Mt. Taiho : Meditating in Sho no Iwaya

In the deep mountains, a clear moon,
I gaze and find myself
without memories

Mt. Taiho is a holy land for mountain ascetics. Beyond the steep mountain peaks Saigyo reaches Sho no Iwaya among misty clouds. Quietly sitting in meditation, his mind is illuminated.

The Nachi waterfall

Shall I rest to live here?
I've come to see the flower high beyond my reach on the cliffs of Nachi

Taken by the grandness of the Nachi waterfall, Saigyo walks to the bottom of the falls. With the great sound of the gushing water, all the confusion in his mind is washed away.
He stands there for a long time, soaked from head to toe.

Sanuki, Matsuyama

Even if you slept
in your beautiful palace bed
rest in peace
not a single thing could change what has happened

Having heard about the death of the retired emperor Suitoku, who was in exile in Sanuki, Matsuyama in south Japan after being defeated in the Hougen rebellion, Saigyo rushed to Matsuyama.
He shed tears of grief remembering the days when the Suitoku, a lover of poetry, used to invite him to his palace.

Bidding his daughter to become a nun

Saigyo re-encounters his daughter. No longer the little girl that he knew, she was now a beautiful woman. Saigyo encourages her to become a nun together with her mother.
Later she would do just that.

Hell