Glossary

dōjō

The place where the way is studied. Not a gym: you bow on the way in and on the way out.

tatami

The mat you practise on. It names the whole floor, even when the floor is made of something else.

shōmen

The front of the dojo, where the calligraphy and the founder's portrait hang. You bow towards it.

kamiza

The place of honour in the dojo, beside the shōmen.

shimoza

The side opposite the kamiza, where the students line up.

dōjō-chō

The person in charge of the dojo. At Aikido Musubi, Pablo Martín.

sōji

Cleaning the dojo. The students do it, and it is part of the practice.

kōishitsu

The changing room.

rei

The bow. It opens and closes the class, and every practice with every partner.

onegaishimasu

"Please", in the sense of asking a favour. Said to your partner before practising with them.

arigatō gozaimashita

"Thank you very much." Said when you finish.

seiza

Sitting on your heels. Every class begins and ends this way.

mokusō

A short silence with the eyes closed, before or after the class.

hajime

"Begin."

yame

"Stop."

kōtai

"Change over", of role or of partner.

dōzo

"Go ahead", "please, after you".

shitsurei shimasu

"Excuse me." Said when entering or leaving the mat out of turn.

sumimasen

"Sorry", "excuse me".

hai

"Yes", and also "understood".

sensei

"The one born before." The one who teaches.

shihan

"Model to follow." An Aikikai title for high-grade teachers.

shidōin

An instructor certified by the Aikikai. Pablo Martín's title.

fukushidōin

A certified assistant instructor, one step below shidōin.

dōshu

"Master of the way." The head of the school; today Ueshiba Moriteru.

kaiso

The founder. For aikido, Morihei Ueshiba.

Ō-Sensei

"Great teacher." What Ueshiba is called inside the dojo.

senpai

Someone who has been practising longer than you.

kōhai

Someone who has been practising less time.

uchi-deshi

A student who lives in the dojo and looks after it in exchange for the teaching.

kyū

The grades before black belt. They count downwards: 5th, 4th, 3rd…

dan

The grades from black belt onwards. They count upwards.

yūdansha

Someone who holds a dan grade.

shinsa

The grading examination.

keikogi

The practice uniform. For the first few classes, long sleeves are enough.

obi

The belt.

hakama

The wide pleated trousers. In many dojos they are worn by dan grades.

zōri

Sandals for getting from the changing room to the edge of the mat. You step onto the mat barefoot.

bokken

The wooden sword.

jō

The wooden staff, a little over a metre.

tantō

The wooden knife, used for disarming techniques.

buki

Weapons, in general.

suburi

Cuts repeated in the air. The eight bokken suburi are the basis of the weapons programme.

kesa

The diagonal from shoulder to opposite hip, after the hang of a monk's robe. The jō cuts start there.

uchiotoshi

Striking the other weapon downwards. In jō it comes with several grips: junte, kaete, keshi.

ukemi

The fall. Half of aikido is learning to receive without breaking.

tai-sabaki

Moving the body off the line of the attack.

irimi

Entering. Taking the attacker's space instead of backing away.

tenkan

Turning on the front foot to go with the force instead of meeting it.

omote / ura

The two versions of almost every technique: the one that enters in front and the one that turns behind.

ma-ai

The right distance between two people. Not so close that it crowds, not so far that it cannot reach.

zanshin

The attention that remains after finishing. The technique does not end when the other person falls.

kokyū

Breathing, and by extension the inner timing of a movement.

tanden

The centre, two fingers below the navel. Movement comes from there.

kamae

The ready stance.

hanmi

The body side-on, one foot forward. The basic stance.

shikkō

Walking on the knees.

suwari-waza

Techniques with both people kneeling.

hanmi-handachi

One kneeling, the other standing.

tachi-waza

Standing techniques.

ushiro-waza

Techniques against attacks from behind.

tori / uke

The one who does the technique and the one who receives it. They swap constantly.

ai-hanmi / gyaku-hanmi

Both with the same foot forward, or opposite feet. It changes the angle, and with it the whole technique.

uchi / soto

Inside or outside the attacking arm. Kaiten-nage is asked for both ways.

jōdan / chūdan / gedan

High, middle and low. The height the work happens at: at 1st kyū the morote-dori ikkyō is asked at all three.

futari-dori

Two people taking hold at once. From 3rd kyū it is where randori starts.

hara

The belly, and by extension the centre of the body. Technique comes from there, not from the arms.

awase

Matching the other person: their timing, their direction, their distance. Before anything else, you meet.

shōmen-uchi

A vertical strike to the head.

