Joseph’s Reviews > The Pillow Book > Status Update

"Three Worms Night:A belief going back to Taoism, that at a certain conjunction in the calendar(the coincidence of the Elder Metal with the Monkey sign, or koshin)the three worms that dwell in the body and know our secret sins will ascend to heaven and reveal them while we sleep, thereby shortening our life. To prevent this, people spent the night keeping themselves awake with entertainments such as games and poetry"