(Edo-period inn) maidservant
in a crowd; in droves; crawling (of insects); swarming; dragging (e.g. along the ground); trailing
vast; limitless; boundless
to turn (around); to appropriate; to set aside; to allocate
eel (esp. the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica)
end of a road; end of a street
upper level; upper grade; high rank; advanced level; senior level; upper class
ease; relaxation; comfort; unwinding
whatever (the case may be)
to whirl; to eddy; to swirl; to whirl around (of feelings, thoughts, etc.); to swirl around; to surge
to shake; to swing; to sway; to shock
dry riverbed; river beach
Tenmangu shrine (shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane's spirit)
anciently; formerly; old times; a long time ago
downstream; lower reaches of a river; lower classes
to begin to rain; to begin to snow
preparation; provision; defenses; guard; military formation; troop arrangement
to wither (of a plant); to be blasted; to die; to mature (of one's personality, abilities, etc.)
common reed (Phragmites australis)
to concentrate; to focus on; to devote; to stiffen; to become tense
time passes; the days and months go by; the months roll on
elimination (of a person, group, etc.); killing off; denial (of an opinion, fact, etc.); ignoring; erasure (of writing); rubbing out
firm; strong; solid; stable
to impersonate someone; to go under a false name; to make fraudulent use of someone's name
abandoning (hope, plans); giving up
the very end; finish; to the very end; to the last; thoroughly
fate; destiny; connection; tie; pretext; justification
personal affair; one's own affair
stagnation; deposit; sediment; faltering; hesitation; pause
duck; easy mark; sucker; sitting duck
gems and stones; wheat and chaff; wheat and tares; good and bad
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
water's edge; waterside; shore