Category: General Terms

Bu 武 means martial principle or warrior spirit and is the foundational concept behind all Japanese martial traditions. While often translated simply as “martial” or “military,” its deeper classical meaning is far more nuanced. The character 武 is composed of…

Tabi 足袋 are traditional Japanese split-toe socks. The big toe is separated from the other toes, originally to be worn with zōri and geta sandals or with shoes that have a toe thong. In martial arts, they help with balance,…

The general Japanese term for “directions” is Hōgaku — 方角. It can mean directions, orientation, or bearings. It’s used for cardinal directions, positioning in space, or orientation on a map. Related Terms Hōkō (方向) — direction / orientation / heading…

There are a bewildering number of terms for Japanese body parts. This list will get you started. It’s focused on what martial artists actually target, strike, block, or use. Core Body Parts (Major Targets) Atama (頭・あたま) — head Fukubu (腹部・ふくぶ)…

Etiquette Rei (礼) — Bow Seiza (正座) — Sit in formal kneeling position Mokuso (黙想) — Meditation (close eyes and reflect) Mokuso yame (黙想やめ) — Stop meditation Shomen-ni rei (正面に礼) – Bow to the front / to the spirit of…

Uchikomi (打ち込み) is a common Japanese martial-arts term meaning “repeated entry practice” or “striking or thrusting repetitions.” The exact meaning depends on the art, but the core idea is always the same: you repeat the entry or impact portion of…

Tehodoki Waza 手解き技（てほどき・わざ）is a Japanese martial arts term meaning “Hand-release techniques” or “Escapes from grabs.” It appears in jūjutsu, aikidō, koryū bujutsu, and sometimes police taiho-jutsu. Tehodoki Waza refers specifically to techniques that remove an opponent’s grip from your wrist,…

Japanese numbering systems can seem somewhat opaque and irregular to westerners. There are basically two types of number systems used in martial arts. The first is Native Japanese (Kun’yomi) which uses the basic numbers like ichi, ni, san, shi, go,…