For information about this supplement see The Anime Companion
Supplement main page. Additions are in the Anime Companion Supplement News page.
Hyphenated Japanese terms are listed as single words.
The inclusion of an anime or manga title in these entries is not a recommendation of that title see my Recommended Anime and Manga page for a list of my recommendations
- nabe (iron pot) なべ or 鍋 (The Anime Companion 2 p.59)
- Sources:
Hosking, Richard. A Dictionary of Japanese Food p.102
- NABE, MEALS COOKED IN see:
-
chirinabe (The Anime Companion 2 p.12)
nabemono (The Anime Companion 2 p.59)
- nabemono (one pot meals) なべもの or 鍋物 (The Anime Companion 2 p.59)
- Sources:
Ashburne, John & Abe Yoshi World Food Japan p.71, 183
Japanese Inn and Travel p.50
Hosking, Richard. A Dictionary of Japanese Food p.102
- nabeyaki-udon 鍋焼きうどん OLD FORM 鍋燒うどん (The Anime Companion 2 p.59)
- Sources:
Ashburne, John & Abe Yoshi World Food Japan p.267
Nagasawa Kimiko & Camy Condon. Eating Cheap in Japan p.32
- Nagasaki 長崎 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.90)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1032
Web site:
WELCOME NAGASAKI CITY
- nagaya (row house) 長屋 (The Anime Companion 2 p.59)
- Sources:
Cybriwsky, Roman. Historical Dictionary of Tokyo p. 102
Naito Akira. Edo: The City That Became Tokyo p. 28, 64, 141
Must See In Nikko p.123
Inaba Kazuya and Nakayama Shigenobu. Japanese Homes and Lifestyles p.79-81
- naginata (halberd) なぎなた or 薙刀 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.91)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1035
Martial Arts & Sports in Japan p.19, 158-
Outlook on Japan p.32
- Naha 那覇[市]
-
The capital of Okinawa Ken (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.99). An important city for trade for the Ryūkyū Shotō (Ryūkyū Islands). It was the capital of the Ryūkyū kingdom when Japan incorporated the islands into the new ken (prefecture) (The Anime Companion 2 p.44) system in 1879. During World War II the entire city was leveled. After the war Naha was administered by the US military until Okinawa was returned to Japan in 1972. The economy is mainly based on small businesses, local goods and tourism.
Anime:
In Full Metal Panic! (ep.4 ) the class is on a flight to Naha when they find things are not quite right.
Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1036
Web Site:
那覇市
NAILING DOLL TO TREE see: ushi no koku mairi (The Anime Companion 2 p.111)
- Naimushō (Ministry Of The Interior) 内務省 (The Anime Companion 2 p.60)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.554
Waley, Paul. Tokyo: City of Stories p. 43
NAKANO WARD see: Nakano-ku (The Anime Companion 2 p.60)
- Nakano-ku 中野区 OLD FORM 中野區 (The Anime Companion 2 p.60)
- Sources:
Waley, Paul. Tokyo: City of Stories p. 22, 176
Waley, Paul. Tokyo Now & Then p. xxxii, 253
Tokyo Metropolitan Atlas p. 30-31
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1041
Web Sites:
Nakano (official site)
- Nakasendō 中山道 or 中仙道 (The Anime Companion 2 p.60)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1041
Papinot, E. Historical and Geographical Dictionary of Japan p.429
- namahage 生剥
-
A custom found in many parts of North West Japan where young men dress in horned fierce masks, carry knives as well as wooden pails and wear straw capes (mino; The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.84). They then visit homes in their village asking if there are any disobedient children, demanding to punish them and lecturing kids about laziness. They are assured the children are good hard workers then fed and given sake (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.109) and sometimes money as they leave. The custom is done to ensure a good harvest and safety for the households.
Anime:
Namahage with leaf cloaks are seen entering the bath house and later exiting the elevator in Spirited Away.
