Welcome to the Nihongo Lesson feature. We strive to give you useful manga-based Japanese language tips and maybe even a glimpse into the translation process. This week's lesson will keep the focus on Kishimoto Sensei's work with some terms from Naruto. With the new Naruto app available for free download and the Boruto movie in theaters, the series is still going strong!

GEIJUTSU (げいじゅつ)

GEIJUTSU means "art." If you’ve been checking out the Jump Back the last few weeks, you'll know that art is very important to the characters in these chapters. Deidara and Sasori are basically competing artists with different opinions on what makes true art. Deidara favors the view that art is fleeting beauty, while Sasori thinks art is something that lasts forever. Their debate on the topic continues throughout their lives and even after they die! This doesn’t seem like an appropriate topic for a shonen manga, but that's what makes Kishimoto Sensei such a great writer! Deidara’s catch phrase—"Art is an explosion!"—comes from a real-life artist named Taro Okamoto. Such a perfect line for Deidara, an artist who uses actual explosions in his art.

OHAKO (十八番)

OHAKO is the name of Deidara’s best attack. He calls it his specialty. OHAKO basically means your best technique or art. However, it literally means "number 18." So why did it come to take on this meaning? There appears to be a number of reasons for this. The number 18 has significance in varying fields, such as Kabuki theater, Buddhist scripture and ancient Japanese martial arts. However, when it comes to Deidara, the most important explanation for OHAKO might be that in the Edo era, great pieces of artwork were placed in tea boxes (OHAKO).

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