to darken one's face; to assume a gloomy look
pitch-dark; pitch-black; completely dark; very bleak (future); utterly hopeless
evening meal; supper; dinner
rumour; rumor; report; hearsay; gossip; common talk
means of making contact; intermediary; go-between; connections; influence; pull
important point; strategic position; key point
Edo-period business taxes
monetary offering (to a temple or shrine); form of Edo-period business tax
crop; harvest; income; profits; loaded (e.g. intermodal containers in the transport industry)
tolerable; passable; adequate; so-so
to cross (legs or arms); to link (arms); to put together; to construct; to braid; to plait; to grapple
crossing swords; competing against; contending with; fighting against
to make good; to improve; to do often; to be kind to; to treat well
originally; primarily; essentially; intrinsically; proper; rightful
inside an office, laboratory, power plant, etc.
money on hand; ready money; spending money; pocket money
labour; labor; effort; toil; trouble
to hurt; to injure; to harm; to damage; to worry; to bother
beyond one's control; nothing one can do
composition (of painting); structural outline; compositional arrangement
collection (of fees, taxes, etc.); levy
extent to which (something) is true or false; whether or not (something) is true
one night; one evening; all night; overnight
down-train; train heading toward the ending point of its route; down-slope; downward going; downbound (esp. away from Tokyo); downstream
most part; greater part; majority
inn town; post town; post-station town
land route; overland route; by land; overland
north-east; Tōhoku (northernmost six prefectures of Honshu); Tohoku
defense; defence; protection
conical hat (East-Asian style); coolie hat; something shaped like a conical hat or an umbrella; shade (of a lamp); mushroom cap
original; primitive; primary; fundamental; proto-
shop; store; someone who sells (something) or works as (something); someone with a (certain) personality trait; house; roof
hereditary daimyo whose ancestors supported Tokugawa Ieyasu prior to the battle of Sekigahara
substitution; replacement; shifting; change
to rule; to govern; to reign over; to subdue; to suppress; to quell
alone; by oneself; unaccompanied; unaided; single-handed; without one's family
highway (esp. one existing from the Edo period); main road; highway (e.g. to success); path (to becoming ...); subdistrict (in China)
along (a river, coast, railway, etc.); on (e.g. a street)
castle town; city in Japan that developed around the castle of a feudal lord
to hear a rumor; to get wind of
to go down and stand; to alight; to get down
inside of a castle; area surrounded by castle walls
to reach; to touch; to be delivered; to arrive; to be attentive; to be scrupulous
little while; short time; (arch.) an hour; half-hour; half an hour