The Tanuki Kotatsu Reading Den 
January 5th
新書太閣記 progress: 00.31% // Volume I: 03.64% 
That’s the first chapter complete, onto the next tomorrow!
This is a bit easier reading, sentence-wise at least. I get held up a lot with looking up all the words and history stuff (but that is a lot of fun).
Words found under the kotatsu
仄「ほの」ー Faintly; dimly; barely
がやがや ー Noisily; jabbering; chattering (like the noise of a crowd of people)
皆の衆「みなのしゅう」ー Everybody
盆地「ばんち」ー Basin (geography)
浅黄「あさぎ」ー Light yellow
既往「きおう」ー The past
手押し車「ておしぐるま」ー Handcart; wheelbarrow
心棒「しんぽう」ー Shaft; axle
キイキイ ー Sharp creak/squeak/screech (the thing it’s describing here is a squeaky carriage)
容貌「ようぼう」ー Looks; features; physical appearance
糺す「ただす」ー To ascertain; to confirm; to verify
蘆荻「ろてき」ー Reeds
便船「びんせん」ー Available steamer (boat)
水楼「すいろう」ー Tower/castle facing the water (or a watchtower but not like a lighthouse)
櫓「ろ」ー Japanese scull (the oar attached to the back of a boat)
舷「げん」ー Side of a boat; gunwale (also: 船端「ふなばた」)
艘「そう」ー Counter for small boats
苫「とま」ー Woven mat
耳環「みみわ」ー Non-pierced earring; helix
Character Kanji-Name List
for easy referencing later, because these will take some remembering
Main
Hideyoshi: 豊臣秀吉「とよとみ ひでよし」// 豊太閤「ほうたいこう」
Volume I Characters
五郎大夫 「ごろ だゆう」// 祥瑞「しょうずい」(Goro’s Chinese name)
– Servant of Goro: 捨次郎「すてじろう」
– Mother of Goro’s child: 梨琴「りきん」
– Rikin’s & Goro’s child: 楊景福「ようけいふく」
Historical People
– 阿倍仲麻呂「あべ の なかまろ」ー Japanese scholar & poet (around 700AD)
– 白楽天「はく きょい」ー Late 700s Chinese poet (Bai Juyi / Bo Juyi) also known as: 白楽天「はく らくてん」in Japan.
– 道元「どうげん」(or 道元禅師「どうげん ぜんじ」ー Japanese Buddhist Priest, writer & poet (Early to mid 1200s) (also known as 栄西禅師「えいさい ぜんじ」)
– 空海「くうかい」ー The one and only Kukai or Kobo Daishi - a Buddhist monk. Posthumously given the title of: 弘法大師「こうぼう だいし」born as: 佐伯 眞魚「さえき の まお」(late 700s to early 800s)
@lucylavelle, happy birthday! 
(same day as Hayao Miyazaki!)