Vocabulary

dyeing black; dyed black; dark

priest's black robe

priest's black robe

inkstone well

ink line; tool for marking long, straight lines on flat surfaces

banks of the Sumida river

certificate; certified document; authorization; authorisation

blackening the face

inked marking string

beat to death

magnolia (Magnolia obovata); Japanese big leaf magnolia

simplicity; honesty; naivete

quiet unsociable person

unsophisticated; ruggedly honest; artless; unaffected; simple; naive

meadowlark; field lark

herder; herdsman; shepherd

pasture; grassland; meadow

stock-farming; cattle breeding

herdboy; shepherd boy; young ranch hand; cowboy

sheep farming

sheep breeder; sheepman; shepherd

harmonious (couple, family, etc.); happy; affectionate; friendly; intimate

first month of the lunar calendar

lovers' talk; whispered intimacies

sudden rise to power; sudden rise in prosperity

self-effacing; selfless

lack of relation (to); independence (of)

rejected manuscript

being absorbed (in); immersion

pocket gopher

to dig up messily

runaway horse; galloping horse

free-spirited and uninhibited

this proposal; this plan; this bill

this member (of an assembly)

headquarters

umbra

principal residence

original home; birthplace; originator

main road