noun
eastern Japan; the East
Archaic term for eastern Japan, especially the Kamakura/Edo area as seen from Kyoto or Nara. Now mainly historical or poetic.
昔、都の人々は東を遠い田舎のように思っていた。
Long ago, people in the capital thought of the East as a distant countryside.
noun
Archaic general word for 'east'. In modern Japanese, 東 is normally read ひがし.
古い歌に「東の野にかぎろひの立つ見えて」とある。
An old poem says, 'In the eastern fields, the glow of dawn is seen rising.'
noun
wagon; six-stringed zither
Abbreviation of 東琴 (あずまごと), an ancient six-stringed Japanese zither. Historical term.
See also: 東琴
東琴は、古くは単に「東」とも呼ばれた。
The azumagoto was also called simply 'azuma' in ancient times.
noun
Only when written 吾妻 / 吾嬬
Poetic or archaic term for one's spouse, using ateji 吾妻 or 吾嬬. Not used in modern conversation.
「吾妻」と書いて「あずま」と読ませ、妻を指すことがある。
The characters 吾妻 can be read as 'azuma' and refer to one's wife.
Ateji spelling used specifically for the 'my spouse' sense; also a place name.
Kana spelling is common in modern writing, especially for the regional name.
Alternate ateji spelling for the 'my spouse' sense.
The reading あずま is of uncertain origin. The kanji 東 is used for its meaning 'east'. The spellings 吾妻 and 吾嬬 are ateji for the 'spouse' sense.