Tosa Nikki

Until its time, the word "diary" (nikki) denoted dry official records of government or family affairs, written by men in Sino-Japanese.

By incorporating fictional elements with real scenery in both narration and poems, Tosa Nikki allows allusions to previous works and conveys different images and significance to those already popular locations.

For example, on the 27th of the 12th month, it referenced "a parent [who] was lost in grief for an absent child" with the poem accompanying the day also written about "one among us who will not be going home".

Another example can be found on the 5th day of the 2nd month, as the grieving mother composes her own poem and expresses her pain and unwillingness to forget about her child.

[6] It is speculated that Ki no Tsurayuki has lost a child during this time, and alluded to his and his family's grief through various characters the narrator encounters.