Doppo Kunikida: 8 works in the original Japanese, with translation

In old-style inns, guests would summon the staff by clapping their hands, a practice called 「手を鳴らす」. The "六番" (number six) that the landlord calls out refers to the guest in room six; addressing guests by their room number was a customary practice at post stations of the time.

Refers to the castle town of Saiki on the shore of Saiki Bay in southern Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu; in the Meiji period it was a small fishing and shipping port. Kunikida Doppo once taught here, and this work is based on that experience.

「一揆」 refers to armed collective uprisings by farmers or villagers in early modern Japan, often launched as night attacks, hence 「夜討」. When Meiji-era people saw a group of men in commoners' dress marching at night carrying guns, they would naturally think of this historical scene.

A common term in the Meiji period for the leader of a group of children—the most dominant child who led the others in mischief. 「餓鬼」 was originally a Buddhist term but came to mean a mischievous child, while 「大将」 means leader or chief.