shamisen; samisen; three-stringed Japanese lute
being driven into a corner; having no way out; being caught between a rock and a hard place
object or shape that symbolizes the vow of a buddha or bodhisattva to save all life
sagohachi-zuke; vegetables, seafood, or mushrooms pickled in a sagohachi base, local dish of Fukushima, Yamagata, and Akita prefectures
time; meeting; coming together; equality, warning, or riddance of hindrances (esp. in esoteric Buddhism as vows of the buddhas and bodhisattvas)
Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes); wren
burning of New Year's gate decorations (usu. on the 15th day of the New Year)
a god of food; Inari (god of harvests); Uka-no-Mitama (god of food, esp. rice)