Sources:
Illustrated Festivals of Japan p.132
Illustrated Japanese Inn & Travel p.154
Illustrated Today’s Japan p.68
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1044
Yoda Hiroko and Matt Alt. Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide p.118-121
- namako 海鼠or なまこ
-
Also known as sea slug, sea cucumber or holothurian. An invertebrate sea dwelling animal. Two kinds are eaten in Japan; nanamako (Stichopus japonicus) and kinko (Cucumaria japonicus). Namako are sold live in markets and eaten raw in Japan, whereas in China they are always dried. To eat namako the Japanese slice it and serve it as a sunomono or dip it in a vinegar and shōyu (soy sauce) (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.124) mixture. The internal organs are salted and fermented to make konowata which is eaten as as side dish when drinking sake (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.109)
Anime:
The school has a legend of a man faced sea cucumber in Haunted Junction (ep 2)
Manga:
In Planetes Fee is looking at Tanabe's pet sea cucumber with a disgusted look on her face when Yurii explains that the Japanese eat them (v.2 supplement after phase 7)
Sources:
Hosking, Richard. A Dictionary of Japanese Food p.103
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1333
NAME CARDS see: meishi (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.82)
NAME, CHANGING CHILD'S see: tsūshō (The Anime Companion 2 p.110)
NAME OF A MALE CHILD see: yōmyō (The Anime Companion 2 p.118)
NAME ON FUNERAL TABLET see: kaimyō (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.58)
- nameko なめこ or 滑子
-
Pholiota nameko. A type of mushroom originally found only in Japan but now cultivated. These button shaped brown mushrooms have a gelatinous quality prized by the Japanese. Nameko are sold canned or are pickled as they do not preserve well. They are used in miso soup (misoshiru; The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.85), one pot meals (nabemono; The Anime Companion 2 p.59) and aemono.
Manga:
Miso soup with nameko is seen during the prisoners discussion of food for the New Year in Doing Time (p.121)
Sources:
Hosking, Richard. A Dictionary of Japanese Food p.104
Waycott, Agness. Sado: Japan’s Island in Exile p.25
NAMING A BABY see: shichiya (The Anime Companion 2 p.83)
NAMU AMIDA see: nenbutsu (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.92)
NANAIRO TŌGARASHI see: shichimi tōgarashi (The Anime Companion 2 p.83)
NANAMAKO see: namako
NANSEI ISLANDS see: Ryūkyū Shotō (Ryūkyū Islands)
- Nara 奈良 [市] (The Anime Companion 2 p.61)
- Sources:
De Mente, Boye Lafayette. Japan Encyclopedia p. 355
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1173
Web Site:
Nara City
NARITA AIRPORT see: Shin Tōkyō Kokusai Kūkō (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.121)
- naruko (bird rattles) 鳴子
-
Bird rattles. A simple system consisting of small boards with segments of bamboo attached. These would be hung on a rope that could be yanked to make noise and scare birds and animals away from crops.
Anime:
In both Ranma 1/2 Anything Goes Martial Arts (ep. 17) and Urusei Yatsura (TV 18 (ep. 69 story 92) they are used as alarms rather than to frighten pests.
Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1054
- naruto なると or 鳴門 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.91)
- Sources:
Eating in Japan p.92
- nashi (Japanese pear) なし or 梨
-
The Japanese pear, Pyrus pyrifolia, sometimes called 'sand pear' in the West. This fruit is round, looking at first glance like a large apple, they even have a similar crispness to an apple. The two major varieties are brown and green, one can taste a hint of caramel in the brown variety. These are grown from Southern Hokkaidō (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.46) to Kyūshū (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.78)
Anime:
A pear is offered to Fuu in Samurai Champloo (ep.8)
Sources:
Hosking, Richard. A Dictionary of Japanese Food p.106
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia 1194
- nasu (eggplant) 茄子 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.91)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.327
Eating in Japan p.102
NATIONAL MERIT AWARD see: Kokumin Eiyo Shō (People's Honor Award)
NATIONAL SCIENCE MUSEUM see: Kokuritsu Kagaku Hakubutsukan (The Anime Companion 2 p.48)
- Natsume Sōseki 夏目漱石 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.91)
- Sources:
Who's Who of Japan p.160
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1064
- nattō 納豆 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.92)
- Sources:
Eating in Japan p.148
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1064
NAVAL AUXILIARY FORCE see: Kaientai
NAWA NOREN see: noren (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.96)
- Nebuta Matsuri (Nebuta Festival) ねぶた祭 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.92)
- Sources:
Pictorial Encyclopedia of Japanese Life and Events p.62
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1070
- negi (spring onion) ねぎ or 葱 (The Anime Companion 2 p.61)
- Sources:
Eating in Japan p.156
Hosking, Richard. A Dictionary of Japanese Food p.107
Ashburne, John & Abe Yoshi. World Food Japan p. 65
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION see: chōnaikai (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.19)
NEJI (TWIST) see: sodegarami (sleeve entangler)
- neko (cat) 猫 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.92)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.169
Joya, Mock. Mock Joya's Things Japanese p.180, 434
- nekomata 猫又, 猫叉, or 猫股
-
A type of bakeneko (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.8) with a split tail. These are cats that have lived for so long that they developed supernatural abilities. They can walk on their hind legs and manipulate the dead as if they were puppets. For these reasons long tailed cats often had their tails cut and cats were kept away from corpses and *coffins.
