As his end approached, he took the many carp that he had painted and released them to the lake, where the fish left the paper and silk to swim about in the water. For this reason, none of Kogi’s paintings survived
The narrator says this because after Kogi died, his many painting of carp did not survive. The narrator offers a magical explanation that the carp left the paintings and went into the sea to appease the reader.
There is no telling what awaits us on the road tomorrow.
Muzen was traveling with his son in the mountains. The purpose of the trip to the mountain was to pray and introduce his son to the religion. When his son complains of the journey and that he was getting tired, Muzen replied by telling him that the journey of the following day was also unknown.
They say that there is no grass, tree, spring or rock on this mountain that is not sacred.
While Muzen and his son were on the holiest mountain in Japan, he uttered these words. They show his deep belief in the Buddha who was believed to have blessed the entire mountain.
Further, is it not said in the Songs that brothers might quarrel at home but must defend against insults from outside.
Saigyo said these words while he was pleading with the ghost of the retired empire. Saigyo wanted to show the bond of brotherhood that the emperor should have had with his brother. The quote explains that brothers or family members may quarrel but they should always unite to solve problems that afflict their family.
A jealous wife is intractable, but with age one knows her-merits. Alas! Whose words are these? Even if the harm she does is mild, she interferes with making a living and ruins everything, and the neighbors’ censure is hard to escape…
The words of the narrator at the beginning of the story are a foreshadowing of the events to come in the story. The story tells of a woman who was mistreated by her husband to the extent that she died of grief. The woman returned to torment the family as a ghost.
