武神館. If you’re a member of the Bujinkan you see these kanji all the time. I know I have. I’ve been in the Bujinkan since 2007, but I’m ashamed to say that I’ve never really paid attention to these kanji until recently. As I’m sure we all know these kanji read bu 武 jin 神 kan 館. We usually see just the first two, as they are the kanji on our uniform patch and in most logo displays. It’s time to take a closer look at these kanji.
武 bu
This is the stroke order for this kanji:
The first stroke is of course the “one” radical 一. Strokes three through six form the “stop” radical 止 (tomeru とめる). Its onyomi is “bu” ブ and “mu” ム. I couldn’t find any kunyomi. It seems that most online kanji dictionaries use katakana for the onyomi pronunciation and hiragana for the kunyomi.
This kanji 武 means “martial, manly, strong, powerful, mighty, brave, power of fighting”, and all the compounds I’ve found for this kanji retain the idea of martial or military arts. For example, 武術 (bujutsu ぶじゅつ) “martial arts, military arts”, 武装する (busou suru ぶそうする) “to arm oneself”, 演武 (enbu えんぶ) “military show or exercises”, and 影武者 (kagemusha かげむしゃ) “a general’s body double”(literally “shadow warrior”). 武 is the “mu” in “musha dori” 武者捕 and “muso dori” 武双捕.
神 shin (jin)
This is the stroke order for this kanji:
As best as I can tell from the information I’ve found, the first four strokes 礻 are a variation of the “show” or “worship” radical 示 (shimesu しめす). The onyomi are “shin” シン and “jin” ジン, and the kunyomi include “kami” かみ, “kan” かん, and “kou” こう.
This kanji 神 means “God, the Divinity, the Lord, a goddess, a deity”, and its various compounds usually connote the idea of something religious or mystical. Examples include 神学 (shingaku しんがく) “theology”, 神道 (shintou しんとう) “Shinto, the Shinto religion”, 神社 (jinja じんじゃ) “a Shinto shrine”, 神棚 (kamidana かみだな) “household Shinto shrine, shelf shrine”, and the infamous “kamikaze” 神風 (kamikaze かみかぜ) which means “divine wind”. Most Christian sects in Japan refer to God as 神様 (kamisama かみさま).
館 kan
This is the stroke order for this kanji:
The first eight strokes are a slight variation of the nine stroke radical for “food” 食 (shiyoku しよく). Its onyomi is “kan” カン, and its kunyomi is “yakata” やかた.
This kanji means “a mansion, a palace, a castle”. When compounded with other kanji it usually retains the connotation of having to do with a building or establishment. 図書館 (toshokan としょかん) “a library”, 水族館 (suizokukan すいぞくかん) “an aquarium”, 旅館 (ryokan りょかん) “Japanese inn”, as well as the phrases あの館の住人 (ano yakata no juunin あのやかたのじゅうにん) “dwellers of that palace” and 館内 (kannai かんない) “in the building” all serve as good examples.
武神館 Bujinkan
Taken together these kanji mean “palace of the divine warrior” or “hall of the warrior god”. Interestingly, these two kanji 武神 (pronounced “bushin” ぶしん) literally mean “god of military arts”. I don’t know if pronouncing it “bujin” ぶじん changes the meaning. The Bujinkan is Soke’s creation, so only he could say what is his intended meaning with the use of these kanji. I’m sure he’s written or spoken about it, I just don’t know where that little tidbit can be found. Any suggestions would be most welcome in the comments field below. From an etymological point of view one could argue for either a “warrior god” or “divine or holy warrior” interpretation. The Bujinkan could be a place where one learns the art of the “warrior god” or learns how to become a “divine warrior”. Again this is me just surmising. I kind of like “divine warrior” though. Sounds cool.
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