laconic; of few words; reticent; quiet
eccentricity; eccentric behaviour
odd; strange; queer; peculiar
truth; reality; sincerity; honesty; content; substance
since when; from when; how long
when one was a very young child; very early in one's life
to hide; to keep to oneself
ruler's orders; master's orders
successive generations; hereditary daimyo (whose ancestors supported Tokugawa Ieyasu prior to the battle of Sekigahara)
whereabouts; place; location; place where one belongs; where one fits in; place where one can be oneself
to let go of; to release; to part with (e.g. a possession); to relinquish; to send away (e.g. one's child); to let go
to recommend; to endorse (e.g. a candidate); to infer (from); to deduce; to think (something) through; to ponder deeply
betrothal; wedding; marriage into a family; adoption
one's house; one's home; one's family
-ical; -ive; -like; -ish; (something) like; along the lines of
to balance; to be in harmony; to be in equilibrium; to suit; to go well together; to be a good match
(crop) yield; stipend (orig. assessed on the basis of a crop); salary
appointing to a responsible post; making much of
charge; cost; generation; age; era; a representative of; on behalf of
government service; entering government service; (of a ronin) finding a new lord or master to serve
ditch; drain; groove; tread; gap (between people, countries, etc.); gulf
solid; firm; steady; unshakeable; unwavering
(social) position; status
establishment; settlement
dagger; stiletto; confidant; right-hand man
what I want to say is ...; the fact of the matter is ...; none other than ...
it was, wasn't it?; must have been; I think (it was); how might it have been?
recuperation; medical treatment
bedside; near one's pillow
to approach; to draw near
to fall fast asleep; to be confined to one's bed; to be laid up
to be complete; to be all present; to be equal; to be uniform; to gather; to assemble
to have a meal; to take a meal
men and women; man and woman; both sexes; both genders
seat; location (of a gathering, etc.); place; position; post