preparation; arrangements; provision; getting ready; laying out (e.g. a meal)
brother-in-law (spouse's older brother or older sister's husband); older stepbrother
to smile broadly; to grin widely
family; members of a family
biological younger brother
reddish tinge; tinge of red; slight redness; reddishness; blush
aizuchi; back-channeling; interjections indicating that one is paying attention; two smiths hammering at an object in turn
step; stride; counter for steps
very loose; slowly; leisurely
flapping (of a flag, fan, etc.); fluttering; pitter-patter (of footsteps); quickly (making progress); in quick succession
to go out to meet; to receive; to welcome; to accept (e.g. as a member of a group or family); to call for; to summon
mixture; jumble; cord made by entwining threads of various colours
to keep one's feet on the ground; to be down to earth
previous day; day before; eve; prior day; preceding day
slope; incline; hill; milestone; (age) mark
daytime; position of the Sun
family positioned to accede to the shogunate
receiving; welcoming; going to meet; final call; call of fate; approach of death
full dress; formal dress; uniform
eboshi; black-lacquered headgear (made of silk, cloth or paper) originally worn by court nobles in ancient Japan
earnestly; immediately; exactly
zigzag-shaped paper streamer often used to adorn Shinto-related objects; hornbeam (deciduous tree in the birch family)
traditional cap worn by Shinto clergy and courtiers; crown; diadem; top kanji radical; first verse of a haikai, etc.; best; peerless
everyday robes worn by males of the imperial family, nobility, etc. (from the Heian period onward)
either way; in any case; one way or another
to learn; to acquire knowledge; to carry; to wear (clothes, etc.); to put on
successive generations; hereditary daimyo (whose ancestors supported Tokugawa Ieyasu prior to the battle of Sekigahara)
brush tip; first on a list; head; chief
running about; making every effort; being busily engaged (in something); good offices
garden; yard; courtyard; field (of action); area
lunch; midday meal; food served at a tea party (tea ceremony)
to descend (e.g. a mountain); to go down; to alight (e.g. from bus); to get off; to step down; to retire; to be granted
futility; waste; uselessness; pointlessness; idleness
branches and leaves; foliage; unimportant details; nonessentials; side issue
green; greenery (esp. fresh verdure)
sometimes; at intervals; occasionally; on occasion; from time to time
crowd of people; great number of people; in great numbers
central corridor; middle corridor