the daimyo of a feudal domain owned by a Tokugawa family branch
the best medicine (i.e. sake)
good wine makes good blood; sake is the best of all medicines
lighter; (small) cargo vessel
the last drop makes the cup run over; too much of a good thing; less is more
Boshin War (Japanese civil war between Imperial and shogunate forces; 1868-1869)
fifth month of the lunar calendar; satsuki azalea (Rhododendron indicum)
hereditary daimyo (whose ancestors supported Tokugawa Ieyasu prior to the battle of Sekigahara)
revere the Emperor; expel the western barbarians (19th century slogan)
to boil well; to stew; to simmer (for a long time); to cook (various ingredients) together
to have grown tense (of a situation); to have become critical (and to be on the verge of a major upheaval)
already; as early as; at the earliest; at the soonest
Shōgitai (group of former Tokugawa retainers opposed to the Meiji government and fought in the battle of Ueno)
rule over the whole country
around the end of (a period of time)
(a place) out of one's reach
fateful; decisive (e.g. war)
first water drawn from a well on New Year's Day
dying of illness; dying of natural causes
sensible; perceptive; quick to understand; understanding; sympathetic