive to any specific style. Most Karate schools that claim Kakie as part of their style do not integrate these body mechanics with the rest of their Karate.
Misconception #4: Kakie is a unique form of kumite.
Some schools use the word “kakie” to name a type of juu kumite used in competition. In fact, this is not kakie!! This is just sparring with some specific rules.
かまえ
kamae
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — COMMANDS
Lit. Posture, pose or style. It refers to the arm and hand positions used for specific fighting techniques. They are also called ready position or on guard position. Traditionally these positions appear as opening moves in ancient katas.
かみ
Kami
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — PHILOSOPHY
Lit. God, gods, spirit, mind, soul. The name Shin-jin-bu-kan is made out of four kanji, or Chinese characters, out of which the first character could be pronounced either "kami" or "shin". Furthermore, the opening statement of the Shinjinbukan precepts, or Dōjō Kun, reads: "Kami no Michi", which could be translated as "the Path of God", "Spiritual Path" or "Godly Path".
かんちょう
Kanchō (alt. kanchou, kancho, kanchoo)
(B) BUDŌ — GENERAL TERMS
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYLLABUS
Lit. Director, curator, superintendant. The tittle Kanchō is given to the Master or Head Instructor of a Martial Arts School. When the Shinjinbukan School was founded in Okinawa, the tittle Kanchō applied to Onaga Yoshimitsu, as its founder and first Head Instructor. Hence the Shinjinbukan Dōjō Kun (School's precepts) was written and signed as such. However, this title has now been passed down to his daughter Onaga Michiko Kanchō.
かんじ
kanji
(N) NIHONGO — BASICS
Lit. Han symbols or Chinese characters. Japanese language has approximately 5,000 Chinese symbols, out of which 2,000 are commonly used, and close to 1,000 are learned in grade school. The word Kanji, pronounced Hanzi in Chinese (Pinyin spelling), refers to symbols originated during the Han Dynasty, which ruled China from 206bc to 220ad. And by the Chinese Golden Age, Tang (618-906ad) and Song (960-1279ad) Dynasties, the Chinese written language became the predominant throughout East Asia. Hence, the written language of this period is known today as Classical Chinese, as it was used in literature, government official records and religious texts through China, Japan, Korea, Okinawa and other parts of southeast Asia. For example, all early historical records of the Ryukyu Kingdom in Okinawa were written in Classical Chinese.
The use of Chinese characters has always been in constant evolution. Throughout Asia, the meaning remains the same, but there are many pronunciations. For example, the same character has a different proninciation between Chinese and Japanese; and between Chinese dialects: Mandarin and Cantonese. Even in Korea, where a separate written language was developed in modern times, Chinese symbols have a Korean pronunciation. Nowadays, in mainland China there is trend to create simplified versions of characters. However, in Taiwan and Japan, this trend is not so wide spread.
FORMAT TRANSLITERATION BIBLIOGRAPHY NIHONGO KANJI GLOSSARY BACK TO TOP
かお
kao
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — BODY PARTS
Lit. Face or expression.
からて
Karate
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — RYŪHA
Lit. Empty hand. Karate is a Martial Art, which originated in Okinawa, Japan, hundreds of years ago and then it spread to mainland Japan and to the rest of the world. Nowadays, there are many types of Karate: Okinawan Karate, Japanese Karate, Korean Karate, Olympic sports Karate, free-style Karate, etc…
からてどう
Karate Dō
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — RYŪHA
Lit. The way of the Empty hand. The name Karate Dō is a more formal and appropriate way to describe this martial art, rather than just using word karate by itself. This helps emphasize that path or the way of Karate.
からてか
Karateka
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — RYŪHA
Lit. The Karate practitioner.
かた
kata (1)
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — KATA
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYLLABUS
Lit. Mould, type, model, style, shape, data-type. A sequence of moves and fighting techniques created in a specific order. The concept of creating katas originated in China. Some katas are hundreds of years old, and are part of the Martial Arts living tradition. In modern times, many new katas were created by each style. At the same time, ancient katas were renamed and/or recreated. Today many consider katas as simple exercises designed to provide physical and mental strength. However, in the Shinjinbukan school, Onaga Sensei defines kata as the shape or the outer physical form of Karate, and he emphasizes that katas are not Karate itself.
Onaga Sensei also teaches the analogy that Katas are like Kanji or Chinese symbols, which represents a meaning. First, you must learn the stroke orders of each symbol in order to write a beautiful letter. If the stroke order or the shape of the Kanji were not accurate, people would not be able to read the letter. A Kata could be understood as a collection of Kanji or symbols, representing a message, a letter from ancient teachers. Like the Kanji, if the form or shape of the kata is incorrect, the meaning will not be understood.
