kabura maki 蕪巻 ( かぶらまき ) - hemp or rattan wrapping below the blade of a yari or naginata in order to stop blood dripping onto the handle

kabuto 兜 ( かぶと ) - armored helmet

kabutowari 兜割り ( かぶとわり ) - sword-like weapon designed to crush armor; helmet splitter

kaeshiwaza 返し技 ( かえしわざ ) - techniques to reverse or escape techniques being applied to oneself

kaginawa 鉤縄 ( かぎなわ ) - hook and rope; grappling hook

kaiken 懐剣 ( かいけん ) - single or double-edged dagger without ornamental fittings housed in a plain mount

kaisho 楷書 ( かいしょ ) - square style of handwriting;

kaiten 回転 ( かいてん ) - roll done for ukemi

kakejiku 掛け軸 ( かけじく ) - hanging scroll

kakemono 掛物 ( かけもの ) - hanging scroll; scroll that is hung on the wall

kakushibuki 隠し武器 ( かくしぶき ) - concealed weapon

kama 鎌 ( かま ) - sickle

kamari かまり ( かまり ) - large group or team of ninja

kamari 屈 ( かまり ) - another term for ninja

kamayari 鎌槍 ( かまやり ) - spear with one or two curved secondary blades

kami 神 ( かみ ) - Shintou deities; god(s)

kamidana 神棚 ( かみだな ) - shelf on which the kamiza sits

kamiyo moji 神代文字 ( かみよもじ ) - form of writing possibly used before the adoption of Chinese characters

kamiza 神座 ( かみざ ) - usually a small, shelf-top shrine located in a doujou

kamiza 上座 ( かみざ ) - place of honor in the doujou; lit. high seat

kan 間 ( かん ) - scouting warriors; early term for ninja

kanabou 金棒 ( かなぼう ) - spiked or studded two-handed war club used in feudal Japan

kansetsuwaza 関節技 ( かんせつわざ ) - joint-locking technique

kanshi 間士 ( かんし ) - another term for ninja

kaou 花押 ( かおう ) - stylized mark used in place of a signature

kappou 活法 ( かっぽう ) - resucitation methods

kassen kumiuchi 合戦組討 ( かっせんくみうち ) - battlefield grappling

kata 型 ( かた ) - kata; arranged movement patterns

kata 形 ( かた ) - arranged movement patterns

katana 刀 ( かたな ) - long sword, usually worn blade-up in the belt

katana 釖 ( かたな ) - sword

katana kake 刀掛け ( かたなかけ ) - sword rack

katchuu 甲冑 ( かっちゅう ) - armor and helmet; fighting with armor

katchuu bujutsu 甲冑武術 ( かっちゅうぶじゅつ ) - fighting techniques while wearing armor

katchuushi 甲冑師 ( かっちゅうし ) - armorer

katsu 活 ( かつ ) - resucitation methods

katsujinken 活人剣 ( かつじんけん ) - life giving sword

kayakujutsu 火薬術 ( かやくじゅつ ) - skill with gunpowder; firearms; explosives

kazunuki 数抜き ( かずぬき ) - drawing and cutting with a sword 3,000, 10,000 or 30,000 times

keiko shoukon 稽古照今 ( けいこしょうこん ) - reflect on the old to understand the new

keikogi 稽古着 ( けいこぎ ) - gi; training uniform

ken 拳 ( けん ) - fist

ken 剣 ( けん ) - sword, usually straight-bladed, but can refer to any sword

kendou 剣道 ( けんどう ) - way of the sword; modern martial art of Japanese fencing

kenjutsu 剣術 ( けんじゅつ ) - techniques of the sword; swordsmanship

kenpou 剣法 ( けんぽう ) - sword methods

kenpou 拳法 ( けんぽう ) - unarmed fighting focusing on striking

keppan 血判 ( けっぱん ) - blood oath

keri 蹴 ( けり ) - kick

kesa giri 袈裟切り ( けさぎり ) - diagonal cut from shoulder to hip of target; refers to the kesa (stole) worn by Buddhist priests

