logs in bark; rough wood; unseasoned timber; new lumber
night under the midnight sun; white night (at extreme latitudes); night during which the sun doesn't set
great swordsman; master fencer
warrior (esp. of military retainers of daimyos in the Edo period); samurai; (arch.) man in attendance (on a person of high standing); (arch.) retainer
casual; unconcerned; nonchalant
deflation; contraction; shrinking; constriction
quality; value; nature; inherent quality; logical quality
astringent; bitter; austere; elegant (and unobtrusive); sour (look); glum
plate; dish; serving; helping; kanji radical 108 (at the bottom)
life; lifetime; career; for life; all one's life; throughout one's life
miko; shrine maiden; young girl or woman (trad. an unmarried virgin) who assists priests at shrines; medium; sorceress; shamaness
black magic; black art; witchcraft; sorcery
secret art; the mysteries
to intend; to be sure that
as soon as...; just after...; immediately after...; hurriedly; in haste; quickly
exactly; surely; right then; just then; just (about to); on the verge (of doing or happening)
ninja; person trained in ninjutsu and employed for covert purposes in feudal Japan
a lot; lots; enough; sufficient; enough; too many
reconfirmation; double check
centre; center; middle; capital; seat of government
innumerable; countless; numberless
labyrinth; maze; mystery; dungeon
to get lost; to lose one's bearings; to be puzzled; to be perplexed; to be tempted; to be seduced
terrain; geographical features; topography
advantage; benefit; profit; interest
bad news; news of a death; death notice
armed forces; military; troops
head; chief; boss; leader
to kick about; to kick around; to scatter (a crowd, the enemy, etc.); to rout
at a disadvantage; in an unfavourable position; having poor prospects; standing little chance
garden; yard; courtyard; field (of action); area
chance to win; opportunity to win; chance of victory
participation; joining; entry; adherence
numeral; figure; digit; numeric character
body; group; party; gang; troupe; troop
excelling; surpassing; outdoing
to understand; to be convinced; to be satisfied
originally; essentially; naturally; in the first place; to begin with
to strike back at; to bite back; to turn on; to rise against; to oppose; to defy