Amaterasu the Shintō ‘Sun-Goddess’ ankokuji temples for the war dead bosatsu a bodhisattva; one who is dedicated to assisting all sentient
beings achieve complete Buddhahood bushidō the way of the warrior butsudan family Buddhist altar chadō the way of tea ch loyalty daimyō warlord Dainichi the ‘great’ or ‘central’ Buddha danka temple registration system under the Tokugawa dog clay figures of females dating from the Jōmon Period dōtaku bronze bell-shaped artefacts dating from the Yayoi Period eboshi a cap worn by courtiers and samurai feng shui Chinese geomancy Four Noble Truths the fundamental insight or enlightenment of Buddha, relating to the existence of suffering and its cessation fumi-e image trampling to reveal secret Christians goryō shinkō vengeful spirits goshintai the object that houses a kami in a shrine gunkimono war tales Hachiman the Shintō god of war hondō the main hall of a Buddhist temple hongan original vow of Amida Buddha honji suijaku theory that Buddha manifested himself as the kami ihai memorial tablet jing-ji shrine/temple complex jinja a Shintō shrine junshi following in death by suicide kaihyōgō ‘marathon’ pilgrimage on Mount Hiei Kakure Kirishitan Hidden Christians kami gods of Shintō kami kaze divine wind kamidana god shelf in the home kannushi a Shintō priest kare-sansui dry landscape garden kata style or form kengō master swordsman Kirishitan Christian of the 16th century kō filial piety kōan theme or problem in Zen kofun large burial mounds kokugaku national learning kydō Japanese archery mandala artistic presentation of Buddhism mappō age of descent into chaos matsuri Shintō shrine festival mikkyō esoteric Buddhism mikoshi portable shrine monto disciple or believer mujō impermanence of all phenomena musha shgyō warrior pilgrimage nembutsu invoking Amida’s name in prayer norito Shintō prayers onryō angry ghost rōnin masterless samurai sabi appreciation of that which is old, faded and rustic senpuku Kirishitan secret Christians under the Tokugawa seppuku suicide by disembowelment (hara kiri) shaku the wooden wand carried by Shintō priests shikken regency shimenawa the rope used to enclose sacred spaces in Shintō shintai same as goshintai Shintō religious system concerned with the worship of kami Shogun the military dictator of Japan from 1192 to 1868 shōji sliding paper screens sōhei warrior monk or priest soldier sutra Buddhist scriptures Taoism a belief system formulated in China by Laozi in the 5th century BC torii shrine gateway in the shape of the Greek letter ‘pi’ ujiko shrine adherents wabi quietness and tranquillity yamabushi mountain ascetic yamato damashii spirit of Japan ygen mystery zazen sitting in meditation
First published in Great Britain in 2006 by Osprey Publishing,
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Print ISBN-10: 1-84603-021-8
Print ISBN-13: 978-1-84603-021-5
PDF ebook ISBN: 978-1-84908-999-9
ePub ebook ISBN: 978-1-84908-994-4
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Front cover: Yamaji Masakuni (1546–83), who was killed at the battle of Shizugatake by Katō Kiyomasa, shown here in a fight with an invisible opponent. Although the perfect embodiment of the samurai image, he also resembles the guardian Niō statues in a gateway to a Buddhist temple, or an actor in a Noh play frozen in motion for an expressive moment. The inclusion of a branch of flowering azalea makes a connection between the ruthlessness and the delicacy of the samurai’s life.
Dedication:
This book is an engagement present for my dear daughter Katy and her fiancé Richard Robinson.
Editor’s note: All photographs including the front and back cover images are from the author’s collection.
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