The composer's own program notes from the premiere (1917) state the following: "While on a concert tour with a friend in Kansai, we set out in a small boat towards Miyajima around sunset. That night was the fifteenth night of the lunar month, and the clear full moon was beautiful upon the calm water. The songs of insects heard from the islands appearing blue on both sides were melancholic~" (Refer to Shunjusha: Kosaku Yamada Complete Works, Vol. 4)