Anime:
In GokuSen (ep 5) a new gang is causing trouble which calls itself the nekomata gang.
In Kami Chu! (ep.8) Tyler the cat has lived so long he became a nekomata.
Lum is dressed as a nekomata in Urusei Yatsura (ep.80 story 103).
Manga:
Ren wonders if the yōkai that is rumored to be in the school is a nekomata in Kon Kon Kokon (v.1 p.36).
Sources:
Casal, U.A. "The Goblin Fox and Badger and Other Witch Animals of Japan" in Asian Folklore Studies v.18 (1959) p.59-
Koge-Donbo. Kon Kon Kokon v.1 p.205
- nenbutsu 念仏 OLD FORM 念佛 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.92)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1071
Who's Who of Japan p.51
- nengajō (New Year's card) 年賀状 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.92)
- Sources:
Discover Japan v.1 p.4
Vardaman, James M. and Michiko Sakaki Vardaman Japan From A to Z p.76
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1081
NENJŪ GYŌJI see: matsuri to nenchū gyōji (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.81)
NERIMA WARD see: Nerima-ku (The Anime Companion 2 p.61)
- Nerima-ku 練馬区 (The Anime Companion 2 p.61)
- Sources:
Tokyo Metropolitan Atlas p.38-39
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1073
Web Sites:
Nerima (official site)
NEW HALF see: nyū hāfu (The Anime Companion 2 p.64)
NEW RELIGIONS see: shinkō shūkyō (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.120)
NEW TŌKYŌ INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT see: Shin Tōkyō Kokusai Kūkō (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.121)
NEW YEAR'S BELL RINGING see: joya no kane (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.55)
NEW YEAR'S CARDS see: nengajō (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.92)
NEW YEAR'S FOODS see: osechi-ryōri (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.102)
NEW YEAR'S SOBA see: toshikoshi soba (The Anime Companion 2 p.106)
NEW YEAR'S SOUP see: zōni (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.150)
NEW YEAR'S TEMPLE BELLS see: joya no kane (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.55)
NEW YEARS ARROWS see: hamaya (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.39)
NEW YEARS ORNAMENTS see: kadomatsu (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.58)
NEW YEARS PINE see: kadomatsu (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.58)
NEW YEARS SHRINE OR TEMPLE VISIT see: hatsumōde (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.42)
NEW YOSHIWARA see: Yoshiwara
NEWSPAPERS see: shinbun (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.119)
- Nezumi Kozō 鼠小僧 (The Anime Companion 2 p.62)
- Sources:
Enbutsu Sumiko. Old Tokyo p. 148
Who's Who of Japan p.117
NHK see: Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.96)
- niboshi (small dried fish) 煮干 or にぼし
-
Small dried fish. Several species are used for this, the most common is small anchovies. The fish are boiled and sun dried to preserve them. Dashi (The Anime Companion 2 p.15) is sometime made by soaking these dried fish overnight.
Anime:
Niboshi, translated as 'dried sardines', is given to the cat at Christmas in Kami Chu! episode 13.
Manga:
In Rose Hip Zero (v.1) Hata advises Kido to eat 'dried sardines' as a source of calcium (p.40) later ( p.160) we see Hata reaching into a bag of niboshi on his desk.
Sources:
Illustrated Eating in Japan p.152
Hosking, Richard. A Dictionary of Japanese Food p.108
- Nichibei Shūkō Tsūshō Jōyaku (Japan-U.S. Friendship and Commerce Treaty) 日米修好通商条約 OLD FORM 日米修好通商條約 (The Anime Companion 2 p.62)
- Sources:
Cybriwsky, Roman. Historical Dictionary of Tokyo p.66
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.503
De Mente, Boye Lafayette. Japan Encyclopedia p.188
Web Sites:
The Harris Treaty, 1858
Treaty between the United States and Japan, signed on 29 July 1858.
