The chief military official of Japan. The office was hereditary under the Tokugawa family from 1603 until 1867.
Korean phonetic script, introduced in the middle of the fifteenth century.
A system of written symbols representing the sounds of syllables, rather than individual consonants and vowels.
Having thin lines or bands.
The government, rule, or office of a shogun.
School of Buddhism in which adherents follow an experienced master and seek to achieve satori, a flash of enlightenment signaling the recovery of one's Buddha nature.
In linguistics, the family of languages descended from that spoken by inhabitants of the region of the Altai Mountains in central Asia. Examples include the Turkish languages, Mongolian, and Manchu.
Amount negotiated between the family of the groom and the family of the bride to be paid by the former to the latter in some marriage traditions, as compensation for the loss of her labor.
Japan's indigenous religion, which emphasizes reverence for nature and the importance of "vitality".
Traditional alcoholic drink brewed from rice.
A Japanese warrior who was a member of the feudal military aristocracy.
A very small blade made of flaked stone and used as a tool, especially in the Mesolithic era.