Miekichi Suzuki: 5 works in the original Japanese, with translation

An old Japanese custom: after a baby was born, someone would be asked to serve as the child's 名付け親 (name-giving parent) and choose its name, creating a relationship similar to that of godparents. The person asked was usually someone of standing in the village. Since the status of the 名付け親 reflected on the child's future reputation, poor families were often shunned and no one would agree to take the role.

This is Dionysius I, tyrant of Syracuse (c. 432–367 BC). He rose as a military commander, seized power by force, and ruled Syracuse for life.

In traditional Japanese shops, the entrance area where the earth is pounded firm and left unfloored is written 三和土. Outside is the street, while inside the floor is raised and boarded, so visitors often stop at this boundary. The dog sitting on the たたき, looking up at meat hung at the front of the shop, fits this spatial arrangement exactly; the word has no exact English equivalent.

「とちの実」 is the fruit of the horse chestnut tree (トチノキ), not a chestnut as the term might suggest. After the bitterness is removed, it can be eaten, and it was a common snack and plaything for children in mountain villages, often given as a small gift.