かた
kata (2)
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — BODY PARTS
Lit. Shoulder.
けいこ
keiko
(B) BUDŌ — GENERAL TERMS
Lit. Training, practice or study.
けいこぎ
keiko gi
(B) BUDŌ — GENERAL TERMS
Lit. Martial arts uniform. The proper name of the Karate uniform. In ancient times, no uniform was used during training.
けいこぎのきかた
keiko gi no kikata
(B) BUDŌ — GENERAL TERMS
Lit. Uniform wearing etiquette. Martial arts have specific rules on how to wear their uniforms.
けいこほう
keikohō
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYSTEM
Lit. Training method. It refers to the specific training method used by each style of Martial Art. The Shinjinbukan School’s curriculum, or keikohō, is based in all Ti principles taught by Onaga Yoshimitsu Kaichō.
FORMAT TRANSLITERATION BIBLIOGRAPHY NIHONGO KANJI GLOSSARY BACK TO TOP
けんか
kenka
(N) NIHONGO — MISCELLANEOUS
Lit. Quarrel or brawl, failure.
けり
keri
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — TECHNIQUES
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYLLABUS
Lit. Foot strike. A keri, or foot strike should not to be confused with a kick. There are two forms of keri in traditional Okinawan Karate: mae geri (frontal foot stike) and yoko geri (lateral foot strike). Mawashi geri (roundhouse kick) is considered a sports technique that is not part of the Okinawan martial arts tradition. However, in Okinawan Karate there are some knees strikes techniques that could have be simplified for sports karate and turned into mawashi geri.
See keru , tsuki, keri, tenshin
ける
keru
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYSTEM
Lit. Foot strike. This is the foot striking technique used in Ti, which is different than a regular keri.
See keri , tsuki, keri, tenshin
きをつけ
ki o tsuke (alt. ki wo tsuke)
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — COMMANDS
Lit. Position of attention. This command is used during drills to bring the student to ready position or "position of attention". It could be executed at two different stances: musubi dachi or heisoku dachi. In most Karate styles, the arms are placed at the side of the legs, like a soldier. However, in the old Okinawan schools, the arms will hang naturally at the center axis of body, covering the groin. The command ki o tsuke, it is generally followed by one of the following commands: hajime (begin execution), rei (bow), yoi (ready), kamae (on guard) or naore (relax or end).
きをつけって
ki o tsukette (alt. ki wo tsukette)
(N) NIHONGO — MISCELLANEOUS
Lit. Be careful.
きあい
kiai
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — COMMANDS
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYSTEM
Lit. Scream, yell, fighting spirit. It refers to the shouts used by most Karate schools today. Most martial artists don’t have a clear understanding of why they use kiai (yelling). Its use originated from Kendo (Japanese fencing) and other military training and was later incorporated into Karate at the beginning of the 20th century. Hence, it is not part of Ti, nor an authentic Okinawan martial arts tradition. In the Shinjinbukan School, we do not use Kiai, nor unnatural sounds, nor distorted face expressions, nor exaggerated breathing during any technique. In some rare occasions, Shinjinbukan junior members are allowed to use kiai during a kata demonstration. Another exception could be to use kiai to demonstrate the proper breathing techniques, timing and duration of exhalation and inhalation. However, all external sounds are dropped all together as soon as the propper breathing is understood by the student.
きほん
kihon
(B) BUDŌ — GENERAL TERMS
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — TECHNIQUES
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYLLABUS
Lit. Foundation, basis, standard. It refers to the foundation, the basics, the building blocks of a Martial Arts systems. In the Shinjinbukan School, all kihon drills are constantly practiced and are focused on the three basic elements of the System: Tsuki (hand strike), Keri (foot strike), Tenshin (changing direction or movement) .
きほんがた
kihon gata (alt. kihongata)
(B) BUDŌ — GENERAL TERMS
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — KATA
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYLLABUS
Lit. Basic form. A basic kata used teach the foundations of a Karate style. The word Gata is a phonetic variation of Kata, because it is not correct to say Kihon Kata in Japanese.
きれい
kirei (alt. kihongata)
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYSTEM
Lit. Beautiful, pretty, clean. Kirei is the second stage of the learning process used by the Shinjinbukan School. Based on this principle, every new process MUST be learned with beauty of movement, while maintaining the other principles of the learning processs. If the body becomes stiff, then the beauty of movement could not be developed. The Kirei quality is essential to ALL BODY MOVEMENTS: basic techniques, body displacement, kata, machiwara training, etc.
See yukkuri , seikaku , hayaku , yukuri, kirei, seikaku, hayaku
こばやしりゅう
Kobayashi Ryū (alt. Kobayashi Ryuu, Kobayashi Ryu)
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — RYŪHA
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYLLABUS
Lit. The small forest style. A Shōrin Ryū lineage and the oldest style of Karate founded by Chibana Chōshin Sensei. Hence, it is referred as Chibana Ha. It is also known as Kobayashi Ryū, because Chibana Sensei used the characters 小林流, which could be pronounced either Shōrin Ryū or Kobayashi Ryū. In addition, other schools write Shōrin Ryū with different characters, which helps distinguish in between different lineages. The Shinjinbukan in one of the schools that belong to this Kobayashi Ryū lineage started by Chibana Chōshin Sensei.
See Chibana Chōshin , Shōrin Ryū (1)
FORMAT TRANSLITERATION BIBLIOGRAPHY NIHONGO KANJI GLOSSARY BACK TO TOP
こぶどう
Kobudō (alt. kobudou, kobudo)
(K) KOBUDŌ
Lit. The ancient martial way. In general, this term could apply to any ancient martial art. It is commonly used to refer to the Okinawan weapon systems, also known as Kobujutsu.
See Ryūkyū Kobudō , Okinawa Kobudō , Kobujutsu
こぶじゅつ
Kobujutsu
(K) KOBUDŌ
Lit. Ancient combat art. It is commonly used to refer to the Okinawan weapon systems, also known as Kobudō. There are two main weapon styles in Okinawa: Ryūkyū Kobudō & Okinawa Kobudō.
See Ryūkyū Kobudō , Okinawa Kobudō , Kobujutsu
こうどうかん
Kōdōkan (alt. koudoukan, kodokan)
(B) BUDŌ — GENERAL TERMS
Lit. The Hall dedicated to learn, prove and practice the principle. The birthplace of Judo founded in 1882 by Master Jigoro Kano. Today, Kodokan is the Judo World Headquarters, located in Tokyo. At age 22, Jiro Kano started Kodokan only with nine students and twelve floor mats. The training hall was located inside the Eishoji Temple. Over time, different schools of Jujutsu were integrated into Judo. See Judō , Jūjutsu
こうはい
kōhai (alt. kouhai, kohai)
(N) NIHONGO — CULTURE
(B) BUDŌ — RANKS & TITLES
Lit. Junior rank (social status at work, school or family). In Asian cultures there is sense rank structure across all aspects of society. This is quite evident in business settings, classrooms and in traditional arts. The senpai (senior) and the kōhai (junior) have clear roles and duties. This is quite evident in traditional Martial Arts schools. The senpai has a duty of guiding, teaching & leading the kōhai, while the kōhai has the duty of obeying, following & supporting the senpai. For example, the kōhai students performs most of the cleaning duties or and chores in Dōjō. In the Shinjinbukan School, the social interaction among kōhai, senpai and Sensei follows the rules of ettiquette or reigi sahō.
こころ
kokoro
(B) BUDŌ — PHILOSOPHY
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — BODY PARTS
Lit. Mind, heart, spirit.
こくつだち
kokutsu dachi
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — TACHIKATA
Lit. Mind, heart, spirit.
こきゅう
kokyū (alt. kokyuu, kokyu)
(B) BUDŌ — GENERAL TERMS
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYSTEM
Lit. Breath, respiration. See Dontohō
こきゅうほう
kokyūhō (alt. kokyuuhou, kokyuho)
(B) BUDŌ — GENERAL TERMS
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYSTEM
Lit. Breathing techniques, breath control. See Dontohō
こし
koshi (1)
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — BODY PARTS
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYSTEM
Lit. Hip. From all the Shōrin Ryū Schools, those from the Kobayashi Ryū or Chibana Ha lineage have very peculiar koshi (hips) tecniques. However, the proficiency and understanding of these techniques varies significantly from one school to another.
See koshi (2) , koshi (3)
こし
koshi (2)
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYSTEM
Lit. Hip. According to the Shinjinbukan System developed by Onaga Yoshimitsu Kaichō, the term "koshi" could be applied to several mechanisms that utilize the hip in combination with others parts of the body. These techniques are the product of an evolution within Okinawa Ti. The first obvious example is the "Koshi — Tsuki, Keri, Tenshin mechanism", by which every strike and body displacement could be generated and intricately controlled by many types of "Koshi".
