Terms |
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| Samurai |
| A class of warriors that existed in old Japan. Consisted of about 2 million or 3% of total population. Read more about samurai or samurai history. |
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| Tachi koshirae |
| Wearing method of swords. The sword is hung from a belt with the cutting edge facing down |
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| Katana koshira |
| Wearing method of swords. The sword is hung from a belt with the cutting edge facing up |
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| Hoshi |
| Means "star" |
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| Jo-ko-gatana |
| "Sword of the ancestor" |
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| Seppuku |
A form of ritual suicide. Read more about seppuku.
Literally means stomach-cutting. |
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| Ninja |
| A group of men or women who were specially trained for espionage and assassination. They were usually from lower classed, and used by the daimyo to assassinate enemies and penetrate enemy fortresses |
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| Ronin |
| During the Tokugawa period, that title was given to samurai who did not serve a any master, either because the master had died or because his lands had been confiscated. A number of these ronin became martial arts teachers or began some other job which was compatible with their samurai status (e.g. bodyguards). |
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