foundation stone; cornerstone
soul; spirit; departed soul; ghost
enshrinement hall (of a buddha); temple; cathedral (esp. Catholic)
to protect; to guard; to defend; to keep (i.e. a promise); to abide (by the rules); to observe
standing on the balls of the feet; unsteady step; being unsettled; being restless; high volatility (in the market); severe fluctuation
floor; stage (for the narrator and the shamisen player); dining platform built across a river
profound; deep; deep (of a cave, etc.); innermost; interior
lineage; stock; descent; strain; blood relationship
painting red; vermillion lacquering
door; gate; opening; title page
(open) a little; slightly; narrowly; (cut) finely; thinly
curtain; hanging; bunting
light offered to a god or Buddha; votive light
first of nine traditional astrological signs (corresponding to Mercury and north); white patch on one foot of a horse; horse with such a patch; surface (landscape) that is white all over; pure white
tip of an ear (of wheat, etc.); tip (of a brush, spear, etc.); point; spearhead
soon; in a moment; nearby; close; direct; spot transaction
to shed light; to cast light
lotus flower; Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus); china spoon; lotus-shaped pedestal for a gravestone
white lotus; purity; pure heart
to compete; to contend; to vie; to contest
stairs; stairs at the front of a noh stage
to break; to fracture; to fold; to bend; to make (origami); to interrupt
first (of all); firstly; probably; most likely; more or less (satisfactory); on the whole
to assume the posture of praying; to press the palms and fingers of both hands together; to beg; to make a supplication; to see (something or someone of high status)
armpit; under one's arm; beside; close to; aside; to the side; off-track
common reed (Phragmites australis)
mat (made of pieces of split bamboo or reeds tied together)
good; excellent; fine; nice; pleasant; agreeable
decisively; decidedly; boldly; precisely; exactly
to give birth; to bear (child); to lay (eggs); to produce; to yield; to give rise to
being alone; solitude; loneliness; orphan
font of purifying water placed at the entrance of a shrine
body; physique; shape; form; substance; identity; field
Jizo (guardian deity of children); (image of) Khitigarbha-bodhisattva
the coming of Amida Buddha to welcome the spirits of the dead
dear me!; good gracious!; well; let me see; now
to exchange glances; to look at each other; to postpone; to put off; to contrast; to compare