snell (fishing); leader; trace; cast
foothold; footing; toehold; stepping stone
again and again; repeatedly
demand; firm request; requisition; requirement; desire
opposition; resistance; antagonism; reverse; opposite; inverse
floor; stage (for the narrator and the shamisen player); dining platform built across a river
distant land; remote country; province far from the capital
letter; note; epistle; correspondence
everlasting; eternal; continued; unchanging
president (of a nation); big man; boss; buddy
to say; to tell (somebody); to state
practice; training; drill; (an) exercise; workout
gift; boon; (good) result; fruit (e.g. of one's efforts)
gradually (progress into a state); in sequence; in order; in turn
to establish an emotional bond with; to reach out to; to relate to
Matsudaira Yoshinaga (1828-1890)
errand; mission; messenger; bearer; familiar spirit
wall; partition; barrier; obstacle; Chinese "Wall" constellation (one of the 28 mansions)
to take advantage of someone's kindness or patience; to get carried away; to be elated; to get puffed up (with pride); to push one's luck; to get cocky
1,000,000; one million; million; many
ronin; masterless samurai; high school graduate waiting for another chance to enter university after having failed the yearly entrance examination; person out of work; jobless person; (arch.) wanderer
chōnin (Edo-period social class of town-dwelling commoners, esp. landowning merchants); townspeople; townsfolk; tradespeople
to take someone along; to be accompanied (by)
unreliable; undependable; helpless; forlorn; worried; uneasy
to keep within limits (e.g. spending); to restrain (e.g. emotions); to control; to hold back (e.g. an enemy); to check; to curb
poisoning; kill by poison
to place (in position); to fix; to install; to seat (someone); to settle (upon something); to fix (e.g. one's gaze)
to spread rumors; to spread rumours
himself; yourself; herself
towards (a destination); for the purpose of; with the goal of; targeting (a group, a demographic)
to feel like it; to get to think that way; to become so minded
speaking of; (I told you) already; come on
I wonder; do you think?; I might; some kind; some stage; somehow
to shut oneself in (e.g. one's room); to be confined in; to be filled with (emotion, enthusiasm, etc.); to fill the room (of a gas, smell, etc.); to be heavy with (e.g. smoke); to be muffled (e.g. voice); to hold (a castle, fortress, etc.)
end; finish; bounds; limits; delivery date (of a futures contract); finale (of a noh song); end of an act (in jōruri or kabuki)
speech and behaviour (behavior)
completion; finish; workmanship; result; outcome