Enryakaji
Temple on Mount Hiei of the Tendai Buddhist sect
eta
the caste of untouchables
furoshiki
square cloth tied at all corners to carry objects
futon
bedroll; mattress
Four Heavenly Kings
name given to four faithful samurai who were bodyguards to their feudal lord; they fought for and frequently died with him
gagaku
formal court music
geta
clogs, used in rainy weather
go
game of strategy, played with many little stones on a board similar to draughts or chess
gofu
globular vessels buried in mounds as protection from evil forces
Golden Gully
upper part of the vulva
harigata
dildo
Heian-kyō
former name of Kyōto, literally ‘Peace and Tranquillity Capital’
higo zuiki
long plant fibres dried and soaked in warm water, often used to aid with impotence or to prolong erection. (Bornoff, Nicholas. Pink Samurai: Love, Marriage & Sex in Contemporary Japan. New York: Pocket Books, 1991, p. 157)
hishi-mochi
diamond-shaped cakes made for the Third day of the Third Month Festival or Doll Festival. They are coloured red (or pink), white and green. The red is for chasing evil spirits away, the white is for purity, and the green is for health.
hisoshi
curtain that separates a veranda from the interior of a building
hitatare
wide split pants
hogen
honorary title of rank
hoeki no hō
male’s formal shirt-like garment
Hokekyō
a type of Buddhist scripture
hototogisu
one of several species of Japanese cuckoo. The hototogisu’s song traditionally signalled the arrival of summer.
hour of the:
Rat 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Ox 1 a.m. to 3 a.m.
Tiger 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.
Hare 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.
Dragon 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Snake 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Horse 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sheep 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Monkey 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Cock 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Dog 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Boar 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Jade Gate
vulva
Jewel Terrace
upper part of the vulva
Jade Stalk
penis
Jade Veins
upper part of the vulva
Juei
a named time period 1182–4
kaimyo
the posthumous name of the deceased, which differs from when that person was alive to help prevent the person returning every time his or her name is called.
kanmuri
a lacquered hat with a low cap at the front, a high bulge at the back
karma
metaphysical law that one’s actions return to oneself, either in the current life or one’s next life or lives
kemari
feudal game similar to soccer in which the ball must be kept in the air by using only the feet
kichō
a privacy screen about five feet tall mounted on a platform from which noble women had to entertain any male who was not their husband or family
Kinensai
Festival of the Spring Prayer
kisagake
fast whip-like movement of sword stroke
kiyoseho
a joined-wood technique in sculpture
Kōfuku
a temple name
Kōfukuji
the temple of Kōfuku
koi
Japanese carp
Kokinshū
a collection of poems
Konjin
one of the Gods of Direction, who moved in one of eight directions each day
Koshin
one of the Gods of Directions
kosode
simple peasant kimono with narrowed sleeves
koto
large stringed instrument
kuge
the nobility, aristocracy, the ‘good’ people
Kuyō
special funeral prayers to ensure that a soul will keep away from people on earth
Lute Strings
female pubic hairs
makiwara
a large straw target used for beginners at archery, usually placed close to the student
makie
a technique in which gold dust is mixed with lacquer and then applied
Man’yōshū
a collection of poems, ranging in date from the fifth century to AD 759
mato
the normal target for archers. The most common size is twelve suns, approximately 3.03 cm in diameter shot from a distance of twenty-eight metres
Monju-Bosatsu
God of Intelligence, associated with the lion
mochi
sweet rice cake, usually steamed or fried
Muko Bay
a bay near Ichinotani, now Kobe
naginata
halberd scythe-like blade-on-a-pole
Nihongi
Nihongi-Shoki, Chronicles of Japan, an official history of Japan compiled in 720
nusa
white cloth with virtues written on it, usually tied to a stick
obāsan
grandmother
ohaguro
blackening of teeth
oni
demon, ogre
Otofuku
folk-religion God of female sexual appetite
Positive Peak
penis
sabi
worn, used-up, sad
Saishōōgyō
type of Buddhist scripture
sake
rice wine
sakura-mochi
bean paste – filled rice cakes with cherry leaves served on the Third day of the Third Month for the Doll Festival
sansankudo
marriage ceremony in which bride and groom each alternate drinking sake from three different-sized bowls, starting with the smallest. Sansankudo literally means ‘three sets of three equals nine’; three is a perfect number because it is indivisible.
seppuku
ritual suicide
setsubun
literally means separation of a season
shaku
29.7 cm, or 11.7 inches (linear measurement)
shikime zane
armour in which the leather or iron pieces are assembled twice overlapping to be extra thick
Shingon
sect of Buddhism
shōen
estate with lands, craftsmen and samurai
shōji
paper framed with wood used as walls and sliding doors
Shogun
commander-in-chief in charge of barbarians
sōhei
warrior monks
sumō
a type of wrestling
sutra
formal Buddhist prayer
tabi
socks with a single toe separation
tachi
long sword, usually worn when on a horse
Taikan Tsuho
Chinese coin with a square hole in the middle
takenaga
piece of cloth or ribbon with which courtesans in Heian Japan used to tie back their hair
Tale of Genji
novel written by Murasaki Shikibu, early eleventh century
Tendai
sect of Buddhism
tō
7.2 litres (capacity measurement)
Todai
a temple name
Todaiji
temple of Todai
tokonoma
alcove for displaying scroll, arranged flowers or precious artifact
&
nbsp; tori-i
gateway or portal to entrance of Shinto shrines
Tosa Niki
a travel diary written by Ki no Tsurayuki
tsuba
the metal sword guard attached between the blade and the handle of the sword
tsuru
bowstring
waka
five-lined poetry
watadono
veranda, covered porch around a dwelling
yurei
a tormented ghost who stays with the living to take revenge or conclude unfinished business
Village of Outcasts
small town of prostitutes, tanneries and other such ‘unclean’ activities
Author’s Notes
PILLOW BOOK
Noble women, and also peasants, who travelled on pilgrimages wrote a ‘journal’. The women stored these journals near their pillows, hence the name. After a journal entry, a poem or two often followed. The Pillow Book of the Flower Samurai emulates this custom.
