advance guard; vanguard; athlete who competes in the first match of a team competition (kendo, judo, etc.)
Fukushima (city, prefecture)
to exchange (messages, greetings, arguments, etc.); to intersect; to cross; ... with one another; ... to each other
to change sides; to double-cross; to betray; to roll over (in bed); to turn over
careful; thorough; meticulous; scrupulous
laying the groundwork; behind-the-scenes maneuvering; consensus-building process; digging around the roots of a tree (before transplanting)
to be worried; to be troubled
pressing; urging; demanding; demand
beacon; skyrocket; signal fire; starting shot; starting signal
escape; flight; running away; elopement; fleeing
dry riverbed; river beach
to take more time than expected; to take a long time; to be delayed
the House of Tokugawa; the Tokugawas
on purpose; deliberately; intentionally
to delay; to postpone; to put off; to slow down; to hold up; to retard
preservation; retainment; keeping
great hurry; great haste; rush
another; one more; not quite; not very good; lacking
roofed mud wall around a villa or temple
siege; encirclement; envelopment; surrounding; besiegement
expectation; anticipation; prediction; forecast; conjecture
to exceed (esp. figures: profits, unemployment rate, etc.); to surpass; to be more than; to be better than
fast; quick; early (in the day, etc.); premature; (too) soon; not yet
decisive battle of brief duration
to explain adequately; to be accountable
reduction; decrease; subtraction; (arch.) reduction of penalty (under the ritsuryo codes)
forced relocation of a daimyo to a different domain by the Edo shogunate
feudal system of the shogunate and domains
rail (track); (curtain) rail; track (for a sliding door); groundwork; spadework
seductive; carnal; troubling; difficult; anxious; uneasy
running (for election); coming forward as a candidate; going on horseback; going in person; (arch.) letting out a horse; (arch.) taking out a horse
indication; sign; hint; tone (of the market)
while it may be true that; just because; nevertheless; not necessarily
to rustle; to sway; to stir; to flutter
here; this place; this point; here; these past ... (e.g. three years); these last ...
to seal (letter); to prevent; to forbid; to block