GLOSSARY M - Z
By Joe Maurantonio
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| M | *** |
| ma ai | distancing; correct distance |
| mae | front |
| mae geri | front kick |
| maki | volume, book, twirling; rolled |
| makimono | scroll |
| makiwari | striking board |
| manrikigusari | ten thousand power chain; weighted chain |
| marishiten | buddhist warrior goddess |
| mata | crotch, thigh, groin |
| matte | stop |
| mawashi | to rotate |
| me | eye |
| men | head; all parts of the head, the face |
| men uchi | a strike to the head |
| menkyo | license or certificate |
| menkyo kaiden | license of complete transmission |
| metsubushi | eye blinding powder, smoke, sand, pepper, etc. |
| metsuke | focal point |
| mi | body; person |
| migi | right |
| mikkyo | esoteric buddhism |
| mimi | ear |
| moguri | sinking (ducking) |
| mokuroku | catalog of techniques; transmission scroll or license |
| morote dori | two-hand grab (two hands on one) |
| mu | mist, fog |
| mudansha | below black belt level |
| muga | selflessness |
| mune | chest |
| munedori | lapel grab |
| munen muso | no desires, no thoughts |
| musan | scattering fog |
| musha | warrior |
| musha shugo | warrior quest |
| mushin | mind to mind; conscious but without thought |
| muso | without thought |
| muto | no sword |
| muto dori | unarmed against a sword |
| mutodori | unarmed against a sword |
| N | *** |
| nagamaki | sword blade attached to a pole; (naginata) halberd variation |
| nagare | flowing |
| nagashi | receiving flow; parry; deflect |
| nage | to throw |
| nage waza | throwing techniques |
| naginata | long pole with curved blade; halberd |
| naname | diagonal |
| nashi | none |
| neko no me no jutsu | skill, or knowledge of the cats eyes (ninja code) |
| nekote | finger tip weapons of steel for kunoichi |
| ni | two |
| nidan geri | double kick |
| nin | perseverance |
| ningu | ninja tools |
| ninja juhakkei | eighteen skills of the ninja |
| ninja no hachimon | eight fields of knowledge |
| ninjato | straight-bladed sword of the ninja |
| nito | two swords |
| no | of (posessive article) |
| nuki ashi | sweeping step ninja use in walking |
| O | *** |
| o | large, big, great |
| o dachi | great sword, four to five feet in blade length |
| obi | belt or sash |
| okuden | hidden teachings |
| okuri ashi | sliding footwork |
| omote | outside, front, apparent, concepts easily understood |
| oni | devil, demon, monster |
| onshinjutsu | art of invisibility |
| ori | to break, fold |
| osae | to press down |
| osoto nage | major outer throw |
| otoshi | to drop |
| otoshi uke | dropping block |
| oyagoroshi | killing the parent |
| P | *** |
| po | direction, way; side |
| R | *** |
| rai | thunder |
| randori | freestyle practice, (a method of sparring) |
| ransetsu | blizzard |
| rei | bow, salute |
| ritsu rei | standing bow |
| roku | six |
| rokushakubo | a six foot staff (also bo) |
| ronin | wave man; warrior unattached to a feudal lord |
| ryaku | abridgment; outline; strategy |
| ryo | both; two |
| ryote | two-handed |
| ryotedori | two-hand grab (hand to hand) |
| ryu | dragon; flowing; school, tradition; family; a style |
| ryuha | style, school of a certain art |
| S | *** |
| sabaki | evasion, footwork |
| samurai (see bushi) | japanese warrior |
| san | three |
| sanjaku tenugi | three foot hand towel |
| sanshaku bo | three-foot stick (also hanbo) |
| sanshin no kata | movement form, (with much depth) |
| saya | japanese sword scabbard |
| seiken | forefist |
| seiza | seated posture, correct sitting |
| sempai | any student senior to another |
| sen no sen (also tai no tai) | taking the initiative |
| senban nage | techniques for throwing star |
| sennin | mystic |
| sensei | one who was born before; teacher or instructor |
| sensen no sen | pre-active, preemptive initiative |
| setsu | snow |
| shaken | throwing stars |
| shako ken | claw and palm strike |
| shi | finger |
| shi | four |
| shiai | matches or contests |
| shibari | to tie |
| shibumi | elegance |
| shichi | seven |
| shidoshi | teacher of the warrior way; godan or higher |
| shidoshi-ho | assistant teacher of the warrior way |
| shihan | honorary title of master teacher; hachidan and above |
| shiho nage | four-corner directional throw |
| shiho wari | breaking boards on four side to test power |
| shikan ken | extended knuckle fist |
| shikko | the method of walking on one's knees |
| shikomi zue | a walkinging stick with hidden weapon |
| shime | to choke, constrict, tighten |
| shime waza | constricting techniques, choke holds |
| shin | heart, mind, spirit |
| shinai | practice sword made of split bamboo |
| shinken | live blade, a real sword, also refers to real combat |
| shinken gata | real fighting form or feeling |
| shinobi | used to refer to agents of espionage |
| shinobi | see shinobi |
| shinobi aruki | ninja walking |
| shinobi ho | the art of stealth |
| shinobi no juhappan | eighteen ninja skills |
| shinobi no mono | shadow warriors |
| shinobi shozoku | ninja costume |
| shinobi tanto | ninja knife |
| shinobi waza | the art of stealth |
