at this stage; at this point; now (contrasting with the past)
on the least pretext; at the drop of a hat
story; topic (on everyone's lips); (the stuff of) legend
set; suit; uniform collection; entirely; all; every one
foreigner (esp. one of European ancestry); gaijin; (arch.) outsider
international; worldwide; cross-border; cosmopolitan
extreme reverence; deeply revered person; the Emperor
root; origin; source; Ōmoto (religion)
to make clear; to clarify; to disclose; to make public
soldiers garrisoned at strategic posts in Kyushu in ancient times; Chinese soldiers stationed to protect remote regions of the country during the Tang dynasty
Metropolis (of Tokyo); (Tokyo) Metropolitan District; counter for cities and towns; capital
each (every) time; whenever
emperor (of Japan); mikado; (the gates of an) imperial residence
sublime; noble; high-minded
Dynastic period (the Nara period and esp. the Heian period, characterized by the rule of the emperor as opposed to shogunate)
to become muddy; to become cloudy; to become dull (of a sound, color, etc.); to become hoarse; to become impure (of a heart, society, etc.); to be corrupted
pure; innocent; pure; unmixed; long kimono made from the same plain-coloured cloth
celebration (of ceremony); solemnization (e.g. of a marriage); solemnisation
to admire a person's courage; to approve of someone's ambition
counter for rules; rule; regulation
great speed; extreme speed; swiftness
public order; public peace; public security; law and order
shield; buckler; escutcheon; pretext
to select; to choose; to diagnose (an illness); to judge; to liken to something else; to regard as something else (e.g. to use another person as a mirror); to see someone off
essence; true nature; substance; reality
separation; partition; detachment; segregation; isolation
threat; intimidation; menace
protagonist; main character; hero(ine) (of a story); head of household
theory; reason; logic; (unreasonable) argument; strained logic; excuse
once; one time; exclusively; only; alone
twenty-eighth day of the month; twenty-eight days