A Kamigawa Glossary, Part 1
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Below are the meanings and pronunciations of some words you’ll encounter in the Champions of Kamigawa expansion.
People
Azami (ah-ZAH-mee) The head archivist at the Minamo School.
Azusa (ah-ZOO-sah) A traveling female kannushi.
Ben-Ben (BEHN-behn) A stinky outcast akki hermit.
Dokai (DOH-keye) A monk whose connection to the land is so strong that he can “bring it to life.”
Dosan (DOH-sahn) The oldest living kannushi on Kamigawa; perhaps the most revered monk.
Godo (GOH-doh) The self-proclaimed “king” of the Sokenzan bandits and ronin. No one knows his first name.
Goka (GOH-kah) An opportunistic ogre shaman.
Hayato (HAH-yah-toh) A master mariner.
Hikari (hee-KAH-ree) The kami that guards the border between day and night.
Hisoka (hee-SOH-kah) The sensei and master jushi of the Minamo School. His first name is Iki.
Horobi (hoh-ROH-bee) A powerful kami of death that came into being at the Reito Massacre.
Hoto (HOH-toh) A budoka temple guard.
Iname (ee-NAH-may) A major kami that has two aspects—one of life and one of death.
Isamaru (ee-sah-MAH-roo) Konda’s favorite hunting dog.
Jiro (JEE-roh) A budoka temple guard.
Jugan (JOO-gahn) The great ryuu (divine dragon) of Kamigawa’s forests.
Keiga (KAY-gah) The great ryuu (divine dragon) of Kamigawa’s islands.
Keisaku (KAY-sah-koo) One of Kamigawa’s finest swordsmiths.
Kenzo (KEHN-zoh) A veteran, high-ranking samurai in the daimyo Konda’s service.
Kiki-Jiki (kee-kee JEE-kee) An akki illusionist.
Kiku (KEE-koo) An assassin who turns people’s shadows against them. She leaves a camellia flower on the bodies of her victims.
Kokusho (KOH-koo-shoh) The great ryuu (divine dragon) of Kamigawa’s swamps.
Konda (KOHN-dah) Not Kamigawa’s only daimyo, but by far its most powerful and well-known personage. His first name is Takeshi.
Kumano (KOO-mah-noh) A master yamabushi of great power. His first name is Junzo.
Kuro (KOO-roh) A greater oni.
Masako (MAH-sah-koh) A stern noblewoman in Konda’s court. She is Konda’s eyes and ears in Eiganjo Castle.
Meloku (MEHL-oh-koo) The soratami ambassador to the human world, especially to the human students of the arcane at the Minamo School.
Nagao (nah-GAH-oh) A high-ranking samurai champion in the daimyo Konda’s service.
Noboru (NOH-boh-roo) A kitemaker who lives in Eigan Town.
O-Kagachi (oh-kah-GAH-chee) The great kami of all things; all kami are in a way part of the O-Kagachi. Its manifest form resembles an unbelievably immense eight-headed serpent.
Oku-Doku (OH-koo-DOH-koo) A goblin shaman.
Ryusei (RYOO-say) The great ryuu (divine dragon) of Kamigawa’s mountains.
Sachi (SAH-chee) The leader of the orochi shamans; also the daughter of Seshiro, who leads all the orochi colonies.
Seizan (SAY-zahn) A powerful, evil oni known for its ability to deceive.
Seshiro (SAY-shee-roh) The leader of the orochi colonies.
Shidako (shee-DAH-koh) An orochi matriarch and warrior.
Shimatsu (shee-MAHT-soo) An oni overlord.
Shisato (SHEE-sah-toh) An orochi warrior known for her cunning and ruthlessness.
Sosuke (SOH-soo-kay) The leader of the orochi warriors; also the son of Seshiro.
Takeno (tah-KAY-noh) Konda’s top general and the commander of his samurai forces. His first name is Munetsugu.
Tatsumasa (taht-soo-MAH-sah) A famous magical katana said to contain a dragon spirit.
Tenza (TEN-zah) Godo’s favored weapon—a spiked log on a heavy chain.
Terashi (tay-RAH-shee) The great kami of the sun.
Tobita (TOH-bih-tah) A master jushi who specializes in air magic.
Tok-Tok (TOHK-tohk) An old akki shaman famous for his ability to survive almost anything.
Tomoya (TOH-moh-yah) A jushi who practices prophesying magic.
Towazu (toh-WAH-zoo) The great kami of things unspeakable.
Uyo (OO-yoh) The beautiful, mute prophet of the soratami.
Yamazaki (yah-mah-ZAH-kee) Identical-twin ronin brothers. Both are under Godo’s command.
Yosei (YO-say) The great ryuu (divine dragon) of Kamigawa’s plains.
Zo-Zu (ZOH-zoo) An akki warrior with power against magic.
Places
Akagi River (ah-KAH-gee) A smaller river near the Kamitaki Falls where a famous battle between humans and kami took place.
Araba (ah-RAH-bah) The barren, ruined expanse within the Towabara Plains. Eiganjo Castle is at the center of the Araba; means “ruined land.”
Boseiju (boh-SAY-joo) The oldest tree on the plane—a huge twisted old cedar. Its name means “she who shelters all.”
Eigan Town (AY-gahn) The human town built around the base of Eiganjo Castle.
Eiganjo Castle (ay-GAHN-joh) The daimyo Konda’s stronghold; means “eternal rock.”
Ganzan Pass (GAHN-zahn) A treacherous pass through the Sokenzan Range; means “rock-cut.”
Jukai Forest (JOO-kye) Kamigawa’s largest forest; means “sea of trees.”
Kamigawa (kah-mee-GAH-wah) The plane on which this Magic block takes place; means “river of the gods” or “spirit river.”
