honorific/polite/humble prefix; honorific suffix
(your) business; (your) concern; (customer's) order; official business (of the government, Imperial Court, etc.); arrest; capture
presence (of a nobleman, the emperor, etc.); outrider (person riding horseback in the lead position of a cavalcade); My Lord; My Lady
I'm sorry; my apologies; may I come in?; permission; leave; dismissal
another's parent; another's parents
personage; person (deserving of respect)
purveyor (to the Imperial Household, etc.); company (or restaurant, place, etc.) that caters to or is popular with a specific clientele
imperial palace (esp. Kyoto Imperial Palace); imperial residence; residence of a shogun, minister, etc.; emperor; ex-emperor; empress
feast; treating (someone); to treat (someone, e.g. to a meal)
(please) try to; (please) look; seeing; looking
emperor (of Japan); mikado; (the gates of an) imperial residence
knowing; (an) acquaintance
game (contest) held in the presence of a lord (daimyo, shogun)
master; Your lordship; My lord; husband
trouble (I have put you through); (your) hard work; thank you for your hard work; I appreciate your efforts
humour; humor; safety; health; in a good mood; in high spirits
leading figure; influential figure; mogul
(please) look; see; (please) try to do
your husband; her husband
three branch Tokugawa families (Owari, Kii, and Mito); big three; top three
spirit of a deceased person; the Holy Ghost; the Holy Spirit
himself; yourself; herself
tedious talk; impertinent talk; repetitious talk; saucy speech; pretentious statement
(your) daughter; young woman
I'm sorry; my apologies; excuse me; pardon me
dismissal; firing; retirement; being relieved from one's post; being relieved of a burden
grace (of God); divine favour; benefit; efficacy
to see; to look; to watch; to try to
greeting; a fine thing to say
(received) favor, kindness or blessing (favour)
lower-ranking vassal in the Kamakura and Edo periods
shintai; object of worship believed to contain the spirit of a deity, typically housed in a shrine
trouble; bother; annoyance
(somebody else's) parents; both parents
contraband; taboo; strictly forbidden
guidance; leading (the way); information; notice; announcement (of one's arrival); invitation
not writing or contacting for a while; neglecting (failing) to write (call, visit, etc.); long silence
how do you do?; nice to meet you; adieu; farewell; bon voyage
meal; Emperor's meal; meal of a noble; high-quality (of a food or drink); premium
to receive permission; to leave (with someone's permission); to retire; to refuse; to beg off doing
fate; chance; relationship; tie
girl; young (unmarried) woman
(another person's) younger sister
purveyor (to the government or Imperial Household)
wife (esp. of a prominent, recently married man)
the rounds of tradesmen going door to door; route man; door-to-door tradesman; thief taker; secret policeman
to be treated to a meal; to be given a meal
thank you for your hard work; I appreciate your efforts
imperial visit; imperial outing
(arch.) person of high rank; (arch.) nobleman; wife of a nobleman
staff with plaited paper streamers
a woman's natural inclination to care for others; big-sisterly disposition
polite; courteous; careful; close; overly courteous; overly careful
may I come in?; please forgive me; I'm sorry
inviting another to one's home, office, etc.; (lit.) the trouble of coming (going)
temple; monk's quarters; monk
another's parent; another's parents
abode (of a nobleman or emperor); Imperial chamber
exaggerated; extravagant; overdone
licensed; chartered; officially allowed; legitimate
(another's respected) father
evening meal; dinner; supper
starting afresh; going back to square one; abandoning (e.g. a plan); clearing an abacus
(another person's) nephew
had enough; flatly refusing; wouldn't do for anything; begging pardon
attention; notice; care; caution; advice; warning
principal object of worship at a temple (usu. a buddha or bodhisattva); principal image; idol; the man himself; the person at the heart of the matter
to see; to look; to watch
bride; one's daughter-in-law
cooperation; collaboration
don't worry; no worries; never mind
doctor to a shogun or daimyo (Edo period)
letter bearing the shogun's scarlet seal; seal stamp given to worshippers and visitors to shrines and temples
how kind of you; that's very nice of you; kindly
you are quite right; reasonable; natural; just
splendid; fine; handsome; elegant; imposing; prominent
I appreciate your efforts
manager; steward; person next in rank to the chief retainer and in charge of general management and accounting in a samurai family (Edo period)
thank you (for the meal); that was a delicious meal; thank you (for displaying lovey-dovey behaviour)
don't worry about it; there is nothing to fear; there is no need for anxiety; everything is under control
contacting; getting in touch; communication; call; message
worry; care; consideration
siblings; brothers and sisters
to receive permission; to leave (with someone's permission); to retire; to refuse; to beg off doing
opportunism; double standards; timeserving; expediency
three secondary Tokugawa branch families (Tayasu, Shimizu, and Hitotsubashi)
entertainment; amusement; fun
deified volcano or volcanic eruption
courtesy call; courtesy visit
waiting woman in a shogun or daimyo's palace
image (esp. of a deity, buddha, royal, noble, etc.)