See koshi (1) , koshi (3)
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こし
koshi (3)
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYSTEM
Lit. Hip. It refers to a "koshi — Core Mechanism" that integrates all the mid section of the body by generating a very unique multi-directional control of the core and its relationship to the body's center of gravity. For example, these types of koshi are quite evident during several parts of Shinjinbukan training: kakie, chishi, or hip joint warm-up exercises.
See koshi (1) , koshi (2)
ごきゅう
Ku Kyū (alt. kukyuu, kukyū, kukyu, ku-kyū)
(B) BUDŌ — RANKS & TITLES
Lit. Ninth level or rank. It refers to the ninth rank level below black belt.
くま
kuma
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYSTEM
Lit. Bear.
くみて
kumite
(B) BUDŌ — GENERAL TERMS
Lit. Sparring.
くろおび
kuro obi
(B) BUDŌ — RANKS & TITLES
Lit. Black Belt. It refers to all ranks from Sho Dan (1st Degree Black Belt) to Ju Dan (10th Degree Black Belt).
Kūsankū (alt. Kusanku)
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — KATA
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYLLABUS
A set of two Katas from the Shuri Ti tradition, practiced by all Shōrin Ryū styles and part of the Shinjinbukan curriculum: Kūsankū Dai and Kūsankū Shō. In Japanese Karate this kata is called Kanku.
See Kūsankū Dai , Kūsankū Shō
ク-サンク-ダイ
Kūsankū Dai (alt. Kuusankuu Dai, Kusanku Dai)
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — KATA
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYLLABUS
Lit. The Large Kūsankū. The "greater" of the two Kūsankū Katas from the Shuri Ti tradition, practiced by all Shōrin Ryū styles and part of the Shinjinbukan curriculum.
See Kūsankū Shō
ク-サンク-ショウ
Kūsankū Shō (alt. Kuusankuu Shou, Kusanku Sho)
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — KATA
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYLLABUS
Lit. The small Kūsankū. The "lesser" of the two Kūsankū Katas from the Shuri Ti tradition, practiced by all Shōrin Ryū styles and part of the Shinjinbukan curriculum.
See Kūsankū Dai
きょうし
Kyōshi (alt. kyoushi, kyoshi)
(B) BUDŌ — RANKS & TITLES
Lit. A refined, polished samurai teacher. Nowadays, Japanese traditional martial arts use the titles Renshi, Kyōshi & Hanshi, which are equivalent to senior instructor ranks. These tittles were first used by the Samurai warrior. Kyōshi is the second highest of the three instructor ranks. It is usually held by a Nana Dan (7th Dan) or a Hachi Dan (8th Dan).
See Renshi , Hanshi , Nana Dan
きゅう
kyū (1) (alt. kyuu, kyu)
(B) BUDŌ — RANKS & TITLES
Lit. Rank. It refers to all the junior ranks below black belt. There are 10 kyū ranks, which start from 10th kyū all the way up to 1st kyū. Each school of martial art has a different convention on which color belt is assigned to a each kyū rank. However, the concept of having ten junior ranks below black belt is consistent in most martial arts, regardless of the color of the belts that correspond to each junior rank.
See Renshi , Hanshi
FORMAT TRANSLITERATION BIBLIOGRAPHY NIHONGO KANJI GLOSSARY BACK TO TOP
きゅう
kyū (2) (alt. kyuu, kyu)
(N) NIHONGO — BASICS
Lit. Number nine. The pronunciation of the character changes from kyu to ku on a case-by-case basis.
きゅうだん
Kyū Dan (alt. kyuudan, kyūdan, kyudan, kyu-dan)
(B) BUDŌ — RANKS & TITLES
Lit. Ninth level or rank. It refers to the rank of ninth degree black belt.
See Hanshi
きゅうどうかん
Kyūdōkan (alt. Kyuudoukan, Kyudokan)
(K) OKINAWA KARATE DŌ — RYŪHA
Lit. The hall for the research of the way. A Shōrin Ryū School founded by Higa Yuchoku Dai Sensei.
See Higa Yūchoku
きゅうしん
kyūshin (alt. kyuushin, kyushin)
(S) SHINJINBUKAN — SYSTEM
Lit. Centripetal. An object in circular motion requires a constant force pushing it toward the center of its circular path. This force is called the centripetal or center seeking force. As reaction, a centrifugal or center fleeing force is generated during circular motion. These two forces are equal in strength, but opposite in direction. Only the centripetal force acts directly on the moving object. However, the centrifugal force acts only on the source of the centripetal force. All fighting techniques require the use of body movement. The study of Ti deals with circular motion which requires the understanding of balance against unbalance, action against reaction, or centripetal against centrifugal forces.
See enshin , chūshin , antei
