A note: Emperor Gotoba bore a strong resemblance to the late Retired Emperor Takakura whose fan inscribed with a poem to her was still cherished by Lady Daibu. The sun and moon were often used as symbols of the emperor and empress in the "world above the clouds" (kumo no ue) of the court.

"The sight of him set me longing... for all that was past. Catching sight of the moon I wrote:

Ima wa tada
shiite wasururu
inishie o
omoiide yo to
sumeru tsukikage

And now by force alone
I banish from my mind
those former times-
but it calls me to remember them,
this tranquil brightness of the moon."

Lady Daibu, Heian era, Japan