stencil dyeing produced with various shades of indigo
woven mat (of sedge, hay, etc.)
sparsely; drop-by-drop; on par with; as good as; (vertical) iteration mark used to represent repetition of the previous kanji (to be read using its kun'yomi)
Boshin War (Japanese civil war between Imperial and shogunate forces; 1868-1869)
Earth Dragon (5th year of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1928, 1988, 2048)
businessman with political ties
courtier; noble; people serving the Imperial Court
knowledge applied to evil purposes
growth; development; one's early life; upbringing; personal history
by (from) choice; by (for) preference; of one's own accord; of one's (own) free will; on purpose; deliberately
exemplar; model; example; pattern
Shōgitai (group of former Tokugawa retainers opposed to the Meiji government and fought in the battle of Ueno)
Emperor Meiji (1852-1912, reigned 1867-1912); Emperor Mutsuhito
area on Japan Sea side of Japan, including Niigata
scent bag; sachet; scent gland
being battlewise; being skilled in battle; experienced warrior
old saying; old expression; old language; ancient language; archaic word
nursing; (protective) care
Genji (the character in the Genji Monogatari); the Minamoto family
origin; beginning; genesis; primeval; primordial; primitive
to grow; to develop; to grow up
to guess; to sense; to presume; to sympathize with; to sympathise with
to take the blame; to take responsibility; to assume liability; to bear the burden
Ōu (the two former provinces of Mutsu and Dewa); Tōhoku
losing initiative; being forestalled; second move (in go or shogi); moving second; rear guard
weight (e.g. paperweight); pressing down; keeping control; exercising authority; having self-control; exercising self-discipline
flat-iron; soldering iron; crimper; curling tongs; trowel
to sell (well); to be well known; to be popular; to be famous
I don't need it; I don't want it
various fiefdoms; various domains
beginning; start; first (in line, etc.); origin; such as ...; not to mention ...