歌会始

Imperial New Year's Poetry Reading; annual New Year's tanka-reading party held at the Imperial Palace

歌会始め

うたかいはじめ かかいはじめ

annual New Year's poetry reading

歌会

うたかい かかい

poetry party or competition, gathering of tanka poets

会歌

かいか

club song, organization song

御詠歌

ごえいか

song in praise of the buddha

御用始め

ごようはじめ

re-opening of offices in New Year (usu. Jan. 4)

歌い始める

うたいはじめる

to start singing

原始教会

げんしきょうかい

the early church, the primitive church

御斎会

ごさいえ みさいえ

imperial event at which high monks recited the Golden Light Sutra to pray for national security and good harvests (held annually at the palace from the 8th to the 14th of the first lunar month, between the Nara and Muromachi periods)

御霊会

ごりょうえ

ceremony to appease evil gods and the spirits of the dead

御前会議

ごぜんかいぎ

Imperial Council

歌

うた

song

演歌歌手

えんかかしゅ

Enka singer, singer of Japanese traditional ballads

始点

してん

point of departure, initial point, starting point

始電

しでん

first train

始値

はじめね はじね

opening (stock-market) quotation

始発

しはつ

first departure (of the day: train, bus, etc.), first train, first bus

原始

げんし

origin, primeval

始終

しじゅう

continuously, from beginning to end, from first to last