dead of night; middle of the night; midnight; third quarter of the hour of the ox (2-2:30am, or 3-3:30am)
Japanese and Chinese medicine; oriental medicine
goldthread (Coptis japonica)
croak; ribbit; sound of frogs
bai ze (mythical Chinese animal able to understand human speech, having the body of a lion and eight eyes)
shōchū made from sake lees; low-quality moonshine (esp. post-WWII); hooch (hootch)
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)
picture of Hell; painting representing Hell
peeling off (e.g. of paint); falling off (e.g. of tiles); exfoliation; desquamation; excoriation
form is emptiness; matter is void; all is vanity
self-publishing; publishing at one's own expense
sophisticated; refined; witty; urbane; unconstrained
non-drinker; someone who cannot drink
cry (of baby); mewl (of kitten)
to trick; to cheat; to deceive
ground cherry (Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii); husk tomato; Chinese lantern plant; children's noisemaking toy
hey; hello; wow; oh; oomph; heave-ho
purse; change purse; wallet
low-ranking prison guard; hell's tormenting devils
all things must pass; all worldly things are impermanent
mythical two-tailed monster cat
being selected (for a prize, exhibition, etc.); being accepted; winning
to repaint; to paint again
half; 50%; tie; 5 parts; 5%
new graduate; recent graduate
artistic taste; aptitude for painting; ability to appreciate art; desire to paint
interlude (in traditional Japanese music); chanting or clapping along (during a song or dance); interjection
ballade (narrative poetry, musical composition); ballad (popular song)
home visitation (esp. a teacher visiting a student's home); home visit; house call