天てん神じん

noun

heavenly god; deity of the heavens

Refers to gods residing in heaven, as opposed to earthly deities. Also pronounced てんしん in some contexts.

• 天てん神じん地ち祇ぎを祀まつる。

  They worship the heavenly gods and earthly deities.

noun

Tenjin; deified Sugawara no Michizane; Tenmangu shrine

Primarily refers to the deified spirit of Sugawara no Michizane, enshrined at Tenmangu shrines. Often used as a short name for the shrine itself.

• 天てん神じん様さまにお参まいりする。

  I visit the Tenjin shrine to pray.

• 天てん神じんは学がく問もんの神かみ様さまとして知しられている。

  Tenjin is known as the god of learning.

noun

dried plum pit; dried plum

Colloquial term for the pit of a dried plum (umeboshi), or sometimes the dried plum itself. Used in casual contexts.

See also: 梅干し

• 梅うめ干ぼしの天てん神じんを捨すてる。

  I throw away the pit of the dried plum.

noun

tenjin hairstyle

Abbreviation of 天神髷, a traditional hairstyle. Rare standalone use; mostly encountered in historical or cultural contexts.

See also: 天神髷

• 天てん神じん髷まげは江え戸ど時じ代だいの女じょ性せいの髪かみ型がたの一ひとつで、略りゃくして天てん神じんとも呼よばれた。

  The tenjin hairstyle was one of the women's hairstyles in the Edo period, sometimes abbreviated as tenjin.

noun

second-highest class prostitute (Edo period)

Historical term for a rank of prostitute in the Edo period. Not used in modern Japanese outside of historical references.

• 江え戸ど時じ代だいの遊ゆう郭かくでは、天てん神じんは高たかい位くらいの遊ゆう女じょだった。

  In the pleasure quarters of the Edo period, tenjin was a high-ranking courtesan.

noun

tuning peg (biwa or shamisen)

Specialized term for the tuning pegs of traditional Japanese string instruments like the biwa or shamisen. Also written 転軫.

See also: 転軫

• 三味線しゃみせんの天てん神じんを回まわして調ちょう弦げんする。

  I tune the shamisen by turning the tuning pegs.