by Alex Kerr
Glossary
bonkei – art form involving the creation of a miniature landscape on a tray
danmari – ‘pantomime’ scene in Kabuki during which the actors move in slow motion as if in darkness, oblivious to each other’s presence
fukusa – silk cloth used by tea masters to wipe utensils during tea ceremony
fusuma – sliding paper doors used to divide the open space of a house into rooms and corridors; both sides of the framework are covered with several layers of strong paper, making them heavier than shoji
geisha – (lit. ‘person of the arts’) professional female entertainer or companion
genkan – (lit. ‘hidden barrier’) entranceway or foyer; shoes are left here on entering a house
geta – traditional wooden clogs
giri-ninjo – conflict between love and duty, the subject of many Kabuki plays
goma – symbolic geometrical arrangement of ritual utensils placed on a table before the altar in Esoteric Buddhist temples
haboku – ink-painting style, known as ‘splashed ink’, which features the sparse use of ink and highly abstract compositions
haiku – seventeen-syllable poem
hakama – loose trousers worn by men with kimono
hanamichi – (lit. ‘flower path’) walkway which is separated from the main stage in Kabuki and used as a dramatic device
hibutsu – (lit. ‘hidden Buddha’) important Buddha figures which are hidden from view and only rarely displayed
hiragana – cursive script used to transcribe syllabic Japanese
hogai – scholar or artist who works outside official systems
hossu – fly whisk, an ancient symbol of seidan, used to ‘brush away the flies of care’
ikebana – traditional art of flower arrangement
Kabuki – form of traditional Japanese theater characterized by elaborate costumes, stylized acting and the use of male actors for all roles
kai – special gathering for cultural (e.g. an ikebana display) or commercial (e.g. an auction) reasons
kang – large Chinese sofa
kanji – Chinese calligraphic characters used in Japanese script
kaomise – (lit. ‘face showing’) performance of Kabuki held in Kyoto in December, featuring leading Kabuki actors
karayo – ‘Chinese-style’ calligraphy; see also wayo
kaso – phenomenon of depopulation of rural areas
kata – characteristic ‘forms’ of movement in Kabuki; distinctive patterns in the traditional arts
katakana – script used primarily to transcribe foreign words into syllabic Japanese
katsu – meaningless shout, used in Zen to shock or surprise and thereby lead to enlightenment
kaya – see susuki
keaki – (zelkova) a precious wood
keren – crowd-pleasing acrobatic tricks in Kabuki
kiseru – long, silver tobacco pipe, often used in Kabuki
koan – illogical Zen Buddhist riddle, used as a meditational tool to achieve enlightenment
koto – thirteen-stringed musical instrument
kuge – Kyoto’s highly cultured court nobles of old, descended from the Heian-period’s Fujiwara family and having semi-Imperial status
kura – storehouse, traditionally used to store furniture and decorations
kuroko – Kabuki’s black-clad stage attendants who are supposedly invisible to the audience
kuruwa – enclosures or walled areas within a city, which were inhabited by courtesans
ma – distinctive, spatial rhythm featured in traditional Japanese music; rests between notes
machiya – town house
matcha – Japanese-style tea ceremony
men – (lit. ‘face’) front of an object
mu – concept of ‘nothingness’ which lies at the core of Zen
nageire – style of ikebana known as ‘thrown flowers’, in which flowers are dropped into a basket or vase
natsume – lacquered tea caddy used in tea ceremony
oku no in – inner sanctuary of a temple complex
onnagata – male actors who play women’s roles in Kabuki
pachinko – gambling game played on a vertical pinball machines
pai-lou – multi-tiered decorative gates of China; in Japan, found only in Chinese-influenced temples such as Manpuku-ji Temple in Kyoto
samisen – three-stringed musical instrument
saniwa – cleared area of raked sand, used in ancient times to stage divinations and the judgment of criminals, from which the Zen raked-sand gardens originated
seidan – term originating in fourth-century Taoist gatherings: the art of ‘pure conversation’
seiza – the position of sitting on one’s knees required on formal occasions and in many traditional arts, such as tea ceremony and sometimes calligraphy
sencha – Chinese-style tea ceremony
shikishi – square calligraphic plaque
shino – type of thatch, cut in spring after the leaves have fallen from the stalk
Shinto – polytheistic indigenous religion of Japan
shoji – sliding paper doors constructed from a wooden framework, covered on one side with a sheet of paper; see fusuma
sudare – bamboo blinds
suki – playful architectural style which focuses on details, strongly influenced by tea ceremony
susuki – long grass with blade-like leaves which, when cut and bound, is known as kaya and is used as roofing thatch; the grass appears in scrolls and poems as ‘autumn grass’
tanzaku – rectangular calligraphic plaque
tatami – woven floor matting, used as a unit of room measurement
tatebana – formal style of ikebana known as ‘standing flowers’
tokonoma – decorative alcove found in most Japanese homes in which flowers, a scroll or other artworks may be displayed
torii – entrance gate to a shrine
tsubo – traditional unit of land measurement in Japan, defined as one square bay or two tatami mats (3.3 m2)
tsuka – mound; at Fushimi-inari Grand Shrine in Kyoto, the word is used to denote collections of small altars or mounds bearing symbolic artifacts
tsutsumi – shoulder drum
ubu – (lit. ‘infant’) objects which appear at auction for the first time after having been stored in the kura for decades
wabi – (lit. ‘worn’ or ‘humble’) emphasis on simplicity and humble, natural materials; first incorporated into tea ceremony, wabi has come to symbolize all that is unostentatious in the traditional arts
waka – thirty-one-syllable poem
wayo – ‘Japanese-style’ calligraphy originating in the Heian period, which the kuge developed into a range of delicate and flowing styles; the term is used in contrast to karayo – ‘Chinese-style’ calligraphy – the more rigorous and individualistic form favored by monks and the literati
yago – actor’s ‘house name’, which is shouted by members of the audience at dramatic moments during a Kabuki play
yobai – (lit. ‘night crawling’) pattern of courtship in rural areas, now rare, where the male enters his chosen partner’s house at night to sleep with her; if all goes well, the process results in a marriage
yukata – summer-weight cotton kimono
Zen – Japanese school of Buddhism, introduced in the twelfth century from China, which teaches the achievement of enlightenment through inner contemplation
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First published by Lonely Planet Publications 1996
Published with a new Preface in Penguin Books 2015
Text copyright © Alex Kerr, 1993
Adapted from Utsukushiki Nippon no Zanzo (Shincho-sha, Tokyo, 1993) copyright © Alex Kerr, 1996, 2015
Calligraphies © Alex Kerr, 2015
Cover from University of California, Berkeley.
Calligraphy by Alex Kerr
The moral right of the author has been asserted
ISBN: 978-0-141-97975-5
