Japanese Terms Used in Judo

[Abbax8]

Here is a list of terms used in Judo. It is not comprehensive and others are free to add to it.

Atemi - to hit or strike
Bogyo - defense
Bushido - the Way of the Warrior
Chi kara - strength or power
Dan - black belt
De - advance
Do - way
Dojo - practice hall
Eri - lapel or collar
Gake - hook
Gari - reap
Guruma - wheel
Gyaku - reverse
Ha - wing
Hadaka - Naked
Hane - spring
Happo No Kuzushi - 8 directions of balance
Harai - sweep
Hidari - left
Hikite - pull (usually refers to pulling the sleeve)
Hon - basic
Jime - strangle
Jita Kyoei - Mutual Welfare and Benefit (You and Me Shining Together)
Ju - principle of gentleness or giing way
Judo - Gentle Way
Judoka - judo student
Joseki - place of honor for higher ranks
Kaeshi - counter technique
Kake - execution of the throw
Kappo - methods of resucitation
Kata - forms of practice
Katame/Gatame - hold
Kesa - scarf
Ki - spirit
Kiai - a shout with commitment
Ko - little
Komi - pull
Kodokan - place for learning the Way. The mother school of Kodokan Judo as systemtized by Dr. Jigaro Kano.
Kuzure - modified
Kuzushi - balance ( as in ways of breaking balance)
Ma - in front of
Maia - distance, space between opponents
Migi - right
Nage - throw
Nami - normal
O - Big or major
Okuri - to slide
Otoshi - drop
Rei - bow
Ryu - school (literally stream/flow)
Sasae - prop
Sensei - teacher
Seoi - to carry on the back
Shiai - contest
Shihan - Master teacher
Shime - to strangle
Shisei - posture
Sode - sleeve
Soto - Outside
Sukui - to scoop
Sumi - corner
Sutemi - Sacrifice
Tai - Body
Tai Sabaki - body movement
Tani - valley
Tate - vertical
Tomoe - to turn over (circle)
Tori - the one who does the technique
Tsukuri - entering into the techique
Tsuri - lift
Uchi - inner
Uke - receiver of the technique
Ukemi - method of falling
Uki - to float
Ushiro - rear
Utsuri - to shift or change
Wakare - to separate
Waza - technique

I invite others to add to or correct any errors contained herein.

Peace

Dennis

[Rich]

"A" few more:-

Afuri - To cause movement and loss of balance by moving ukes upper body
Aite wo seisu - Control of your opponantthrough skillful use of grips or mat techniques
Aite wo soncho suru - To respect ones partner (through proper salutations
Aiyotsu - Facing your opponant in a matched stance (both right or both left)
Aizu - Referees signal or gesture
Aka tepu - Red tape on the mat (right side when facing the front) indicating the starting position for the competitor designated to wear red obi
Anzen chitai - Safety zone. Tatami rea outside the red tatami extending at least three meters.
Aomuke - Supine position. To lay face up on the mat.
Ashi garame - Leg entanglement. Leg lock applied from the ground using your left leg to wrap around ukes right leg. Prohibited in shiai.
Ashi gatame - Arm lock applied using your leg when uke is face down. Technique favoured by the legendary judoka Yasuhiro Yamashita who through seven years of senior level competition never lost a fight and remained unbeaten.
Ashi guruma - Leg wheel. Applied by unbalancing uke to his front or front right corner, pivoting left and extending the back of your lower right leg across ukes right knee. Uke is thrown over the leg in a large circle.
Ashi waza - Foot techniques
Awasete ippon - Combined full point. Ippon awarded for two waza-ari scores.
Awase waza - When a combination of two waza ari have been judged to constitute an ippon
Ayumi ashi - Natural walking style. Advancing or retreating by stepping with the left then right foot as in normal walking.

For a comprehensive list of terminology from A to Z see Kodokan New Japanese-English Dictionary of Judo by Naoki Murata 7th Dan Curator of the Kodokan Judo Museum from which the "A" list above was compiled. (Any mistakes were mine).

Richard:bow:

[GeeBee]

Holy smoke! Dennis, is there going to be a test? :wink2:

アイ跳ね返り利益

[Rich]

"B" informed - and get Kodokan New Japanese-English Dictionary of Judo!

Batsugan sokujitsu shodan - instant promotion by preeminance. On the spot promotion unique to the red and white tournament (kohaku shiai) held at the Kodokan in the spring and autumn. To qualify a competitor must score a certain number of ippon points throughout several matches, with the specific number of these points determined by the ranks of his or her opponants.

Bi raisensu shinpan-in - (B licensed referee). Classification providing qualification to referee at regional-level competitions.

Bogyo shisei - Defensive posture. Posture used to defend against an opponants attack. Same as jigotai.

Budo - Martial way. General term for the various martial "ways" pursued by the traditional Japanese warrior, generally involving the pursuit of spme kind of combative system or technique combined with a study of the precepts of bushido. The word budo became a generally applied term with the establishment of the Dai Nihon Butokukai (The Great Japan Martial Virtue Society) budo academy in 1919, and continues to be used as a general term for martial ways such as judo, kendo, kyudo and others.