yokomen-uchi

A diagonal strike to the side of the head.

tsuki

A straight thrust, usually to the abdomen.

katate-dori

One hand grabbing one wrist.

morote-dori

Both hands grabbing one wrist.

ryōte-dori

Both wrists grabbed.

kata-dori

A grab to the shoulder.

mune-dori

A grab to the lapel.

ushiro ryōte-dori

Both wrists grabbed from behind.

ushiro ryōkata-dori

A hold on both shoulders from behind.

ushiro kubi-shime

A choke from behind, usually with the other hand holding a wrist.

ikkyō

"First teaching." A control on the elbow.

nikyō

"Second." An inward wrist turn.

sankyō

"Third." A spiralling twist of the arm.

yonkyō

"Fourth." Pressure on the nerve of the forearm.

gokyō

"Fifth." A variant of ikkyō used to take a knife away.

irimi-nage

"Entering throw."

shihō-nage

"Four-direction throw."

kote-gaeshi

"Wrist return."

kaiten-nage

"Rotary throw."

tenchi-nage

"Heaven and earth throw."

koshi-nage

A hip throw.

kokyū-hō

The breathing exercise that usually closes the class.

osae-waza

Pinning techniques on the ground.

nage-waza

Throwing techniques.

kokyū-nage

A breath throw. No lever: the imbalance is led all the way out.

sumi-otoshi

"Corner drop." Uke is dropped towards the blind corner behind them.

jūji-nage

The two arms crossed like the figure ten, 十, and the throw comes from that.

ude-kime-nage

A throw that extends the elbow. The arm is straightened, not twisted.

hiji-kime-osae

A pin with the elbow extended against the mat. It arrives at 1st kyū across every attack.

ude-garami

The arm wound back on itself. In the programme it appears in hanmi-handachi.

maki-otoshi

To wind up and drop. Asked for from yokomen, and in the jō work too.

aikidō

"The way of joining with energy."

aiki

Joining your own energy with the other person's instead of opposing it.

ki

Energy, breath, intention. The same syllable that opens aikidō.

budō

"The martial way." Martial arts understood as a path rather than a sport.

dō

The way. The same word as in aikidō, jūdō or karatedō.

keiko

Practice. Literally "to consider the old": you repeat something others repeated before you.

shugyō

Sustained practice over years, with everything that involves.

kata

A fixed form, repeated in order to learn it.

randori

Free practice against several attackers.

jiyū-waza

Free technique: the attack is fixed, the answer is not.

kiai

The shout that goes with a committed movement.

mushin

"No mind." Acting without thought getting in the way.

shoshin

"Beginner's mind." The attitude worth keeping for good.

reihō

Dojo etiquette: how you come in, how you bow, how you treat your partner.

musubi

The knot: what joins two things and leaves them joined. The dojo takes its name from it.

tonaeyo, tomo, soshite haire

"Speak, friend, and enter." It is at the entrance to our mat. It comes from the gate of Moria in The Lord of the Rings: the password was to say "friend" in Elvish.

mitsukete kowase

"Seek and destroy." After the Metallica song.

warera no michi

"This is the way." From The Mandalorian. In the dojo it is said half joking and half seriously, which is how important things get said.

nama bīru o futatsu kudasai

"Two draught beers, please." The most useful Japanese phrase after training, and the only one everybody memorises first time.

Gojira

Godzilla. The name comes from joining gorira (gorilla) and kujira (whale). It lives on our 404 page.

kaijū

"Strange beast." The whole giant-monster genre.

daikaijū

The big one, the kaijū the film is named after.

tokusatsu

"Special photography." Japanese practical-effects cinema: rubber suits, models and miniature cities.

kigurumi

The monster suit with an actor inside. The technique that made the genre possible.

Tōhō

The studio that produced Gojira in 1954, and most of what followed.

hōshanetsusen

"Radioactive heat ray." The atomic breath.

Mosura

Mothra. The giant moth, and the one clearly benevolent kaijū.

Radon

Rodan. The pteranodon.

Kingu Gidora

King Ghidorah. The three-headed dragon.

Urutoraman

Ultraman. The silver giant who has fought kaijū every week since 1966.

hakai

Destruction. What happens to Tokyo, and to that page.

ichi

One.

ni

Two.

san

Three.

shi / yon

Four. Counting in the dojo, it is usually "shi".

go

Five.

roku

Six.

shichi / nana

Seven.

hachi

Eight.

kyū / ku

Nine. It sounds the same as the kyū grade.

jū

Ten.