- Nichibei Washin Jōyaku (Treaty of Kanagawa) 日米和親条約 OLD FORM 日米和親條約 (The Anime Companion 2 p.62)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.732
Web Sites:
U.S. - Japan Treaty of Kanagawa (1854)
U.S.-Japan Treaty, 1854
Nichiren sect see: Nichirenshū (Nichiren sect)
- Nichirenshū (Nichiren sect) 日蓮宗
-
The Nichiren sect of Japanese Buddhism also referred to as the Hokke sect and Lotus sect. This sect was founded by Nichiren a Tendaishū (Tendai sect) monk in 1253. The major sacred book of this sect is a Mahayana Buddhist text the Lotus Sutra, known in Japanese as Hokekyō or the Myōhō renge kyō and in Sanskrit as the Saddharmapundarīka-sūtra. The practice of chanting namu myōhō renge kyō is common to all branches of Nichirenshū. During the Sengoku jidai (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.113) some branches of Nichirenshū clashed with Oda Nobunaga (The Anime Companion 2 p.65) and were suppressed in areas under his control.
Manga:
Ikozan Homyoji Temple, Nichiren Sect Zoshigaya-cho Koishikawa is on a list of temples having hojicho in Lady Snowblood (v.2 p.32)
Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1083
- Nichiro Sensō (Russo-Japanese War) 日露戦争 OLD FORM 日露戰爭 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.93)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1279
NIGHT CREEPING see: yobai
NIGHT PROCESSION OF 100 DEMONS see: hyakki yagyō (night procession of 100 demons)
NIGHTLIFE TRADE see: mizushōbai (water trade)
- nigirimeshi (rice ball) 握り飯 OLD FORM 握り飯 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.93)
- Sources:
Discover Japan v.1 p.58
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1084
- nigirizushi にぎりずし or 握り鮨
-
A popular style of sushi (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.128) in which the chef takes some sushi rice and shapes it into an oblong form, then he adds a topping, sometimes with a small dab of wasabi (The Anime Companion 2 p.113) between the two. The topping can be any of many ingredients, a piece of omelet, some sashimi (The Anime Companion 2 p.79), whole ebi (prawn), etc. Both raw and cooked ingredients are used as toppings. This type of sushi is highly regarded and often expensive.
Anime:
In the first episode of GTO we get an excellent view of different kinds of nigirizushi. How many can you identify?
Sources:
Fukuda Minori & Kit Shan Li. Sushi: A pocket Guide p.21-51
Hosking, Richard. A Dictionary of Japanese Food p.222
Nagasawa Kimiko & Camy Condon. Eating Cheap in Japan p.39-41
Omae Kinjiro and Tachibana Yuzuru. The Book of Sushi p.37
Tsuda Nobuko. Sushi Made Easy p.,63-67
- Nihon Shoki (Chronicle of Japan) 日本書紀
-
Japan's second oldest chronicle completed in 720, eight years after the Kojiki. The Nihon Shoki was actually started in 681 during the reign of Emperor Temmu. Written entirely in classical Chinese it incorporates texts from Chinese and Korean sources and has a very historical focus with mythological materials limited to a few early chapters. The Nihon Shoki came to be seen as a Shintō (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.121) sacred text beginning in the Kamakura Period (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.59). Copies of the work survive from the Nara Period and Heian Period (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.44). An English translation by W. G. Aston is in print.
Manga:
Hiroaki Samura cites the Nihon Shoki in the appendix to Blade of the Immortal: The Gathering in his note on the sword Kabutsuchi.
Osamu Tezuka cites the Nihon Shoki three times in Phoenix (v.3 p.78, v.10 p.42, and v.11 p.238)
Sources:
Bocking, Brian. Popular Dictionary of Shinto p.133-134
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1087
Miner, Earl; Odagiri Hiroko and Robert Morrell. The Princeton Companion to Classical Japanese Literature p.209-210
- Nihonbashi 日本橋 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.94)
- Sources:
A Look Into Tokyo p.56
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1084
NIHONBASHI-KABUTO-CHŌ see: Kabutochō
- Nihonkai (Sea of Japan) 日本海 OLD FORM incorrect in the book as 日本海. I cannot reproduce the correct form here. (The Anime Companion 2 p.63)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1333
- Nihon Kiin (Japan Go Association) 日本棋院
-
Headquartered in Chiyoda Ku (The Anime Companion 2 p.13) in Tōkyō (The Anime Companion 2 p.104). The Japan Go Association was formed in 1924 by merging several important go (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.36) groups. Today it is the most significant association for Japanese professional go players. It supports the game by publishing, organizing tournaments, promoting go education, issuing ranks to players, and promoting the game around the world. There are over 1,000 branch organizations and hundreds of Japanese professional players in the association.
