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禁衛 (kinei) Japanese meaning: protecting the emperor | Kotomora

禁きん衛えい

き

ん

え

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

protecting the emperor; imperial guard

Historical term for guarding the emperor or the imperial palace; used in contexts of ancient or medieval Japanese court.

禁きん衛えいの任にんに就つく。
To assume the duty of protecting the emperor.

Kanji

禁prohibition, ban, forbid
衛defense, protection

Related words

近この衛え
近衛 refers to the imperial guards as an institution or a specific military unit, while 禁衛 emphasizes the act or duty of guarding the emperor.

Word family

禁きん衛えい隊たい

imperial guards

Etymology

Compound of 禁 (prohibition, imperial) and 衛 (defense, protection). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term is associated with ancient Japanese court systems.