no matter what it takes; by any means necessary; at all costs; by hook or by crook
guard; protector; defensive armament; personal armor (armour)
tatami mat; Japanese straw floor coverings
thickness; profundity; depth
palatial residence; stately mansion
putting money aside; savings; deposit (e.g. in a bank); accumulated surplus of wins; wins in the bank
large number (of); many; majority
reward; honorarium; remuneration
including; inclusive of; komi; extra points given to the white player as compensation for playing second (in go)
(Ogura) Hyakunin Isshu; classical Japanese anthology of one hundred Japanese waka by one hundred poets; hyakunin isshu karuta; hyakunin isshu poetry cards
karuta; traditional Japanese playing cards
pain; ache; soreness; damage; injury; wear
shuffle (of playing cards, etc.); rearranging (in a random order); shaking (a container to mix ingredients, etc.)
kamishibai; storytelling with pictures; form of Japanese street theater and storytelling (popular from the 1930s to the 1950s)
to speak one's mind; to be frank; to tell the truth
story; tale; narrative; account; fable; legend
Urashima Tarō; (a) Rip van Winkle; fairy-tale fisherman who, after visiting the underwater Palace of the Dragon King, returns centuries later
Kintarō; hero boy of Japanese folklore, who befriended animals and had supernatural strength; Kintarō doll (usu. having a plump red face, carrying an axe, and wearing a red apron); diamond-shaped apron
encouragement; inspiration; rousing; stirring up; raising (e.g. morale)
central stalk of a dried rice plant
millionaire; one's superior; one's elder; (arch.) virtuous and gentle person; (arch.) female owner of a whorehouse in a post town; (arch.) chief of a post town
Kaguya-Hime (main character of Taketori Monogatari); Princess Kaguya
arrangement (music, objects, etc.); organization; adaptation
to raise; to elevate; to do up (one's hair); to fly (a kite, etc.); to launch (fireworks, etc.); to land (a boat); to show someone (into a room)
work (e.g. of art); production; harvest; cultivation; technique
ticktock; chinking (e.g. of a hammer against rock); knocking; dry and hard; (frozen) stiff; hidebound
grandmother; old woman; female senior citizen
opening to the public; making available to the public; putting on display; exhibiting; showing (play, movie, etc.); holding (interview, etc.)
pushing back one's opponent while locked in close quarters; having a tendency towards; being close to
to pull into; to draw in; to bring in; to win over
monkey (esp. the Japanese macaque, Macaca fuscata); ape; sly person; idiot; hick; sliding wooden bolt (for holding a door or window shut); clasp used to control the height of a pot-hook
battle; fight; fighting; engagement; contest
ill will; spite; bad meaning; mala fides; bad faith; malice
Japanese chestnut (Castanea crenata)
personality; character; individuality; personhood
Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki); Chinese persimmon; kaki
indeed; really; absolutely; truly; actually; very
onigiri; rice ball (often triangular, sometimes with a filling and wrapped in nori)
kaki; Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki)