country in civil war; country disarrayed by war; Warring States period (Japan, China); competiton in which there are several evenly-matched participants; hotly-contested game (match, market, etc.)
to ascend; to go up; to ascend (as a natural process, e.g. the Sun); to rise; to go to (the capital); to be promoted; to add up to
Kanazawa (city in Ishikawa)
1,000,000; one million; million; many
counter for jewels in a watch; counter for transistors, diodes, etc. in an electronic product
cum (e.g. bedroom-cum-study); holding both roles (e.g. Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs); and; in addition; concurrently; at the same time
Soto school (of Zen Buddhism)
head temple of a Buddhist sect
draw (in go, poetry contest, etc.); tie
Kutani ware; style of Japanese porcelain
Imari ware; Imari porcelain
ukiyo-e print produced with various shades of indigo (and sometimes small amounts of vermilion or yellow)
continental; calm; not worried with unimportant details
existing in opposition or interdependence
master; expert; expert board game player (chess, go, shogi, etc.)
raku ware; hand-moulded, lead glazed earthenware pottery fired at low temperatures, esp. used in tea ceremony (molded)
phew; whew; huff; whoo; wohoo
Toyama prefecture (Hokuriku area)
wife; bride; (one's) daughter-in-law
district headman; head county official
back street; back alley; slums
to put on (lower-body clothing, e.g. pants, skirt, footwear); to wear; to affix (a sword to one's hip); (arch.) to affix (a bowstring to a bow)
to become clear (water, air, etc.); to become transparent; to resonate clearly (e.g. voice); to become serene; to become tranquil; to pronounce as an unvoiced sound
sword (esp. a large, double-edged one); blade; bayonet; swordsmanship; stinger; ovipositor
silver vine (Actinidia polygama); cat powder
especially; above all; particularly; among other things
to rank next to; to come after
in the mountains; among the mountains
brush tip; first on a list; head; chief
division of labor; division of labour; specialization; specialisation; assembly-line production
cabinetwork; joinery; hair ornament; hairpin; (arch.) colours; (arch.) banner
even ... (e.g. "even a genius")
dried fish (or shellfish, etc.)
to assemble; to set up; to construct
lacquerer; lacquer craftsman; lacquer artist
gold or silver lacquer; lacquer decoration sprinkled with metal powder
scattered animal feed; ground bait
gold-inlaid lacquerware (using powdered gold in etched grooves)
ding (of a bell); bing; honk (i.e. sound of blowing one's nose); snort; heating in a microwave; cooking in a microwave
line (of text); row; carya (austerities); samskara (formations); semi-cursive style (of writing Chinese characters); running style