class (of students); group (of people); party; lot; bunch; crime family; organized-crime syndicate
Kazusa (former province located in the central part of present-day Chiba Prefecture)
straw bag; sack; bale; counter for sacks (of rice, potatoes, coal, etc.)
wet nurse; nursing mother
nursemaid; nanny; babysitter; child-minding; babysitting
precious; valuable; priceless; noble; exalted; sacred
friend; ally; supporter; taking sides with; supporting; standing by
to bury; to inter; to entomb; to cover up; to hush up; to shelve
so; therefore; accordingly; like I said; I told you already
sweet half sake; sweet drink made from fermented rice
to become better; to improve
manuscript; version; draft
Chiba prefecture (Kanto area)
you; buddy; monarch; ruler; he; she
Tsu (city in Mie); harbour; harbor; ferry
chest; coffer; rice tub; lidded round, wooden container for cooked rice
character (esp. kanji); letter; handwriting; penmanship; the ... word (e.g. "the L word" = "love")
stand; rack; support; holder; counter for machines, incl. vehicles; setting (e.g. in jewellery); level (e.g. price level)
safe, easy childbirth; guardian bodhisattva, buddha or deity of children or childbirth (esp. Ksitigarbha or Avalokitesvara)
to fertilize; to fertilise; to manure; to enrich
beginning; outset; first; onset
gradually; by degrees; little by little; steps; stairs; staircase
pine tree (Pinus spp.); highest (of a three-tier ranking system)
as one wishes; the way one wants; to one's satisfaction
to live; to exist; to make a living; to subsist; to be in effect; to be in use
inside; within; while (e.g. one is young); during; among; amongst; in (secret, chaos, poverty, etc.)
to suffer; to groan; to be worried
consideration; guess; conjecture; judgment; judgement
immediately; right away; at once; instantly
to rescue from; to help out of; to save
to believe; to believe in; to place trust in; to confide in; to have faith in
Shimōsa (former province located in parts of present-day Chiba, Ibaraki, Saitama and Tokyo prefectures)
stinging hair (of a nettle, caterpillar, etc.)
-ness; indicates assertion; come; come now
thin; pale; light; watery; thin; weak (taste, etc.); little (affection, etc.) not much (of a presence)
castle site; ruins of a castle
to be separated; to be apart; to leave; to go away; to leave (a job, etc.); to quit
the Dragon (fifth sign of the Chinese zodiac); hour of the Dragon (around 8am, 7-9am, or 8-10am); east-southeast; third month of the lunar calendar