Translation guide
A ceremonial formation of people, often military, to honour a person or event. In Japanese, this is expressed with specific terms for the formation itself, and the concept is closely tied to formal ceremonies and state visits.
A formal line of soldiers, police, or other uniformed personnel assembled to greet and honour a dignitary or at a ceremonial event.
Refers specifically to the soldiers who form the guard of honour. This is the most direct and common term for the personnel.
The guard of honour lined up.
Refers to the unit or corps that performs the guard of honour duty. Often used for the group as a whole.
The guard of honour welcomed the president.
Literally 'honour salute', this refers to the ceremonial honours rendered, which includes the guard of honour. It is the broader ceremony rather than just the people.
A guard of honour was performed for the state guest.
A more formal or literary term for the ceremonial guard or the act of standing guard in honour. Often used in official contexts.
Soldiers mounting the guard of honour.
A group of people standing in lines to honour someone at a wedding, funeral, or other non-military event.
There is no single common term for a non-military guard of honour. Instead, describe the action or formation, e.g., 'lined up to honour', 'formed a guard of honour'.
The graduates formed a guard of honour to see off the teacher.
The players formed a guard of honour to honour their retiring teammate.
儀仗兵 (ぎじょうへい) refers to the individual soldiers, while 儀仗隊 (ぎじょうたい) refers to the unit. Use 儀仗兵 when focusing on the people, and 儀仗隊 when referring to the group as an entity.
Avoid directly translating 'guard of honour' as 名誉の警護 (めいよのけいご) or similar; it is not idiomatic. Stick to the established terms above.