Only with reading あずさ / アズサ
A tree species (Betula grossa) native to Japan. Often written in kana as あずさ.
See also: ヨグソミネバリ
Only with reading あずさ / アズサ
A tree species (Catalpa ovata), also known as キササゲ. The wood was historically used for bows and printing blocks.
See also: キササゲ
Only with reading あずさ / アズサ
A plant species (Mallotus japonicus), also called 赤芽柏. Less commonly referred to as 梓.
See also: 赤芽柏
printing block
Refers to a woodblock used for printing, traditionally made from catalpa wood. This sense is not restricted to a specific reading.
They printed sutras using printing blocks made of catalpa wood.
catalpa bow
Only with reading あずさ
Abbreviation of 梓弓 (あずさゆみ), a bow made from catalpa wood. Used in classical poetry and literature.
See also: 梓弓
catalpa medium
Only with reading あずさ
Abbreviation of 梓巫女 (あずさみこ), a female medium who used a catalpa bow in rituals. Historical term.
See also: 梓巫女
The Japanese cherry birch is a deciduous tree that grows in mountainous areas.
The yellow catalpa is also called 梓, and its wood has been used for making bows since ancient times.
The Japanese mallotus is sometimes considered a type of 梓.
Many poems in the Man'yōshū mention the catalpa bow.
The catalpa medium is said to have conveyed divine messages using a catalpa bow.
赤芽柏 is the common name for the Japanese mallotus plant, whereas 梓 is a rarer, classical alternative name for the same species.
origin; source; beginning · basis; base; foundation; root · cause; source of trouble · ingredient; base; mix; stock · one's side; one's place; near someone · capital; principal; cost price · base of a plant; root; tree trunk · part held in the hand; handle end · first three lines of a waka · counter for plants or trees · counter for falcons
Standard kanji spelling for the tree names and derived uses. The reading し is rare and not used for the common senses.
The tree senses are usually written in kana. This kana spelling is common for the plant names.
Katakana spelling sometimes used for the plant names, especially in botanical contexts.
The kanji 梓 originally referred to the catalpa tree in Chinese, and the Japanese word あずさ was applied to several native trees with similar uses. The reading し is the on'yomi and is rarely used.