blasphemy; curse; profanity; sacrilege; desecration
to crumble away; to collapse
struggling; pawing (e.g. horses' hooves)
Onbashira Festival; log-dragging festival held once every six years in Suwa, Nagano
establishment; founding; setting (a record)
personal; private; oneself
spinal fluid; gray matter; grey matter
treason; treachery; mutiny; rebellion; insurrection
kernel; core; nucleus; center; centre
to steer a ship; to manage; to take command; to take the helm
reaching the shore; docking a boat
to cross; to go across; to go through; to cut across
opposition; resistance; insubordination; defiance; hostility; rebellion
thrust; stab; tsuki; thrust to the throat (in kendo); tsuki; thrust to the chest
addition; increase; Canada
plain; frank; candid; open; direct; straightforward
remarks; comments; way of talking; speaking style; excuse; topic (of conversation)
to penetrate; to sink in; to devote oneself (to); to do intently and exclusively; to do throughout (e.g. the night)
gaining total control (of people or counties); suppression; oppression; control; mastery; ascendancy
crossing swords; fighting with swords; cutting each other (in fighting)
to scatter; to sprinkle; to spray; to lavish (money, charm, etc.)
festival; feast; harassment by an Internet pitchfork mob; online shaming; galore (as in "goals galore"); frenzy
to replace; to substitute; to shift; to change places
covering; protection; backing; relief
presumably; it seems that ...; I guess that ...; I suppose that ...; one could infer that ...
human pillar; human sacrifice
wait-and-see (situation, stance, etc.); waiting to see (how things play out); watching developments (before acting)
assistant; adjunct; lieutenant
self-sufficiency; self-containment; autonomy; self-absorption
to change (with the passage of time); to fade; to wane; to decline
to take a step backward; to step back (i.e. to re-think something); to distance oneself (from); to behave humbly; to budge (a little); to make one concession
shortage of talented people; shortfall in human resources
to enlist as a supporter; to win over to one's side; to gain as one's ally
to turn one's back on; to be uninterested in
to balance; to be in harmony; to be in equilibrium; to suit; to go well together; to be a good match
bowstring; string (of a shamisen, etc.); stringed instrument; chord; hypotenuse
period; time; opportunity; chance; age; term (e.g. in office); session (e.g. of parliament)
size; large and small (sizes); various sizes; daishō (matched pair of long and short swords); large and small drums; long months and short months; sic bo (Macao dice game)