kiai 気合 ( きあい ) - kiai; sprit shout

kigaku 気学 ( きがく ) - fortune telling based on Chinese twelve year cycle

kikimonoyaku 聞者役 ( ききものやく ) - another term for ninja

kikyo 跪居 ( ききょ ) - crouching posture with the heels lifted and weight on the toes

kime 極め ( きめ ) - focus

kirigami menjou 切り紙免状 ( きりがみめんじょう ) - classical license on a simple piece of folded Japanese paper

kishoumon 起請文 ( きしょうもん ) - vow on entering a classical tradition

kissaki 切っ先 ( きっさき ) - point of sword

kissaki 切先 ( きっさき ) - point of sword

kitenken 起転拳 ( きてんけん ) - strike with the side of the hand; shutou

kodachi 小太刀 ( こだち ) - short sword; wakizashi

kogatana 小刀 ( こがたな ) - short sword or small knife

kogusoku 古具足 ( こぐそく ) - grapplingl; usually in armor

koiguchi 鯉口 ( こいぐち ) - mouth of a sword scabbard

kojiri 鐺 ( こじり ) - tip or bottom of sword scabbard

kokorogamae 心構え ( こころがまえ ) - preparedness; readiness; lit "kamae of the heart"

koku 石 ( こく ) - traditional Japanese unit of measure; usually used to measure income; amount of rice that will feed one person for a year

kokyuu hou 呼吸法 ( こきゅうほう ) - breathing methods

kongojou 金剛杖 ( こんごうじょう ) - a staff carried by yamabushi similar to the shakujou

koppou 骨法 ( こっぽう ) - knack; essence; bone-breaking methods

koppouken 骨法拳 ( こっぽうけん ) - thumb knuckle strike

koshi no mawari 腰の周り ( こしのまわり ) - generic term for grappling

kosshijutsu 骨指術 ( こっしじゅつ ) - muscle striking art

kote 小手 ( こて ) - forearm; wrist; armored forearm protectors

kotou ryuu koppoujutsu 虎倒流骨法術 ( ことうりゅうこっぽうじゅつ ) - koppoujutsu tradition studied in the Bujinkan

koubou itchi 攻防一致 ( こほういっち ) - attack and defense are one

kouga 甲賀 ( こうが ) - region of Japan known for being the home of many ninja groups

kouhai 後輩 ( こうはい ) - junior; person of lower rank

kuden 口伝 ( くでん ) - oral transmission; teachings that are not written in densho or makimono

kuji 九字 ( くじ ) - nine signs; mudra used in esoteric Buddhism

kuji goshin hou 九字護身法 ( くじごしん法 ) - mudra originally from esoteric Buddhism used in bujutsu

kumanote 熊の手 ( くまのて ) - another term for shukou or tekagi lit. bear claws

kumiuchi 組討 ( くみうち ) - grappling

kumiuchi 組み打ち ( くみうち ) - grappling

kurigata 栗型 ( くりがた ) - sageo hole in saya

kusa 草 ( くさ ) - another term for ninja

kusarigama 鎖鎌 ( くさりがま ) - chain and sickle weapon

kusazuri 草摺 ( くさずり ) - tassets; armored thigh protectors

kuukan 空間 ( くうかん ) - space; room

kuwagata 鍬形 ( くわがた ) - decorative crest on kabuto; lit.: hoe-shapes

kyojitsu 虚実 ( きょじつ ) - truth and falsehood

kyojitsu tenkan hou 虚実転換法 ( きょじつてんかんほう ) - interchanging truth and falsehood

kyoketsu shoge 距跋渉毛 ( きょけつしょうげ ) - weapon consisting of a hooked dagger, a long rope and a weighted ring

kyoudan 郷談 ( きょうだん ) - another term for ninja

kyoudou 郷導 ( きょうどう ) - another term for ninja

kyuuba 弓馬 ( きゅうば ) - archery and horsemanship

kyuuba souken 弓馬槍剣 ( きゅうばそうけん ) - archery, horsemanship, spearsmanship, and swordsmanship; martial arts in general

kyuuba tousou 弓馬刀槍 ( きゅうばとうそう ) - archery, horsemanship, spearsmanship, and swordsmanship; martial arts in general

kyuusho 急所 ( きゅうしょ ) - weak point; pressure point