Relating to, based on, or tracing ancestral descent through the maternal line.
Having thin lines or bands.
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.
A Japanese warrior who was a member of the feudal military aristocracy.
A system of written symbols representing the sounds of syllables, rather than individual consonants and vowels.
The government, rule, or office of a shogun.
A very small blade made of flaked stone and used as a tool, especially in the Mesolithic era.
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.
The chief military official of Japan. The office was hereditary under the Tokugawa family from 1603 until 1867.
Japan's indigenous religion, which emphasizes reverence for nature and the importance of "vitality".
Korean phonetic script, introduced in the middle of the fifteenth century.