Manga:
In Hikaru no Go (v.4 p.122) we see young players going through preliminary tests at the Japan Go Association to qualify for professional ranking.
Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.674
Web Site:
囲碁の日本棋院公式ホームページ
- Nihon Kōgyō Kikaku (JIS, Japanese Industrial Standards) 日本工業規格 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.94)
-
Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.686
Web Site:
Japanese Industrial Standards Committee Web pages
- Nihonkoku Kenpō (Constitution of Japan) 日本国憲法 OLD FORM 日本國憲法 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.94)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.228, 1342
Today's Japan p.164
Web Site:
There is an English
version of the Constitution on the National Diet Library web site.
- Nihon Kyōsantō (Japanese Communist Party) 日本共産党 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.95)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.660
Web Site:
Japanese Communist Party web pages, English section.
NIHONGI see Nihon Shoki (Chronicle of Japan)
- nihontō (Japanese sword) 日本刀 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.95)
- Sources:
Discover Japan v.2 p.136
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1490
- Nijubashi 二重橋
-
A two span stone, or shakkyō, bridge leading to the Kōkyo (Imperial Palace in Tokyo). Originally the term Nijubashi, double bridge, applied to another bridge nearby. The original was a wooden two deck bridge hence the name. Today that bridge has been replaced by a modern bridge made of steel. While sometimes used to designate both bridges the name has largely migrated to the two arch stone bridge of the type often called megane-bashi or eyeglass bridge.
Anime:
The Nijubashi bridge and the Kōkyo show up twice in the City Hunter TV series, the first in City Hunter 2 ( ep.10) and again in City Hunter '91 (ep.13)
Sources:
De Mente, Boye Lafayette. Japan Encyclopedia p. 239
A Look Into Tokyo p.86-91)
- nikujaga にくじゃが or 肉じゃが
-
A nimono (type of simmered dish) of meat and vegetables made with Western ingredients. Common ingredients are beef, potatoes, carrots (ninjin; The Anime Companion 2 p.63), and onions.
Anime:
Nikujaga made by Saya for her brother Ranmaru in Tokko (ep.2)
Manga:
In Sarai (v.3 p.50) we see the title character make nikujaga for a motherless boy.
Sources:
Hosking, Richard. A Dictionary of Japanese Food p.109
Illustrated Eating in Japan p.170, includes recipe.
- nikuman (pork filled bun) 肉まん
-
A Chinese style steamed bun made of wheat flour filled with ground pork and vegetables.
Anime:
In Yawara! (ep 1) Yamada's Nikuman and Anman Dumplings is printed on a bag that Jigoro eats from.
Sources:
Nagasawa Kimiko & Camy Condon. Eating Cheap in Japan p.62, 156 (item)
NINE MAGIC SYLLABLES see: kuji (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.75)
- ningyo (mermaid) 人魚 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.95)
- Sources:
Joya, Mock. Mock Joya's Things Japanese p.240
- ningyōyaki 人形焼 OLD FORM 人形燒
-
Small pastries with a sweet bean paste center made in various shapes by pouring batter into a mold. The ningyō part of the name means doll so the name is often translated as "doll cakes" or "doll shaped pastries". The shapes can be quite varied ranging from faces, animals, everyday items etc.
Anime:
"Sweet bean paste doll cakes" are bought by Ryoko in Tenchi The Movie: Tenchi Muyo in Love at one of the Asakusa Jinja (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.7) shops.
"Doll shaped pastries" are requested by Okina in his letter to Misao in the Rurouni Kenshin TV series (ep.89)
Sources:
Japan Walker Spring 2001 p.75
Look Into Tokyo p.58
Wolf, Reinhart. Japan The Beauty of Food p.160
NINIROKU JIKEN see: February 26, 1936 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.29)
NINJA see: ninjutsu (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.95)
- ninjin (carrot) にんじん or 人参 OLD FORM 人參 (The Anime Companion 2 p.63)
- Sources:
Hosking, Richard. A Dictionary of Japanese Food p.109
Benjamin, Gail R. Japanese Lessons p.109
NINJŌ see: giri to ninjō (obligations and feelings)
- ninjutsu 忍術 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.95)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1092
Joya, Mock. Mock Joya's Things Japanese p.718
Vardaman, James M. and Michiko Sakaki Vardaman Japan From A to Z p.78
NINOMIYA KINJIRO see: Ninomiya Sontoku
- Ninomiya Sontoku 二宮尊徳
-
1787-1856 Real name Ninomiya Kinjiro. Born the son of an impoverished farmer he was orphaned when he was 16. After living with an uncle he returned home to help raise his younger brothers. By perseverance and thrift he helped the family recover and gained recognition that resulted in his being hired as an agricultural expert by Odawara han. As he was successful in his duties during the economic depression of the Tempō Era he was assigned to other duties by bakufu (The Anime Companion 2 p.8) official Mizuno Tadakuni. He later significantly increased agricultural production in Sōma han which resulted in his being put in charge of developing 89 villages in Nikkō. He taught scientific methods for improving crop yields as well as a social ethical system based on hōtoku, the repayment of benefits through diligence and cooperation, to hundreds of villages in his life. A common image of him as a child is reading a book while carrying a load of firewood on his back. His teachings were abused by the ultra nationalists before W.W.II, however he was not discredited by this connection and statues of him as a boy reading a book are found in schools all over Japan.
