Cast & Chart

Omikuji lot 2 of 100

Moon Behind Drifting Cloud

小吉 Sho-kichi, Small good fortune

月被浮雲翳

立事自昏迷

幸乞陰合祐

何慮不開眉

The moon is veiled by drifting cloud.

Whatever is undertaken grows dim and confused.

Happily, ask for unseen help.

Why fear the brow can never unknit?

What this lot says

Cloud slides over the moon, and plans made under it lose their clarity. The third line turns to asking for help from somewhere out of sight. The verse closes on a question about a furrowed brow relaxing.

Sho-kichi, Small good fortune, is the grade this book prints. Printings differ, though: one gives Han-kichi, Half good fortune, and another gives bad fortune first and good fortune after. That split suits a verse that starts under cloud and ends on an easing face.

In modern terms, this is the fog that settles over a decision when the facts are partly hidden. Notice how much of the worry belongs to the cloud and how much to the moon behind it.

A lot is a prompt for reflection. It cannot promise a result, and it is no substitute for medical, legal or financial advice.

The printed text

No differences from the 1684 printing are recorded for this lot.

Marginal note as printed: 百籖和解作半吉 / 大本御鬮作前凶後吉

Credits

The verse and grade were read from the two scanned printings named here. The title, translation and reading are our own and modern.

Our own English. The kana commentary printed under each verse in the old books was not read.