expression:

• (of a choice) one being as excellent as the other; both so beautiful it is hard to choose between - idiom

expression:

• tomorrow will take care of itself; let the morn come and the meat with it; tomorrow, the winds of tomorrow will blow [literal] - proverb

noun:

• alliance (of the Six Kingdoms against the Qin dynasty, and of individual Kingdoms with the Qin dynasty) - four character idiom ➜ 合従・連衡
• (tactic of) making & breaking alliances (to benefit oneself as the occasion demands); resorting to alliances as a diplomatic expedient - four character idiom

noun:

• land-tax rate during the Edo period (the government took 60 percent of the year's rice crop and the farmers kept 40 percent) - four character idiom

noun:

• viewing all things as undifferentiated and equal; non-discriminative thought
• contemplation of the equality of all things from the standpoint of emptiness - Buddhism term

godan ~む verb / transitive:

• to assume the posture of praying; to press the palms and fingers of both hands together; to do reverence (e.g. before a statue of the Buddha); to pay one's respects
• to beg; to make a supplication
• to see (something or someone of high status) - sometimes used sarcastically in modern Japanese - humble language

noun:

• god of harvests and wealth (syncretized with Saraswati, and often taking the form of a heavenly woman, a white snake or a fox)

noun:

• Dynastic period (the Nara period and esp. the Heian period, characterized by the rule of the emperor as opposed to shogunate) ➜ 武家時代

noun:

• draining blood from a live fish (from above the gills and at the base of the tail) to keep it fresh ［いきじめ］ ➜ 活け締め【いけじめ】
• fasting fish for several days to preserve flavour and quality (and reduce mortality during transport) - esp. いきしめ ➜ 活け締め【いけじめ】
• killing fish in a fishtank (immediately before cooking); fish killed in a fishtank - esp. いきしめ ➜ 活け締め【いけじめ】

suffix / particle:

• and; or; and the like; and so forth; and what not

noun:

• Western style residences built mostly for early foreign settlers during the end of the Shogunate and the Meiji era

noun:

• season when the sky is clear and the air warm (spring)
• first ten days of the fourth lunar month ➜ 卯月

noun:

• land-tax rate during the Edo period, in which the government took 70 percent of the year's crop and the farmers kept 30 percent - four character idiom

noun:

• embouchure; position and use of the lips, tongue, and teeth in playing a wind instrument - From French
• mouthpiece of a musical instrument

noun:

• Hamaguri Gomon incident (1864 clash between pro and anti-shogunate forces)

noun:

• half-way between medium and well done - From English "medium well"

noun:

• Theaceae; family of flowering plants comprising the camellias and other shrubs and trees

noun:

• the world of hungry spirits and the world of animals; three evil worlds hell - Buddhism term ➜ 三悪道

noun:

• the world of hungry spirits and the world of animals; three evil worlds hell - Buddhism term ➜ 三悪趣・三悪【さんあく】

noun:

• Triple Intervention (diplomatic intervention by Russia, Germany and France over the terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki) ➜ 下関条約

adverbial noun / temporal noun:

• any and every thing; altogether; lock, stock, and barrel; the whole shooting match; the whole kit and caboodle; without reserve - four character idiom

noun:

• disparity between values of votes in different constituencies; measure of malapportionment of electorates

expression:

• attempting two tasks at the same time, accomplishing neither; falling between two stools; catching neither the horsefly nor the bee [literal] - proverb

noun:

• small opening in the side of some traditional Japanese clothing for women and children (e.g. kimono, yukata) (located where the sleeve meets the bodice, below the armpit)

expression / godan ~う verb:

• to have no time to lose; to fight with every minute and every second - idiom