[25] Love letters generally are not signed or are signed with a fancy name.
[26] Left Master of the Horse.
[27] Secretary to the Master of Ceremonies.
[28] Deputy-governors of provinces. In those days these functionaries were greatly looked down upon by the Court nobles, and this became one of the causes of the feudal system.
[29] The naoshi is an outer attire. It formed part of a loose and unceremonious Court dress.
[30] This alludes to a common habit of women, who push back their hair before commencing any task.
[31] Some kinds of nuns did not shave their heads, and this remark seems to allude to the common practice of women who often involuntarily smooth their hair before they see people, which practice comes, no doubt, from the idea that the beauty of women often depends on the tidiness of their hair.
[32] This means that her soul, which was sinful, would not go at once to its final resting-place, but wander about in unknown paths.
[33] A mountain spoken of in Chinese literature. It was said to be in the Eastern Ocean, and people of extraordinary long lives, called Sennin, were supposed to dwell there.
[34] In China and Japan handwriting is considered no less an art than painting.