такое кино
The River. Glossary
Shenbao (申报) — A daily newspaper published in Shanghai from April 30, 1872, to May 27, 1949.
Nanjing War Crimes Tribunal — Established in 1946 by Chiang Kai-shek’s government to try four officers of the Imperial Japanese Army accused of war crimes committed in Nanjing during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It was one of thirteen tribunals organized by the Nationalist government.
Shitamachi (下町) — Literally “Low City”: A historic, densely populated district of Tokyo traditionally inhabited by artisans, merchants, and the working class. It was completely obliterated in the firebombing of early March 1945.
Nanjing Massacre Memorial — A real-world memorial complex located in Nanjing, China, bearing the names of the 300,000 victims of the massacre.
Gendaitō (現代刀) — “Modern Sword”: In the context of this novel, a wooden training katana bearing the name of Emperor Hirohito.
Futon (布団) — A traditional Japanese quilted mattress laid directly on the floor for sleeping.
Hirohito (裕仁) — The 124th Emperor of Japan (1926–1989), and the last monarch of the Japanese Empire, which ceased to exist following its defeat in World War II. He served as the Generalissimo of the Japanese armed forces. Under the 1889 Meiji Constitution, the emperor held divine authority over the nation, derived from Shinto myths of the imperial family’s direct descent from the sun goddess, Amaterasu.
Bushido (武士道) — “The Way of the Warrior”: The traditional samurai code of honor and morals. In imperialist Japan, this code was heavily adapted and weaponized by the state to justify aggressive foreign expansion and extreme militarism.
Daimyō (大名) — “Great Name”: Powerful military feudal lords in medieval Japan; the absolute elite among the samurai class.
Noh Theater (能) — A form of classical Japanese musical drama characterized by its slow, stylized movements and the use of masks symbolizing absolute, frozen emotions.
Noren (暖簾) — Traditional Japanese fabric dividers hung in doorways, across windows, or between rooms to separate spaces.
Unagi (うなぎ) — The Japanese word for freshwater eel (Anguilla japonica), a highly prized and popular ingredient in Japanese cuisine.
Onigiri (お握り) — Traditional Japanese rice balls, often formed into triangular shapes and containing various fillings.
Umeboshi (梅干) — Intensely sour and salty pickled plums. A common filling for onigiri.
Dashi (だし) — A traditional Japanese stock that forms the fundamental flavor base for many dishes, including soups and sauces.
Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫) — The central figure of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (the Moon Princess). A Japanese folktale believed to have been created in the late 9th or early 10th century, considered the ancestor of all Japanese monogatari (narrative tales).
Tsuyoshi Inukai (犬養毅) — A liberal Japanese politician and Prime Minister (1855–1932). He was assassinated by radical naval officers during an attempted military coup.
Guntō (軍刀) — The standard-issue military sword provided to Imperial Japanese Army officers during the World War II era (1934–1945).
Banzai! (万歳) — Literally “Ten Thousand Years! (Long Live!)” Frequently used as an ultimate battle cry by charging Japanese soldiers.
Bokken (木剣) — A solid wooden training replica of a medieval Japanese sword (katana).
Shanxi (山西省) — A province in Northern China, which served as the site of fierce, protracted battles between 1937 and 1945.
House of Yamato (皇室) — The Japanese Imperial House, also known as the Imperial Family or the Yamato Dynasty.
Hakkō ichiu (八紘一宇) — “Eight Crown Cords, One Roof” (All the World Under One Roof). The primary political and philosophical slogan used to justify Japanese imperial expansion across Asia.
Manchukuo (满洲国) — A puppet empire established under the influence of the Japanese military administration in the region of Manchuria; it existed from March 1, 1932, to August 19, 1945.
Dragonfly (蜻蛉 / Tombo) — In Japanese culture, a symbol of the samurai. It was known as the “victory insect” (kachimushi) because it can only fly forward and never retreats.
Toshiaki Mukai (向井敏明) and Tsuyoshi Noda (野田毅) — Imperial Japanese officers who engaged in a notorious “contest” to see who could kill 100 people first using a sword. The “duel” took place en route to Nanjing, immediately preceding the Nanjing Massacre. Both men were extradited to China, tried, and executed by firing squad in 1948.
Seishiro Itagaki (板垣 征四郎) — A General in the Imperial Japanese Army, Minister of War (1885–1948), and one of the primary architects of the invasion of Manchuria. He was hanged at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo for war crimes.
The Girl in the Pit (Part Two, Chapter Three) — Chen Min, the mother of teacher Chen Wan, characters featured in the author’s interconnected works The Road of a Thousand Years and Paths.
Bukōkishō (武功徽章) — The Badge for Military Merit. The 3rd Class was awarded exclusively to enlisted ranks.
The Bombing of Tokyo, March 9–10, 1945 (Operation Meetinghouse) — During this raid, 334 B-29 bombers of the United States Army Air Forces dropped over 1,700 tons of incendiary bombs on the city, triggering a massive conflagration and firestorm. The bombing resulted in the deaths of an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 civilians, injured over 40,000, and left roughly one million people homeless.
Et victor, et victus… — A poem by Ōuchi Yoshitaka (1507–1551), a daimyo of Suō Province who lost an intra-clan conflict to a rival and committed ritual suicide:
Both the victor,
And the vanquished,
In the game of this world —
Are no more than a drop of dew,
Last no longer than a flash of lightning.