translations, please

[solypsist]

Hey guys I was just reading a a little book and came across some words used in context, but now I'm curious about more accurate interpretations. See if you can help:

What is a jizamurai?

and kokujin?

thanks

[Kurando]

Jizamurai - Farmer samurai.

Kokujin - I think this is just a common name, but if there is a literal translation I'm not sure what it means. -I wish FWS was here.

[Ii Naomasa]

Depending on how it was written, 'kokujin' could mean a black person, as in of African descent. I've seen that reference before, but it may not be the only one.

Unfortunately, I only know enough Japanese to know I'll never know enough.

[Kanji]

jizamurai - samurai who was born and lived in the village

kokujin -
1) people who belong the province
(=kokunin) 2) Lord who settles in the same land from generation to generation ( shugo)
('shugo' is a lord who came from the outside)
3) Person who belongs to Negroid (a black person)

I referred to a famous dictionary of Japan named Koujien.
I wonder whether you understood my explanation because I am weak in English.

[solypsist]

hey thanks.

[FwSeal]

By the 16th Century, kokujin, in the broadest sense, came to mean almost any landed family with long-standing ties to the area they inhabited - often back to the 12th Century. These families were often very protective of their local rights and authority - gaining their support was one of the toughest tasks any daimyo was likely to face in building a stable domain. As Kanji's post indicates, the 'men of the province' ('koku' being written with the same charactor as 'kuni', or province; 'jin'= 'men') concept distinguished them from the shugo, who might come and go over the years.

[Tachikaze]

Kanji,

Wakarimashita. Jôzu desu ne.

[This message has been edited by Tachikaze (edited 11-28-2000).]

[Kanji]

Tachikaze,
Anata koso. (you, too)

I was surprised at knowledgeable in other threads of FwSeal.
Rekishi-Gunzo is a famous, maniac book.