posterity; future generations; future life
story; topic (on everyone's lips); (the stuff of) legend
strategist; tactician; schemer
to praise; to extol; to hail; to laud; to celebrate
Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica)
five times (as much); quintuple; fivefold
pottery; earthenware; ceramics; porcelain
to take (a person) unawares; to make a surprise attack
to trap (into a difficult situation); to put (in a fix); to capture (a castle, fortress, etc.); to take; to drop (something) into
which (of three or more); well; now; c'mon
country in civil war; country disarrayed by war; Warring States period (Japan, China); competition in which there are several evenly matched participants; hotly contested game (match, market, etc.)
ordinary; run-of-the-mill; usual
all things must pass; all worldly things are impermanent
echo; reverberation; sound (esp. the distinctive sound of an object or activity, e.g. rain, gun, gallop, drum); noise; quality of a sound (e.g. a fine phrase, clear voice, resonant bell); feeling of a sound
present age; present day; contemporary; modern era; modern times; contemporary era
ordinary person; member of the general public; non-celebrity
recognition; awareness; perception; understanding; knowledge; cognition
to dig down; to dig into (a matter); to delve into; to probe into
else; in addition; besides
Mongol invasions of Japan (1274, 1281)
Yuan dynasty Chinese-Mongolian military
conquest; subjugation; overcoming (a difficulty); conquering (e.g. a mountain); mastery (of a skill)
to sprain; to twist; to dampen (enthusiasm); to discourage; to dishearten
General Winter; hard winter; Jack Frost
deadlock; standstill; stalemate; impasse; standoff
suddenly; all of a sudden; unexpectedly
for the first time; only after ... is it ...; only when ... do you ...; first time; (one's) first
top brass; upper echelon; higher-ups; top management; upper reaches; top of the pile
lack of understanding; lack of sympathy