No-sword http://no-sword.jp/blog/ A blog about Japanese language, literature, culture, and art by Matt Treyvaud. (More) en-US Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:51:03 +0900 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 21:51:03 +0900 Dao on ice http://no-sword.jp/blog/2010/09/dao_on_ice.html

So hot! But I learned a new Japanese proverb: Natsu no mushi, kōri o warau, "Summer bugs laugh at [the idea of] ice." Use it to describe someone who knows less about the world than they think....

 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:00:00 +0900 Tsurugi watari http://no-sword.jp/blog/2010/08/tsurugi_watari.html

Joe Nickell's Secrets of the Sideshows sez:...

 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0900 Everyone's favorite <cite>Ryōjin hishō</cite> 梁塵秘抄 song... http://no-sword.jp/blog/2010/08/everyone_s_favorite_ryojin_hisho_song.html

... in Arthur Waley's 1921 translation!...

 Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0900 Tasogare http://no-sword.jp/blog/2010/08/tasogare.html

Today I learned something interesting about an old Japanese word for "twilight," tasogare. Turns out the etymology is ta so kare, 誰そ彼, literally "Who is that?" This is a reference to that unique twilighty level of illumination where you can see that people are there, but not who they actually are. You usually see it paired with -doki ("time", "hour"), so the effect is like "Meet me at the crossroads at the whodat hour."...

 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0900 Uses of grain http://no-sword.jp/blog/2010/08/uses_of_grain.html

Here is an 1893 advertisement for Temperance Magazine (禁酒雑誌):...

 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0900 Umami http://no-sword.jp/blog/2010/08/umami.html

The word umami sparked a bit of discussion in the comments to my last post, and since I stumbled across it again in an unrelated document I thought I'd beat the dead horse a little longer....

 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0900