- aristocracy: a ruling class of nobel families
- calligraphy: descriptive or imaginative language
- courtier: a member of a ruler's court
- cultural diffusion: the spread of cultural elements from one society to another
- daimyo: a local lord
- elements of culture: peoples' ideas, objects, and customs
- Heian Period: Japan's Golden Age of Peace
- imperial: belonging or related to an emperor
- kamakazes: suicide pilots during WWII
- kana: Japanese way of writing, "borrowed letters"
- martial arts: styles of fighting or self-defense
- meditation: a spritual discipline that involves deep relaxation
- pagoda: a tower-shaped structure with several stories and roofs
- Prince Shotoku: first prince of Japan, 593 C.E.
- regent: one who rules in the name of another
- samurai: powerful warrior class, "those who serve"
- shogun: the head of the military government
- Siddhartha Guatama: the founder of Buddhism