stopping a sword stroke between one's bare hands
dry riverbed; river beach
miscreant; scoundrel; villain
to get; to secure; to learn; to master; to complete
to be of benefit; to be useful; to be good for you
house (e.g. of Tokugawa); family
to study; to complete (a course); to order (one's life); to repair (a fault one has committed)
family; clan; sect; school; group of related sumo stables
Kansai; region consisting of Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto and surrounding prefectures; Kansai; south-western half of Japan (during the feudal era)
one's family register; one's domicile; nationality; membership (club, party, etc.)
public entertainment; performing arts; accomplishments; attainments
after school (at the end of the day)
investigation (e.g. by police or prosecutors); examination; inquiry; enquiry
penalty; sentence; punishment
good fortune; happiness; blessing; good luck
quiet unsociable person; obstinate person; blockhead
public road; highway; righteousness; justice; right path
zero; 0; nought; nothing; zilch
owner; possessor; holder; carrier
firm; strong; solid; stable
to go before; to precede; to forestall; to anticipate
to approach; to draw near; to get close; to get acquainted with; to get closer to; to get to know
strategic arrangement of go stones; opening moves; preparation; preparatory steps; groundwork
double-edged; double-edged blade
vulnerability; weakness; fragility
chasing too far; pursuing relentlessly
thing that should be (carefully) avoided; no-no; thing to definitely not do; something forbidden; taboo
mystery novel; detective novel; whodunit
revealing something that was foreshadowed earlier in the story
to collect (e.g. one's thoughts); to get in order