Kamitaki Falls (kah-mee-TAH-kee) Kamigawa’s largest waterfall, where the Minamo School is situated; means “waterfall of the kami.”
Minamo School (mee-NAH-moh) The wizards’ school that floats at the base of the Kamitaki Falls; minamo means “water’s surface.”
Numai (NOO-meye) The name of an abandoned human city in ruins in the middle of the swamp; means “swamp home.”
Oboro Palace (oh-BOH-roh) The main cloud palace of the soratami; oboro means “occluded” or “misty moon.”
Okina Temple (oh-KEE-nah) The largest temple in the Jukai Forest; means “shrine to the grandfathers.”
Reito (RAY-toh) A decimated, abandoned human city on the Araba where the kami first attacked the people of the material world; means “ghost city” or “city of spirits.”
Shinka Keep (SHIN-kah) An ogre-mage hermitage high in the mountains; shinka means “true fire.”
Shizo (SHEE-zoh) An ancient battlefield with many corpses mummified in the mud; means “death’s storehouse.”
Sokenzan Range (soh-KEHN-zahn) Kamigawa’s large mountain range; sokenzan means “frost-sword.”
Takenuma Swamp (tah-kay-NOO-mah) The rotten bamboo swamp of Kamigawa; takenuma means “bamboo mire.”
Tendo Peaks (TEHN-doh) The impossibly steep, spire-like mountains in the heart of the Sokenzan Range; tendo means “heaven’s door.”
Towabara Plains (toh-wah-BAH-rah) Kamigawa’s untouched plains; means “eternal fields.”
Untaidake (uhn-teye-DAH-kay) The tallest mountain of the Tendo Peaks; means “cloud keeper.”
Yumegawa River (yoo-may-GAH-wah) The largest and longest river on Kamigawa, which contains the great falls; means “river of dreams.”
Things
akki (AHK-kee) “Little monster.” The shelled goblins of Kamigawa.
akuba (ah-KOO-bah) An evil, hag-like spirit-world creature.
bo (BOH) Staff.
budoka (boo-DOH-kah) A monk who studies the martial arts.
bushi (BOO-shee) Warrior.
bushido (boo-SHEE-doh) The way of the warrior. The name of the samurai code.
daimyo (DYE-myoh) A powerful feudal lord.
daisho (DYE-shoh) The pair of swords carried by a samurai. The daisho consists of two swords: the larger sword is a katana (kah-TAH-nah) and the smaller one is a wakizashi (wah-kee-ZAH-shee).
gohei (GOH-hay) A scepter used by kannushi to call the kami. It consists of a piece of wood with nusa—zigzagging strips of paper—attached.
hana (HAHN-ah) Flower.
hankyu (HAHN-kyoo) Longbow.
hatamoto (hah-tah-MOH-toh) A high-ranking samurai who often serves as the personal guard to a daimyo.
honden (HOHN-dehn) The inner part of the shrine to a kami.
imi (IH-mee) Taboo or pollution, or something taboo or polluted.
junkyo (JUNK-yoh) Martyrdom.
jushi (JOO-shee) Wizard.
kabuto (kah-BOO-toh) Helmet.
kaijin (KYE-jihn) A kami of water.
kakuriyo (kah-koo-REE-oh) The spirit world.
kami (KAH-mee) Spirit, god, divinity. The divine essence of a thing. During the period of Kamigawa’s history known as the Kami War, these essences manifested in the material world for the first time.
kannushi (kahn-NOO-shee) A druid-like priest who reveres the kami.
kappa (KAHP-pah) A turtle-shelled creature that lives in rivers; kappa are known for their maliciousness.
kashi (KAH-shee) Oak. In Kamigawa, the tribe of orochi dedicated to defending their colonies is known as the Kashi Tribe.
kitsune (KIT-soo-nay) Fox. In Kamigawa, short for kitsune-bito, meaning “foxfolk.”
kodama (koh-DAH-mah) A tree spirit.
koto (KOH-toh) An ancient stringed instrument.
kumo (KOO-moh) Spider; also cloud.
kusari-gama (koo-SAH-ree-GAH-mah) A scythe-and-chain weapon.
matsu (MAHT-soo) Pine. In Kamigawa, the tribe of orochi archers is known as the Matsu Tribe.
musha (MOO-shah) Another way to say bushi.
myojin (MYOH-jihn) “Bright divinity.” A kami of great importance.
nezumi (nay-ZOO-mee) Rat. In Kamigawa, short for nezumi-bito, meaning “ratfolk.”
no-dachi (noh-DAH-chee) A large katana, like a greatsword.
ochimusha (oh-chee-MOO-sha) A dishonored warrior. For example, an outcast samurai.
oni (OH-nee) Demon. An oni is a kind of kami, bloodthirsty and bent on destruction.
orochi (oh-ROH-chee) Serpent. In Kamigawa, short for orochi-bito, meaning “snakefolk.”
sakura (SAH-koo-rah) Cherry. In Kamigawa, the tribe of orochi shamans is known as the Sakura Tribe.
sanzoku (SAHN-zoh-koo) A mountain bandit or brigand.
sensei (SEHN-say) Master. A term of respect used to refer to a teacher or master.
shaku (SHAH-koo) A smooth, flat, wooden ceremonial scepter of leadership.
soratami (soh-rah-TAH-mee) “Skyfolk.” Kamigawa’s race of aristocratic cloud-dwellers.
uba (OO-bah) Hag.
utsushiyo (oot-soo-SHEE-oh) The material world.
yamabushi (yah-mah-BOO-shee) “One who lies in mountains.” A mountain hermit who practices the ancient shamanic arts.
zubera (ZOO-beh-rah) The faceless kami of a human who has been pulled into the spirit world. Zubera are said to attack solitary travelers in order to steal their faces.