比良八講

ひらはっこう

Buddhist service centred around the Lotus Sutra held over four days in Shiga Prefecture, starting from the 24th day of the second month of the lunisolar calendar

八荒

はっこう はちあら

the national boundaries

黄泉比良坂

よもつひらさか

Yomotsu Hirasaka (slope that leads to the land of the dead)

比良おろし

ひらおろし

strong local wind blowing around the Hira mountains in Shiga prefecture (sinks boats on the lake and stops trains of the Kosei Line)

八八

two eights

八八花

はちはちばな

standard hanafuda pattern (orig. used to play hachi-hachi)

八

はち や

eight; eighth

良

りょう

good

比

ひ

ratio, proportion

八十八夜

はちじゅうはちや

eighty-eighth day from the beginning of spring

八百八町

はっぴゃくやちょう

the whole enormous extent of Edo, from one side of Edo to the other

八百八寺

はっぴゃくやでら

the large number of temples in Kyoto

八百八橋

はっぴゃくやばし

the large number of bridges over canals and rivers in Naniwa (present-day Osaka)

八重八重

やえやえ

multilayered

良く良く

よくよく

exceedingly, very

良知良能

りょうちりょうのう

one's innate intelligence and ability

荒む

すさむ

to grow wild, to run to waste

荒荷

あらに

bulk cargo, bulk freight

口荒

くちあら

rough speaking