5 In Sanscrit, 'Yama-Raja.' But the Indian conception has been totally
transformed by Japanese Buddhism.
6 Funeral customs, as well as the beliefs connected with them, vary
considerably in different parts of Japan. Those of the eastern provinces
differ from those of the western and southern. The old practice of
placing articles of value in the coffin--such as the metal mirror
formerly buried with a woman, or the sword buried with a man of the
Samurai caste--has become almost obsolete. But the custom of putting
money in the coffin still prevails: in Izumo the amount is always six
rin, and these are called Rokudo-kane, or 'The Money for the Six Roads.'
7 Literally 'Western Capital,'--modern name of Kyoto, ancient residence
of the emperors. The name 'Tokyo,' on the other hand, signifies 'Eastern
Capital.'
8 These first ten lines of the original will illustrate the measure of
the wasan:
Kore wa konoyo no koto narazu, Shide no yamaji no suso no naru,
Sai-no-Kawara no monogatari Kiku ni tsuketemo aware nari Futatsu-ya,
mitsu-ya, yotsu, itsutsu, To nimo taranu midorigo ga Sai-no-Kawara ni
atsumari te, Chichi koishi! haha koishi! Koishi! koishi! to naku koe wa
Konoyo no koe towa ko to kawari.