Vocabulary

director (of the ritsuryō-period Imperial Prosecuting and Investigating Office)

sophism; chop logic; far-fetched argument; quibble; cavil; argument for argument's sake

excreta; raw sewage; human waste; night soil

living in retirement

bated breath; being cowed into silence

sheer cliff

medium; diviner; shaman; oracle

virgin consecrated to a deity; shrine maiden; (spiritualistic) medium

shamanism

spiritism; necromancy; sorcery

light, thin, single-layer kimono (esp. from hemp or raw silk, for summer use)

curtain

curtain; field staff headquarters; secret meeting place

headquarters; general staff

direct appeal to the throne by the military

pavilion

curtain; drapery

assistance; backing; support

manure

dreadnought class (of warship)

crescent

crescent shape

bulletin; collection of reports

wandering; rambling; roaming

tears of gratitude

chigger; jigger; harvest mite (any mite of family Trombiculidae)

wailing; lamentation

haggardness; emaciation; wasting away; being tired out; being worn out; exhaustion

possession (by a spirit, demon, etc.)

basis; foundation; reliance

evil spirit (that possesses someone); demon; devil

suffering (from a calamity); affliction

person affected by a disaster; afflicted person; victim; sufferer; survivor

victims; sufferers

contraction of a disease; morbidity

year of the Dog

Jeet Kune Do (martial art founded by Bruce Lee)

framed picture or motto (usu. horizontal, hung over gates or lintels)

skiff; little boat

lapis lazuli