castle tower; keep; donjon
naturally; of course; understandably
barrier; checkpoint; gateway; hurdle; obstacle; trial
intruder; invader; trespasser; raider
past middle age; nearing old age; near-elderly; age 40
grandfather (may be used after name as honorific); male senior-citizen (may be used after name as honorific)
to speed; to tear away; to skip over (e.g. pages)
creation; Creation (by God)
support; participation; assistance; complicity; conspiracy
to deceive; to delude; to trick; to be as ... as ... (e.g. "as bright as day", "as beautiful as a rose")
mask; disguise; guise; mask
gap; break; pause; interval; cut; incision
erratic; offbeat; wild; extraordinary
very; extremely; exceedingly; top; highest; best
worthless; insignificant; unimportant; poor; miserable; wretched
archeologist; archaeologist
genuine article; real thing; real deal
last century; ancient times
beginning (of a century, etc.)
extinction; extermination; eradication; stamping out; wiping out
present day; modern times; recent times; early modern period (in Japan, usu. from the Meiji Restoration until the end of World War II)
house; residence; family; household; lineage; family name
what is called; as it is called; the so-called; known as; so to speak
old gentleman; elderly gentleman
to join together; to combine; to join up
dull (e.g. a knife); blunt; thickheaded; obtuse; dull (sound, color, etc.); dim (light)
just one person; only one
vast; huge; immense; malva nut (Sterculia lychnophora)
as many as one likes; as much as one likes; great many; plenty; almost (none); (not) much
pleasant memory to take to the afterlife; good memory; something that makes one feel one can die in peace
laughing at an inappropriate time; not being able to hold back one's laughter; scornful laughter; snicker; snigger