grunion silver fish the size of sardines which swim ashore in high tide to spawn in wet sand at the full of the moon and are caught by hand or in a net.
kabuki a popular, stylized Japanese theater performance featuring melodramatic colorful costumes, wigs, makeup, posturing, singing, and dancing.
Maryknoll the popular name for the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America.
catechism a specified list of questions and answers which teaches the principles of Catholicism.
swagger stick a metal-tipped baton carried by military officers as a symbol of authority.
Commodore Perry an American naval officer who opened Japan's ports to Westerners.
Miya-jima an island twelve miles south of the city of Hiroshima.
Niigata a coastal city on the island of Honshu about 100 miles north of Tokyo.
Nippon Japanese for "Japan."
Ty Cobb A famed outfielder and base stealer for the Detroit Tigers from 1905 to 1926, he was the first baseball star honored at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Wakatsuki Ko Using her father's full name, the author illustrates the Oriental practice of placing the family name before the given name.
