The Tanuki Kotatsu Reading Den 
January 9th
新書太閣記 progress: 01.05% // Volume I: 12.21% 
Chapter start:
香炉変
Finding it hard to know when to stop reading this for the day, just one more sentence turns into just ten more.
Words found under the kotatsu
赤蛙「あかがえる」ー Japanese brown frog (Rana Japonica); any brown/red frog of the Ranidae family
入夫「にゅうふ」ー Marrying into the wife’s family
凱歌「がいか」ー Victory song
折檻「せっかん」ー Physical punishment; beating; severe scolding
囈言「うわごと」ー Incoherent mumbling
唐変木「とうへんぼく」ー Oaf; bigot
寺入り「てらいり」ー To enrol at a temple school; incarcerating a criminal at a temple for punishment; to go to a temple and repent
日蓮宗「にちれんしゅう」ー Nichiren school of Buddhism
記憶力「きおくりょく」ー Ability to remember (記憶力のいい is to have a good memory)
托鉢「たくはつ」ー Asking for alms
鐘楼「しょうろう」ー Bell tower; belfry
愕然 「がくぜん」ー Astonished; amazed; aghast
Forms
淋しい ＝ 寂しい「さびしい」(Lonely; solitary)
Character Name List
for easy referencing later, because these will take some remembering
Also probably some spoilers, but this is a historic novel, so can spoilers really exist for things that have (for the most part) actually happened 
Main
Hideyoshi: 豊臣秀吉「とよとみ ひでよし」
– – – Childhood name: 日吉「ひよし」
– – – Childhood nickname: 猿「さる」
Volume I Characters
日吉「ひよし」- Hideyoshi (as child)
Nickname: 猿「さる」
Friends
仁王「におう」- Big kid friend
於福「おふく」- Timid kid friend
Family
木下弥右衛門「きのした やえもん」- Father
筑阿弥「ちくあみ」ー Step-father
大政所「おおまんどころ」also お奈加「おなか」ー Mother
おつみ - Older sister
加藤清正「かとう きよまさ」- Ojisan (only distantly related)
Others
織田信秀「おだ のぶひで」- Daimyo (Foreshadowing drum noises)
– 織田与三郎「おだ よさぶろう」- Younger brother
今川義元「いまがわ よしもと」- Daimyo
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
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阿倍仲麻呂「あべ の なかまろ」ー Japanese scholar & poet (around 700AD)
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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.
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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」)
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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)
Reply
I write any new words I encounter down on my daily posts and then hope for the best. Going through the effort of writing each down does help me remember it better, and most of the time, the word will be popping up again in whatever it is I’m reading so if it’s a common enough word I’ll eventually remember it that way. Some words are just too obscure to really remember effectively.
I’m sure there’s probably a lot of ‘new’ words that keep reappearing in my posts.