Anime:
In the first episode of Haunted Junction we find that Asahina has a shōta complex (shōtacon) much to the discomfort of the local statue of Ninomiya Sontoku which has come to life.
A Ninomiya Kinjiro statue is seen inside the school gate in R.O.D The TV (disk 2 ep.6)
Sources:
Illustrated Who’s Who of Japan p.135
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1093
- Nippon Denshin Denwa (NTT, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation) 日本電信電話 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.96)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1097
Web Site:
The NTT Home page. (English site)
- Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation) 日本放送協会 OLD FORM 日本放送協會 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.96)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1082
Web Site:
NHW World English
NIPPON SHOKI see: Nihon Shoki (Chronicle of Japan)
NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION see: Nippon Denshin Denwa (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.96)
- niwaban 庭番 (The Anime Companion 2 p.63)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1103
Waley, Paul. Tokyo Now & Then p. 113
- Nō 能 (The Anime Companion 2 p.63)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1103-1108
De Mente, Boye Lafayette. Japan Encyclopedia p.378
- nobori (banner) 幟 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.96)
- Sources:
Joya, Mock. Mock Joya's Things Japanese p.22
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.379
NOBUNAGA see: Oda Nobunaga (The Anime Companion 2 p.65)
NOBUYASU see: Tokugawa Nobuyasu
- nomi-ya 飲み屋 OLD FORM 飮み屋 (The Anime Companion 2 p.64)
- Sources:
Nagasawa Kimiko & Camy Condon. Eating Cheap in Japan p.12
- noodle slurping (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.96)
- Sources:
Vardaman, James M. and Michiko Sakaki Vardaman Japan From A to Z p.78
NOODLES see: men rui (The Anime Companion 2 p.56)
NOODLES, COLD IN ICE WATER see: hiyamugi and sōmen (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.46)
NOODLE, WAY OF SERVING SOBA see: wankosoba
NOODLES IN CLEAR BOWL see: hiyamugi and sōmen (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.46)
NOODLES IN MISO SOUP see: miso-rāmen (The Anime Companion 2 p.57)
NOODLES, THICK see: udon (The Anime Companion 2 p.110)
NO PANTY see: no-pan
- no-pan (no panty) ノーパン
-
No-pan, no panty, refers to a business with waitresses that wear no panties, or see through panties, under their short skirts or aprons. With the skirt covering up certain items the thrill is in obtaining a glimpse when a waitress bends over or just in knowing that a bare bottom is under a small amount of fabric. In fact some places even have large windows since the waitresses are properly covered when viewed from outside. Touching is not allowed, however it is not unusual for a customer to "drop" something and have to get down on the floor to pick it up. The first no-pan business was named Jani (Johnny) and opened in July of 1978 in Kyoto (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.77), Jani was a no-pan kissa, that is a no panty coffee shop. Many of these places are relatively cheap compared to other sex oriented entertainment. Some are like the very exclusive and pricey Roran in Kabukichō (The Anime Companion 2 p.35), where you have to tip a girl and she will remove her panties. In 1998 two Ministry of Finance bureaucrats were arrested after authorities discovered they had traded favors for, at least in part, evenings at Roran enjoying no-pan shabu shabu (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.116). Eventually some places also went topless, without windows of course.
Anime and Manga:
The the first City Hunter story Ryo meets a client, a woman, in a topless no-pan club. In the anime the other clients are almost all men however in the manga the other booths have couples and the club seems to be more of a no-pan kappuru kissa.
Manga:
In GTO (v.10 ch.86) teachers plotting the demise of Onizuka hold their meeting in a no-pan shabu shabu restaurant. One is violating the no touch rule, but then he is not touching the girl, only pulling up her skirt.
