protagonist; main character; hero; head (of a household); proprietor (of a store)
horse; horse racing; promoted bishop; knight (court card in mekuri karuta and unsun karuta)
public (attention, recognition, etc.); social (standing, acceptance, etc.); worldly (fame, desires, etc.)
complexion; skin tone; skin colour; countenance; look (on one's face); expression
shoji (paper sliding door)
to dust (shelves, etc.); to use a duster
to sweep out; to clean out
to get up; to rise; to wake up; to be awake; to occur (usu. of unfavourable incidents); to happen
wriggling; squirming; writhing; maneuvering (behind the scenes; of insignificant people); manoeuvring; planning mischief
futon; Japanese bedding consisting of a mattress and a duvet; round cushion used for Zen meditation (traditionally made of woven bulrush leaves)
of long standing; long-pending; long-cherished; for years (past); over a period of years; for a long time
very; greatly; much; just about to; almost; very nearly
old man; venerable gentleman; venerable; old; father
financially scraping by; meagre existence (meager); hand to mouth existence; living one's life without plan; living life day-by-day; taking life one day at a time
to break; to snap; to be injured; to wear out; to be worn out; to break; to burst
grass; weed; (arch.) ninja; marijuana; cannabis; not genuine
to build oneself a hermitage
very rich person; the super rich
bonze; monk; monk's dwelling; boy; son; I; me
occupation; profession; job; vocation; career; trade
working in the field in fine weather and reading at home in rainy weather; living in quiet retirement dividing time between work and intellectual pursuits
all present; all concerned; all of us
weak (constitution); sickly; feeble; in poor health
good-for-nothing; scapegrace; nuisance; trouble
every month; monthly; month by month
small sum (of money); small amount; small denomination (banknote, coin, etc.)
allowance; remittance; sending (someone) an allowance
for that very reason; that is exactly why ...; as expected; just as one thought; sure enough
possible; potential; practicable; feasible
(social) standing; status; identity; birth; one's circumstances; one's means
end; finish; bound; limit; delivery date (of a futures contract); finale (of a noh song); end of an act (in jōruri or kabuki)
to be helpful; to be useful
sick person; patient; invalid
positive; assertive; active; proactive; aggressive
reading; reading (of a kanji, esp. kun reading); reading (e.g. of a situation); insight
word; term; language; speech
zero; 0; nought; nothing; zilch
world; society; people; the public
duty; obligation; responsibility
to accomplish; to achieve; to carry out; to do ... completely; to do ... entirely