Bugi - Martial techniques. Combative skills and techniques used to defend oneself and defeat or kill ones opponants. See also bujutsu.

Bujutsu - Martial skills. Techniques used in war and other combative situations to defend onesself and/or defeat or kill ones opponants, including the use of archery, swordsmanship, spearmanship, gunnery and grappling and other empty-handed techniques, as well as related skills such as horsemanship, swimming etc.

Bushido - The way of the warrior. The moral and ethical code of the bushi or samurai, Japans traditional warrior class. Originally consisting of values such as loyalty and service to ones lord, a strong sense of personal honour and duty, and martial bravery. In the Edo period (1603 - 1868) bushido maintained these but also turned to emphasise the role of the samurai as statesmen capable of exercising political administration and leadership based on virtues such as moral uprightness, loyalty and filial piety and wisdom.


This list is based on the Kodokan New Japanese-English Dictionary of Judo by Naoki Murata 7th Dan Curator of the Kodokan Museum. I have made some changes and so any mistakes are mine.

Richard:bow:

[Matthew Jones]

Jigoku-Shime

Hell Strangle

[Abbax8]

Holy smoke! Dennis, is there going to be a test? :wink2:

アイ跳ね返り利益

Yes!

Peace

Dennis

[David Craik]

A 'kesa' is a robe, not a scarf. The only word I know for scarf is the loan word 'sukafu'.

'Ma' is actually space. Mae is 'in front of'.

'Maai' is the distance between opponents (this was probably just a typo)

'Bugei' - Martial techniques.


Great list though!

[starkjudo]

A 'kesa' is a robe, not a scarf. The only word I know for scarf is the loan word 'sukafu'.


David, kesa may not be accurate, but it predominates in all the judo books I own. kesa gatame = scarf hold.

[Abbax8]

A 'kesa' is a robe, not a scarf. The only word I know for scarf is the loan word 'sukafu'.

'Ma' is actually space. Mae is 'in front of'.

'Maai' is the distance between opponents (this was probably just a typo)

'Bugei' - Martial techniques.


Great list though!

The words and their definitions are from the judo books I own. I am open to any corrections others wish to give. I have never been to Japan and do not speak japanese. My use of it in class is from what I have gathered over the years.

Peace

Dennis

[GeeBee]

Dennis,

As I'm sure you know, I was only teasing about the test.

From the excellent advice you have given me before you know I am
a new white belt. I gratefully appreciate you localizing this vocabulary list!

Thanks,
GB

[Jeff C.]

The only one I can offer right now in my rather fatigued state is "oww" - the sound I make when I hit the mat with lousy ukemi. Sort of a multi-language term, I guess.

Seriously, to add to what David said about "maai" - the term also implies rhythm and timing in relation to the relative distance between opponents.

To add to Dennis' list, "kata" also means "shoulder," as in "kata mawashi" (shoulder-turning), "kata guruma" (shoulder wheel), "kata gatame" (shoulder hold-down), etc. "Kuzushi" would be "taking the balance."

I would also like to add "uchikomi," or the older, out-of-date term "butsukari" - "crashing in."

Makikomi - winding
Sangaku - triangle

More later, after some sleep.

Jeff Cook

[Rich]

'Ma' is actually space. Mae is 'in front of'.



Mae is often translated as 'forward' (as in mae mawari ukemi - forward rolling breakfall) or as 'front' (as in mae mawari sabaki - turning to the front)

Mae mawari sabaki is shifting your body 180 degrees by moving one leg across your centreline to place it in front of your opponants diagonally opposite leg at the same time turning to place your body directly in front of him.

Richard.

[David Craik]

David, kesa may not be accurate, but it predominates in all the judo books I own. kesa gatame = scarf hold.

I have no doubt of that Rob. I notice kesa gatame is listed all over the net as a 'scarf hold' as well, with even Stanford's jujutsu club defining 'kesa' as a 'monk's scarf'. :rolleyes:

Perhaps 'scarf hold' came to be used because it's more descriptive of the technique, and somehow got tangled up by martial artists in the West with the actual meaning of 'kesa' - a monk's robe traditionally made from a patchwork of scraps of inexpensive cloth (often donated) to resemble the design of the golden kesa made for Sakyamuni (the historical Buddha).

The kanji used is the same:

Kesa (monk's robe): 袈裟
kesagatame: 後袈裟固

while 'scarf' is: スカーフ

In sword arts, we have kesagiri, which is a diagonal cut named because it's path would follow the hypothetical path of the lapel on a kesa. Somewhat like a toga the kesa was worn "...diagonally covering the right shoulder and passing under the left armpit." *

Oh well, Dennis did ask for any corrections. :) If he had written 'kesa gatame' with the definition 'scarf hold', instead of simply 'kesa' defined as 'scarf' I would probably never have noticed, as I am not a judoka.

*'Dictionary of Japanese Culture', Setsuko Kojima and Gene A. Crane, p. 166. ISBN: 0-89346-336-1