📚📚 Read every day challenge - Winter 2023 ☃❄

[Zakarius]

The Tanuki Kotatsu Reading Den

January 27th
新書太閣記 progress: 04.75% // Volume I: 55.07%

Today’s reading followed the same vein as yesterday’s: here’s this guy - but that’s not his real name, that’s his common name, his real name is this - his father is this guy who is related to this guy, but that’s not his real name either, his real name is this… and so on.

Aside from the super confusing lineages, the pace is really picking up now, with lots of deceit and secret plans and missions. Super fun.

Words found under the kotatsu

単独「たんどく」ー Single; solo; sole
城下「じょうか」ー Land near a castle
戌「いぬ」ー Dog (Zodiac)
宏壮「こうそう」ー Grand; imposing
暫時「ざんじ」ー Short while/moment
明眸「めいぼう」ー Bright or beautiful eyes
頬杖「ほおづえ」ー Resting your chin in your hands; brace / angle brace (construction)
言葉巧み「ことばたくみ」ー Skillful words; deceitful words; silver tongued
問注所「もんちゅうじょ」ー Board of inquiry; interrogation office

Forms
愕く ＝ 驚く「おどろく」(To be surprised/astonished)
(I like the 愕く version better, the two squares look like shocked eyes and the squiggle underneath is like a weird open mouth, kanji version of: )

Character Name List

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: 1535 - 15??
日吉「ひよし」- Hideyoshi (as child)
Nickname: 猿「さる」

Family
木下弥右衛門「きのした やえもん」- Father
– – 乙若「おとわか」- Old friend
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
小竹「こちく」- Baby brother
加藤清正「かとう きよまさ」// also 弾正「だんじょう」- Ojisan (only distantly related (before marriage))
– Married to: おえつ (sister of お奈加)

Friends & Acquaintances
仁王「におう」- Big kid friend
於福「おふく」(Nickname - full name: 福太郎「ふくたろ」) // 楊景福「ようけいふく」(Chinese name/birth name) - Timid kid friend (older than Hideyoshi)
– 五郎大夫 「ごろ だゆう」// 祥瑞「しょうずい」(Chinese name) - Father
– 梨琴「りきん」- Mother
捨次郎「すてじろう」- Previous servant to 五郎, later the adoptive father of 於福, and owner of a tea ware shop - and employer of, and master to, Hideyoshi

Hachisuka Clan
蜂須賀小六「はちすか ころく」(also 正勝 「まさかつ」) - Head of the Hachisuka clan
– 七内「なない」- Younger brother
– Married to 松波「まつなみ」
– – 亀一「かめいち」- Son

Retainers:
– – 稲田大炊助「いなだ おおいのすけ]
– – 青山新七「あおやま しんしち」
– – 長井半之丞「ながい はんのじょう」
– – 松原内匠「まつばら たくみ」

– 国吉「くによし」- Gunsmith/blacksmith
– 渡辺天蔵「わたなべ てんぞう」- Deserter - Nobushi (Nephew to Koroku)
– 難波内記「なんば ないき」- Spy disguised as a Komuso
– 仁田彦十「にった ひこじゅう」- Subordinate

(蜂須賀正利「はちすか まさとし」- previous head of the Hachisuka clan)

Saito Clan
((questionable) Alliance with the Hachisuka clan)
斎藤 道三「さいとう どうさん」- Head of the Saito clan
– 斎藤義龍「さいとう よしたつ」(also: 高政「たかまさ」) - Son

明智 光秀「あけち みつひで」(common name: 十兵衛「じゅうべい」) - serves under Dosan
– 又市「またいち」- Underling / foot soldier

弥平治光春「やへいじ みつはら」- Retainer (cousin to Jyubei)
– 明智光安「あけち みつやす」- Father

Oda Clan
織田信秀「おだ のぶひで」- Daimyo
– 織田与三郎「おだ よさぶろう」- Younger brother

Shiba Clan
斯波義統「しば よしむね」- Head of the Shiba clan, at Kiyosu castle

Others
今川義元「いまがわ よしもと」- Daimyo

Historical People

• 阿倍仲麻呂「あべ の なかまろ」ー Japanese scholar & poet (700s)

• 白楽天「はく きょい」ー Chinese poet (Bai Juyi / Bo Juyi) also known as: 白楽天「はく らくてん」in Japan. (Late 700s)

• 道元「どうげん」(or 道元禅師「どうげん ぜんじ」ー Japanese Buddhist Priest, writer & poet (also known as 栄西禅師「えいさい ぜんじ」) (Early / mid 1200s)

• 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 / early 800s)

• 源頼政「みなもと の よりまさ」ー Prominent poet and warrior (1100s)