For more reading, the Tale of The Lady Ochikubo, The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon, and As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams are some of the translated pillow books from the tenth and eleventh centuries, although, none of these women is a samurai, like Kozaishō.
MEASURING TIME
The Japanese adopted a sexagenary system, or Zodiac Calendar, linking the cycle of twelve months and twelve hours of the day (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar) with the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water). (Morris, Ivan, translator & editor. The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon. New York: Columbia University Press, 1991, page 380.)
Rather than Sunday through Monday, days continue cycling through the twelve divisions: Rat, Ox, Tiger, etc. Days are delineated as the Third Month, Second Day of the Rabbit, or Fourth Month, First Day of the Monkey, etc.
For people, the animal of the birth year, the elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water) and the alternating principles of yang (masculine/positive) and yin (feminine/negative) combined to create multifaceted personality configurations. Therefore each year included three different ‘wheels’ of features: animal, element and yang/yin. Please note that men are not inevitably yang, nor are women unavoidably yin. Yang and yin represents personality types, rather than gender.
I simplified to the element and yang/yin to avoid digressing into personality types and detracting from the story. Example: Kozaishō is a Fire and yang personality. She is a leader, promoter who is determined, zealous and always looking for something new. Misuki is Water and yin, a bubbly personality. She is also receptive, easy-going, philosophical, superficial and passionate. Hitomi is Metal and yang, a good motivator who can succeed in almost any profession. Akio and Tashiko are Earth, the former yang and the latter, yin. The Metal yang is ready to fight for truth and righteousness. The Metal yin is liked by others, strong yet compliant, gentle yet confident and tolerant.
RELIGION
The Japanese adopted Buddhism in the sixth century, while maintaining their Shinto beliefs. For centuries Buddhism was the religion of the aristocrats. Kozaishō, as the daughter of a cultivator, originally held Shinto beliefs. Part of this belief system included clapping to dispel evil spirits and a strong sense of ritual cleanliness, which Buddhism absorbed. Part of ritual cleanliness included, for example, ritual defilements such as menstruation and death. The washing of hands and rinsing the mouths before entering sacred areas is a Shinto concept.
Each temple and shrine associated itself with a particular sect of Buddhism or Shintoism and could be sponsored by political figures (head of a clan, emperor, Prince). Each maintained its own military force, sōhei, and was mostly tax exempt. The political, religious, social and military lines crisscrossed repeatedly, particularly in the latter Heian period, the time of The Pillow Book of the Flower Samurai.
MARRIAGE, VIRGINITY, MONOGAMY AND POLYGAMY
None of the Judaic-Christian-Islamic influences had entered Heian Japan. Virginity, at least among the aristocrats, was not a state to be desired in men or women. Moreover, adult virgins were considered suspicious and possibly corrupt or dangerous. Non-royal aristocratic marriages involved a man staying three nights in a row with his ‘intended’. If he did not return after the first or second night, they were not married and each moved on. Children of such unions were simply acknowledged and accepted.
Polygamy functioned contrarily to what is commonly assumed in current times. When a man married, he moved in with his wife. Women generally inherited their parents’ homes and property. (Court cases exist of widows suing for their property and winning.) Polygamous men travelled from household to household, i.e. wife to wife. However, Rokuhara reversed this by a wife (or wives) living in her (or their) husband’s home.
Aristocratic women, and Kozaishō (after she married), customarily did not to show their faces to any men other than their husbands and families. The curtained platform used for this was the kichō (servants did not count.) Ironically among the aristocrats, according to diaries and Tale of the Genji, a man might sleep with someone he had never seen. While married women of the samurai were expected to be faithful, divorce was common, easy and frequently initiated by women and men alike.
POLICE
The Ministry of Justice existed in Heian Japan. Yet because of its impotence in protecting the populace early on in the Heian period, the offices of Ōryoshi and Tsuibushi were established. These positions were called ‘Sheriffs’ and ‘Chief Constables’. (Samsom in The History of Japan to 1334.) I simplified this by using the term Constable.
ADDENDUM
I have endeavoured to write this account of a most dramatic and turbulent time in Japanese history with as much historical accuracy as I could. Those appreciated and named in the acknowledgements assisted me significantly.
But I must admit a major exception. The aristocrats in Heian-Kyō (present day Kyōtō) did not bathe much, if at all. They actually slept in their clothes, although it can be assumed they changed them at least once a season. I added the bathing to comfort modern readers who use and venerate running water.
Taira Clan Genealogy
Minamoto Clan Genealogy
Genealogy of Emperors of the Late Heian Japan
The Pillow Book of the Flower Samurai Page 41