Sources:
Bestor, Theodore C. Neighborhood Tokyo p.42
Constantine, Peter. Japan's Sex Trade p.58
Louis, Lisa. Butterflies of the Night p.86-87
Schreiber, Mark editor, Tokyo Confidential p.43-45
Sinclair, Joan. Pink Box p.36, 188
- Nopperabō (faceless yōkai) のっぺら坊 or のっぺらぼう
-
A yōkai that seems like a normal person until you look at the face, instead of features there is a smooth area without any normal features. Descriptions in stories vary, some say there are no features at all, others say there is a mouth. Many tales describe the Nopperabō playfully terrifying people. The most famous of such tales is "Mujina" in the book Kawaidan by Lafcadio Hearn (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.44). In this story where a man sees a woman with an attractive figure crying, when he asks if he can help she turns a featureless face towards him, in a panic he runs to a street stall some distance away and out of breath tries to explain what he had seen. The stall operator tries to understand and finally says "Was it anything like this that she showed you?" and wipes away his own features revealing a face as smooth as a egg. Many of the tales say this yōkai is actually a fox (see: kitsune; The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.71), tanuki (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.133), badger or otter using shape shifting powers to play a practical joke. This yōkai has also appeared at the old Waialae Drive in Kaimuki Hawai'i in the ladies room starting in the May 1959 with sightings lasting at least until the 1980s. This yōkai is also known as Nupperabō, Zunberabō and Nuperiho.
Anime:
In Pom Poko a policeman on night patrol is tricked by tanuki into reenacting Lafcadio Hearn's tale.
Manga:
A Nopperabō dressed in traditional clothes is seen in a group of yokai in Dr Slump (v.10 p.172).
Sources:
Grant, Glen. Obake: Ghost Stories in Hawai'i p.4-7
Yoda Hiroko and Matt Alt. Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide p.154-157.
- noren (split curtains) 暖簾 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.96)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1113-4
A Look Into Japan p.93
- nori (seaweed, laver) 海苔 (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.97)
- Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1114
Vardaman, James M. and Michiko Sakaki Vardaman Japan From A to Z p.95
Outlook on Japan p.150
NORITO see: Inori (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.49)
NORTH, HEAD TO THE see: kitamakura (pillow to the North)
NORTHERN ALPS see: Hida Sanmyaku (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.45)
NORTHERN TERRITORIES ISSUE see: Hoppō Ryōdo modai
NOTICE OF MARRIAGE see: kōnin todoke (Notice of Marriage)
NOTIFICATION OF A DIVORCE see: rikon todoke (Notification of a Divorce)
- nozawana (turnip greens) のざわな or 野沢菜
-
The leaves of Brassica campestris var hakabura, usually translated as "turnip greens". This is a variety of komatsuna, the leaves of which are usually made into tsukemono (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.140). In the winter the leaves become sweeter due to frosts and snow. Often wild leaves are used as this plant is common in some parts of Japan such as in Nagano ken where nozawana tsukemono is popular.
Manga:
Nozawana tsukemono are one of several foods shown in Doing Time (p.47)
Sources:
Hosking, Richard. A Dictionary of Japanese Food p.111
Illustrated Japanese Inn & Travel p.132
- nozoki (peeping tom) 覗き (The Anime Companion 2 p.64)
- Sources:
Twigger, Robert Angry White Pajamas p.209
- nozokibeya (peeping room) 覗き部屋
-
Peeping clubs, a type of sex trade where the customer views a girl through a hole from the privacy of his own cubical. These are a type of show where the customer pays to watch a girl strip, pose and play with herself. A variant of this is through the Internet with a video feed accessed by paying with a credit card. Kabukichō (The Anime Companion 2 p.35) in the early 1980s had 13 nozoki-beya.
Anime:
Chi gets tricked into working at a nozokibeya called "Live Cute Kitten Peeping Nyan Nyan" in Chobits (ep.7), this one not only has peep holes, it also has an Internet video feed.
Manga:
In City Hunter (v.1 p.80) Ryo hands the villain a note while pretending to hand out promotional flyers for the "Little Pink Box" peep show.
In IWGP volume 3 Makoto gets a job protecting Asumi, a girl who works for "The Fairy's Garden" an Internet peepshow site and is being harassed by a stalker.
