Frequently Asked (823) — page 6

ShintoEssential saisen賽銭the offering you throw in

Work CultureEssential otsukaresamaお疲れさまthe all-purpose word for acknowledging someone's work

Work CultureEssential zangyo残業working overtime

Work CultureEssential yakushoku de yobu役職で呼ぶaddressing colleagues by their job title

ArtsStandard koto琴the thirteen-stringed Japanese zither

ArtsStandard mie見得the frozen dramatic pose in kabuki

ArtsStandard karesansui枯山水the dry landscape garden

ArtsStandard shamisen三味線the three-stringed instrument played with a large plectrum

ArtsStandard shishimai獅子舞the lion dance that bites your head for luck

ArtsStandard shogi将棋Japanese chess

ArtsStandard senryu川柳the comic cousin of haiku, about people rather than nature

ArtsStandard choju giga鳥獣戯画the twelfth-century animal scrolls often called Japan's first manga

ArtsStandard Hyakunin Isshu百人一首a hundred poems and the card game

ArtsStandard rakugo落語solo comic storytelling

BuddhismStandard Ojizo-sanお地蔵さんthe roadside guardian of children

BuddhismStandard ofuseお布施the money offered to a priest, with no stated price

BuddhismStandard ihai位牌a Buddhist memorial tablet with the name of someone who has died

BuddhismStandard Kannon観音the bodhisattva of compassion

BuddhismStandard gokuraku and jigoku極楽と地獄the Pure Land and the hells in Japanese Buddhism

BuddhismStandard kesa袈裟the rectangular robe a Buddhist monk wears over the shoulder

BuddhismStandard zazen座禅seated Zen meditation

BuddhismStandard shukubo宿坊temple lodging where guests stay with the monks

BuddhismStandard joya no kane除夜の鐘the 108 bells on New Year's Eve

BuddhismStandard juzu数珠Buddhist prayer beads

BuddhismStandard senko線香incense sticks for the dead

BuddhismStandard soryo僧侶Buddhist priests in Japan, who may marry and inherit a temple

BuddhismStandard takuhatsu托鉢the walking alms round of a Buddhist monk

BuddhismStandard danka banare檀家離れthe modern trend of families cutting formal ties to their household's Buddhist temple

BuddhismStandard tomyo to kenka灯明と献花why people light a candle and set out flowers at a grave or altar

BuddhismStandard namu amida butsu to namu myoho renge kyo南無阿弥陀仏と南無妙法蓮華経the two most common chanted phrases in Japanese Buddhism, and why they differ by school

BuddhismStandard butsudan仏壇the Buddhist altar in a Japanese home

BuddhismStandard mokugyo木魚a hollow wooden drum shaped like a fish, struck during sutra chanting

BuddhismStandard bonsho梵鐘the temple bell struck from the outside

Martial ArtsStandard ekiden駅伝long-distance relay running

Martial ArtsStandard enbu演武a martial arts demonstration performed instead of a match

Martial ArtsStandard yokozuna横綱the highest rank in sumo

Martial ArtsStandard yumitori shiki弓取り式the bow-twirling ceremony in sumo

Martial ArtsStandard karate空手the striking martial art from Okinawa

Martial ArtsStandard kentaikai to zenkoku taikai県大会と全国大会the ladder of local, prefectural, and national school tournaments

Martial ArtsStandard koko yakyu to Koshien高校野球と甲子園the national high school baseball tournament

Martial ArtsStandard aikido合気道a martial art without contests

Martial ArtsStandard kuroobi to dan'i黒帯と段位the ranking system in Japanese arts

Martial ArtsStandard zanshin残心staying alert and ready in the instant after a technique lands

Martial ArtsStandard shiko四股the sumo leg-raising movement, done as training and as a rite

Martial ArtsStandard ukemi受け身the breakfall technique that lets you get thrown without getting hurt

Martial ArtsStandard jujutsu柔術the old Japanese grappling arts that judo grew out of

Martial ArtsStandard Shorinji Kempo少林寺拳法a Japanese martial art founded in 1947, different from Chinese Shaolin kung fu

Martial ArtsStandard seiza and mokuso正座と黙想kneeling and the short silent sitting at the start and end of practice

Martial ArtsStandard shomen ni rei正面に礼bowing to the front wall of the training hall

Martial ArtsStandard senshuraku千秋楽the final day of a sumo tournament or a stage run

Martial ArtsStandard suburi素振りswinging a weapon or bat with no opponent or ball

Martial ArtsStandard kumite組手sparring with a partner in karate

Martial ArtsStandard sumo beya相撲部屋the stable where wrestlers live

Martial ArtsStandard oicho大銀杏the ginkgo-leaf-shaped topknot only sumo wrestlers ranked juryo and above are allowed to wear

Martial ArtsStandard honbasho大相撲の本場所the six official grand sumo tournaments held each year

Martial ArtsStandard shinai and bogu竹刀と防具the bamboo sword and protective armor used in kendo

Martial ArtsStandard dohyo-iri土俵入りthe ring-entering ceremony performed by top sumo wrestlers before their bouts

Martial ArtsStandard monoii物言いa challenge to the referee's call in sumo

Martial ArtsStandard bokuto木刀a wooden sword used for practice

Martial ArtsStandard randori乱取りfree practice in judo