acknowledgement; acknowledgment; understanding (e.g. "please be understanding of the mess during our renovation"); noting
in a bad temper; cranky; crabby
ceremony to appease evil gods and the spirits of the dead
thank you for the meal; that was a delicious meal; what a wonderful meal
light used as a religious offering; paper lantern (hung up near the door of performers and geishas)
this place; where one comes from; here
room in Edo castle where the shogun's council of elders attended to governmental affairs
as is usual with; in common with
mausoleum; shrine; the (imperial) court
land under the control of the imperial household or the shogunate
a question from the emperor
common; in the usual course
halo (optical phenomenon); glory
right of samurai to kill commoners for perceived affronts (Edo period)
imperial portrait; photograph of the incumbent Emperor and Empress distributed to schools between 1890 and the end of the Second World War; portrait or photo of a person of high rank
please be careful; please take care
pilgrim's song; pilgrim's hymn; song in praise of the Buddha
sunrise viewed from the top of a high mountain; the rising sun
to ask the opinion of (a superior)
your acquaintance; people who know
advisor; adviser (to a lord, etc.); wise counselor allowed to speak to a lord without restraint
upaya (skillful means, methods of teaching); convenience; suitability; availability
scholar beholden to the government; self-serving academic; scholar who toadies up to government authorities
wild ginger trefoil coat of arms of the Tokugawa clan
lighted lamp (or candle, etc.) provided as a religious offering
pent roof built atop the stairs of a shrine or temple
Formulary of Adjudications (51-article Joei legal code)
Imperial chrysanthemum emblem
pro-government newspaper; newspaper that curries favour with the government
Brocken spectre; Brocken bow
being busy with many things; extreme busyness due to pressure of business
encouragement; urging; spurring on
skewered sweet rice cakes served with soy sauce and miso
please take care of yourself; please be careful not to... (concerning one's health or well-being)
Hamaguri Gomon incident (1864 clash between pro and anti-shogunate forces)
you are quite right; quite so; what you say is sensible enough
rice seasoned and cooked with various ingredients
Jersey cudweed (species of cottonweed, Gnaphalium affine)
tamago kake gohan; raw egg mixed with white rice, often seasoned with soy sauce
casserole of rice, fish or meat, and vegetables
before the spirit of the deceased
year-end office closing (usu. Dec. 28)
cooked rice with added ingredients (meat, vegetables, etc.)
to withdraw from the presence (of the Emperor)
Charter Oath (of the Meiji Emperor); Five-Point Imperial Covenant; Imperial Oath of Five Articles
shogun-authorized trading vessel (authorised)
excuse me for interrupting you when you are so busy
don't complain until the job is finished; the end crowns the work
Ōgosho period (between the Kansei Reforms and the Tempo Reforms, approx. 1787-1843)
have a pass to; have access to
a non-samurai being granted the privilege of wearing a sword (during the Edo period)
you are unquestionably right
treating somebody to one delicious meal after the other
before a Buddha or a mortuary tablet; offerings made to Buddha or placed on a mortuary tablet
re-opening of offices in New Year (usu. January 4)
wandering jew (Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea'); purple secretia; purple-heart; purple queen
I'm good, thanks; I'll stay out of this one
shiruko made with strained red bean paste
chestnut rice; rice boiled with chestnuts
local costumed mascot character
rice cooked with matsutake
worship by the emperor at a shrine
rice sprinkled with red perilla
being ignorant of the ways of the world; knowing nothing; (lit.) not being able to tell if a yam is boiled or not
superstition; superstitious person
exported teachers during Meiji period
ring entering ceremony in presence of the emperor or crown prince
locally produced electricity
local wrestler; crowd favorite (favourite)
Goryū Shinto (sect of amalgamated Shinto)
imperial event at which high monks recited the Golden Light Sutra to pray for national security and good harvests (held annually at the palace from the 8th to the 14th of the first lunar month, between the Nara and Muromachi periods)
frequently asked questions; FAQ
casserole of rice, fish or meat, and vegetables
being excused from various levies and taxes during the age of militarist government
Canadian dwarf cornel (Cornus canadensis); bunchberry dogwood; crackerberry
Actinostemma lobatum (plant of the family Cucurbitaceae)
within the town limits of Edo
palace of a retired emperor
boat reserved for nobles; pleasure boat
another's wife or daughter
to see; to look; to watch; to see; to look; to watch
to see; to look; to watch