kurin; nine vertically stacked rings on a pagoda finial
fence; hedge; barrier; wall; railing
mizuchi; mythical dragon-like beast, believed to ascend to the heavens through rain; unfulfilled genius; dormant talent
drinking and vomiting; coming and going
sake cup; small deep porcelain bowl for serving food
to grow senile; to be childish with age; to be mentally slow; to be befuddled; to play stupid; to say something stupid (oft. on purpose; esp. as part of a comedic routine)
criminal, administrative and civil codes (forming the basis of ancient East Asian law; orig. Chinese); legal codes of the Nara and Heian eras based on Chinese models
imperial decree; imperial edict
to be ready; to be prepared; to be in order; to be put in order; to be adjusted; to be regulated
rakshasa; man-eating demon in Hinduism and Buddhism
eclipse (solar, lunar, etc.)
lacking skill; uninspiring; unexciting; dull; unrefined; boring (from being too plain)
to beat; to gain a point; to upset
dramatic turn-around; major reversal; great comeback; game changer
struggling; pawing (e.g. horses' hooves)
gift; boon; (good) result; fruit (e.g. of one's efforts)
to have guts; to be plucky; to have nerves of steel
particularly; only; in the case of
to be thrilled; to be excited
Chinese firebird; Chinese phoenix
power; authority; might; influence; dignity; majesty
beginning of the game; kickoff; face-off
seeming; pose; show; pretense; sham; mock
rock; boulder; crag; cliff; anchor
border; boundary; turning point; watershed; area; region
to exert oneself; to make efforts
naturally; in due course; by itself; of its own accord
to; traditional unit of volume, approx. 18 litres; square bearing block (at the top of a pillar); Chinese "Dipper" constellation (one of the 28 mansions)
like; similar to; same as