before one knows it; before one realises; without one's knowledge; without noticing
sword; dagger; knife; bayonet
prosperity; flourishing; thriving
at every opportunity; for each and every thing that crops up; with every little thing; whenever possible; whenever the chance arises; at every turn
contest held in the presence of a daimyo, shogun or the Emperor; match attended by the team's owner
to put on airs; to assume importance; to be self-important; to be pretentious; to be pompous; to stand on one's dignity
to mix; to stir; to blend
to give candid advice; to give harsh but honest advice; to admonish
obligation; favour; favor; debt of gratitude
to drill; to bore; to hit the mark; to get to the heart of (the matter); (arch.) to put on; (arch.) to wear
in a quarrel, both parties are to blame
to accomplish; to achieve; to carry out; to arrive at (a certain outcome); to come to; to end with
to come together; to join; to merge; to get married; to become a married couple
practice; practising; training; study
long sword (as opposed to the shorter katana); tachi; sabre-like sword worn on the hip with the blade facing down
scabbard; sheath; cap (on a brush, pen, etc.); case; margin (between two prices); spread
end of life; death; breathing one's last
dying from blood loss; bleeding to death; hemorrhaging to death
offender (esp. murderer); criminal
middle palace guard (ritsuryō system)
vengeance; revenge; retaliation
reduction (in size); shrinking; minimization; trivializing (an issue); making light of; playing down
searching for the culprit; trying to find out who did something
perfunctory; apathetic; makeshift; slapdash; routine; usual
leaving one's seat (before an event is over); excusing oneself (from a meeting, conversation, etc.)
peerless; unparalleled; unparallelled; mowing down the enemy
to boast of; to be proud of; to take pride in
empty-handed; unarmed; lacking funds
to assault with a sword; to stab at; to slash at
suicide (carried out with a blade, gun, etc.)
beginner; newcomer; novice; new pupil; new disciple
daimyo (Japanese feudal lord)
giving lessons at pupils' homes; going to train in stable other than your own
honest; upright; cleanhanded; unselfish
weakening; emaciation; decline
to despair of; to see the vanity of
studying under; looking up to; apprenticing oneself to
to be possible; to be conceivable; to be likely; to be probable
to take care of some business; to go on an errand; to relieve oneself; to do one's business; to go to the toilet
not all bad; not as dissatisfied (or annoyed) as one would have others believe; not completely displeasing; fairly pleasing