| shinobi zue | staffs and canes of varying sizes |
| shinobigatana | short straight ninja sword |
| shinodake | thin bamboo under water breathing tube |
| shintai | body movement |
| shishin ken | finger needle strike |
| shitan ken | thumb pressure strike |
| shizen | natural |
| shizen ken | the body as a natural weapon |
| shizen tai | natural body posture |
| shoden | basic level |
| shomen | the front |
| shomen uchi | forehead strike |
| shoten no jutsu | climbing to the heavens (vertical climbing) |
| shoto | short sword |
| shu | hand; arm |
| shugyo | austere training |
| shuko | hand claws (also called 'tekagi') |
| shuriken | throwing blades, throwing stars |
| shurikenjutsu | techniques of throwing darts; throwing blade art |
| shuto | knifehand |
| sode | sleeve |
| sodedori | sleeve grab (at the elbow) |
| sojutsu | spear arts |
| soke | head of family; grandmaster |
| sokugyaku | ball of foot kick |
| sokuho kaiten | sideways roll |
| sokuho tobi | sideways leap |
| sokushi ken | toe kick |
| sokuto geri- foot edge kick | |
| sokuyaku | foot strike |
| soto | outer |
| sui | water |
| suihei | horizontal |
| suiren | water training |
| suki | a momentary opening in guard; opening |
| sutemi | sacrifice techniques, giving up balance to control opponent |
| sutemi waza | sacrifice technique |
| suwari waza | seated techniques |
| T | *** |
| tabi | traditional footwear of the japanese |
| tachi | japanese sword; can be a general term or |
| tachi | long sword, a longer version of the katana. worn hanging from the belt edge down |
| tai | large, big, great; the body |
| tai kai | lit. great party; annual seminar given by dr. hatsumi |
| tai sabaki | body evasion; natural movements for evading attacks |
| taihenjutsu | body change arts; rolling, leaping, silent movement, tumbling, breakfalls |
| taijutsu | body techniques, unarmed combat methods |
| taikyoku | first cause |
| taisabaki | (see tai sabaki) |
| taiso | flexibility exercise; stretches |
| takagi | tall tree, large tree |
| take | bamboo |
| taki | waterfall |
| tameshigeri | test cutting with the sword |
| tameshiwari | tile/board breaking |
| tanden | the abdomen; center of ki |
| tanto | knife; dagger; dirk |
| taoshi | to throw down |
| tatami | straw mat |
| tate | erect; standing |
| tatsujin | fully, developed, enlightened human being |
| te | hand; arm |
| tekagi | iron hand claws (see shuko) |
| tekubi | wrist |
| ten | heaven, sky; top |
| ten chi jin ryaku no maki | heaven, earth, and man strategy scroll |
| ten ryaku no maki | heaven strategy scroll |
| tenkan | turning |
| tessen | iron fan |
| tessenjutsu | iron fan techniques |
| tetsu | iron |
| tetsubushi | caltrops |
| to | and, door, drop, fell; gain an overpowering will; head; sword |
| tobi | leaping and jumping skills |
| tobi keri | leaping kick |
| toki | top of foot |
| tomoe | large comma, comma-like pattern |
| tomoe nage | throwing in a big circle |
| tori | to seize, catch; the one applying the technique |
| torite | arrest techniques |
| totoku hiyashi | avoiding shuriken blades |
| tsuba | sword guard (hilt) |
| tsuke | punch |
| tsuke waza | punching techniques |
| tsuki | to thrust, to attach, fix |
| U | *** |
| uchi | inside, to attack, defeat, destroy, conquer, strike |
| uchi gake | throwing down by leg work |
| uchi gari | inner reaping-throw |
| uchi mata | inner thigh |
| uchi uke | inside block |
| uchi waza | striking techniques |
| ude | arm |
| ude garami | coiling armbar/figure four shoulder lock |
| ude uke | forearm block |
| uke | receive; one who receives the technique |
| uke nagashi | receiving the attack; receiving flow |
| ukemi | receiving; receiving techniques in kata; breakfalls |
| ura | inside, back, hidden; concepts that are not obvious |
| uraken | backfist |
| ushiro | rear, back |
| ushiro geri | back kick |
| uwagi | jacket worn for martial arts training |
| W | *** |
| wake gatami | elbow lock |
| wakizashi | short sword |
| wapen | patch |
| washide | eagle hand |
| waza | technique, ability, skill |
| Y | *** |
| ya | arrow |
| yamabushi | mountain warriors priests |
| yari | spear |
| yawara | term for jujutsu; short wooden stick |
| yo | hard, positive, light, male (yang) |
| yoko | side; sideways |
| yoko aruki | sideways walking |
| yoko geri | side kick |
| yokoha | the hook of a jutte |
| yokomen | the side of the head |
| yokomen uchi | lateral strike to head |
| yokomen uchi | strike to side of head |
| yoriki | tokugawa period law enforcement official |
| yoroi | a suit of armor |
| yoroi kumiuchi | battlefield grappling in armor |
| yoroidoshi | dagger-like thrusting blade for use against armor |
| yoshin | raising spirit, raising heart |
| yubi | finger |
| yudansha | those holding black belt rank |
| yumi | japanese archery; bow |
| Z | *** |
| zanshin | increased awareness of events in a fight |
| zarei | kneeing salutation (bow) |
| zenpo | forward, front direction |
| zenpo geri | forward stomp kick |
| zenpo kaiten | forward roll |
| zeoi | to carry on one's back (see seoi) |
| zubon | trousers |
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