Sources:
Richie, Donald. The Image Factory p.70
Richie, Donald. Tokyo p. 96
Waley, Paul. Tokyo: City of Stories p.251
NRM see: Shinkō shūkyō (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.120)
NTT see: Nippon Denshin Denwa (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.96)
NUDE THEATER see: nūdo gekijo (strip club)
- nūdo gekijo (strip club) ヌード劇場
-
A strip club, literally the term means nude theater. The term is only one of several used, an older term was sutorippu gekijo. The first such club was Teitoza in Shinjuku (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.120) which on January 15, 1947 began running the first such act. Each performance lasted for fifteen seconds and was titled "The Birth of Venus", was modest as veils, panties and a bra covered much of what would be shown today, The woman on stage simply stood in a pose, it was so popular that the show ran until August 1948. It was not long before theaters in Asakusa (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.5) had fully nude displays, again as tableaus with no motion or stripping. eventually such theaters spread, even to the Ginza (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.35), and the removal of clothing on stage was now part of the process. In time a large variety of acts have come into existence, one of the most famous variants has audience members given magnifying glasses for close up views.
Anime:
A strip club scene in the filming of the "Double Bind" TV series is one of the more disturbing moments in Perfect Blue.
Sources:
Bornoff, Nicholas. Pink Samurai: Love, Marriage, and Sex in Contemporary Japan p.310-315
Seidensticker, Edward. Tokyo Rising p.181-2
Sinclair, Joan. Pink Box: Inside Japan’s Sex Clubs p.46
Waley, Paul. Tokyo: City of Stories p.250
- nue 鵼
-
A legendary beast with the head of a monkey, the body of a tanuki (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.133), a serpent for a tail, tiger legs and a thrush like cry. This, earliest, description of the nue is in book 4 chapter 14 of the Tale of the Heike (see: Heike Monogatari, (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.44) where Emperor Konoe was haunted by one until Minamoto no Yorimasa killed it with one shot from his bow. Other descriptions of the nue that exist are different; some give it the tail of a fox (see: kitsune, The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.71), some describe it as a bird with a human face, or a nocturnal bird with yellow and red feathers and a bill that is black on top and yellow below with yellow and red legs.
Manga:
Tezuka's depiction of the Nue in Dororo (v.3 p.259) is with a monkey face, tiger stripped body and serpent for a tail.
In The Return of Lum: Feudal Furor (p.96) Lum leaves "Mt Ooe" (Ōeyama) with Nu-chan who has the form of a large black cloud from which come bizarre shrieks. Later the true for on the nue is shown.
Sources:
Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia p.1118
Tale of the Heike p.280-281
Yoda Hiroko and Matt Alt. Yokai Attack! p.42
NUPERIHO see: Nopperabō (faceless yōkai)
NUPPERABŌ see: Nopperabō (faceless yōkai)
- nureonna (snake woman) 濡女
-
A bakemono (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.8) with a long snakelike body, front legs like a reptile, a woman's face with long hair and a long tongue.
Anime:
In Sword for Truth a snake woman is one of the attractions at a side show, listen and you will hear that the word used in this case is hebionna which translates as "snake woman". We also see a large picture of a nureonna.
Sources:
Foster, Michael Dylan. Morphologies of Mystery: Yōkai and Discources of the Supernatural in Japan 1666-1999 p.94
- nurikabe (wall bakemono) 塗り壁
-
Simply a wall which will mysteriously appear where there should not be one and block the path of a traveler. One variant of the tales concerning this unusual bakemono (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.8) recorded by Yanagita Kunio says that if you hit it with a stick at the base it will vanish, elsewhere will not have an effect.
Manga:
In Dr. Slump we see nurikabe more than once, for example in volume 3 (p.10) a fox (kitsune; The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.71) attempts to fool Arale by disguising himself as a nurikabe, Arale rams through at the base with amusing results, actually quite painful to the kitsune. In volume 10 the opening page of a chapter (p.173) is a tableau of bakemono including a nurikabe.
Sources:
Foster, Michael Dylan. Morphologies of Mystery: Yōkai and Discources of the Supernatural in Japan 1666-1999 p.225
NYMPHS see: tennyo (The Anime Companion [vol.1] p.135)
- nyū hafu (she-male) ニュー・ハーフ (The Anime Companion 2 p.64)
- Sources:
Robertson, Jennifer. Takarazuka p.201-204
McLelland, Mark J. Male Homosexuality in Modern Japan p. 9
Schreiber, Mark editor. Tokyo Confidential p. 199
Schilling, Mark. The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture p. 322-23
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Created: October 31, 1998
Updated: October 6, 2008
