holding a castle (during a siege); holing up; confinement (to one's home); staying at home; staying indoors
to reach one's ears; to come to one's knowledge; to hear about; to learn of (by chance)
relief; reassurance; recognition of right to land ownership (by the shogunate, a feudal lord, etc.); (arch.) living safely surrounded by walls
soldier; combatant; warrior
favourable; favorable; promising; satisfactory; in good shape
sense; sensation; feeling; intuition
to tear; to rip up; to cut up; to cleave; to forcibly separate (e.g. two lovers); (arch.) to have a tattoo in the corner of one's eye
ageing; aging; senile deterioration
youthful; young; young-looking
golden age; prime; heyday; season (for fruit, vegetables, etc.); best time
year; counter for years (e.g. of an era), grades (e.g. school); period of an apprentice's contract (usu. ten years)
skill; dexterity; proficiency
active duty; active service; student taking (university) entrance exams while still enrolled in school; student who passed their university entrance exams on the first try
activity (esp. energetic); great efforts; conspicuous service; to flourish; to participate actively; to play an active role
few decades; many decades; several decades
shackles; fetters; irons; bonds (e.g. family); ties; binding relationship
generation; lifetime; age
training; drill; practice; practising; discipline
to feel like it; to get to think that way; to become so minded
average; medium; mid-grade (item); regular grade; same level as; equal to
state (of mind); mental state; field (of activity); one's lot; circumstance; place
ability; competency; talent; skill; capacity
transcendence; excellence; superiority
region; limits; stage; level
to boast of; to be proud of; to take pride in
to reach; to amount to; to be up to the task; to come up to; to compare with; to be a match (for)
gradually (progress into a state); in sequence; in order; in turn
(practical) experience; personal experience; hands-on experience; first-hand experience
no exception; without exception; always the same
raw; uncooked; natural; as it is; unprotected (sex); live (i.e. not recorded); inexperienced
tendency; trend; inclination
correct; right; correct interpretation (answer, solution)
conversation; conference (usu. between important people); discussion; interview
to prepare; to provide; to set up; to establish; to organize
to use a stopgap measure to cope with an emergency
side; flank; profile; aspect; dimension
haggardness; emaciation; wasting away; being tired out; being worn out; exhaustion
to slash back; to strike back; to counterattack; to cut the wheel; to perform a twisting backward knee trip
how; in what way; by what means