During the Heian era of Japan, the practice of visiting marriage was still prevalent. Many marriages were essentially one-night stands, and if a man found the woman unsatisfactory, he would simply stop visiting her, thereby ending what was called a "marriage." As a result, women of this era, despite holding high status within their families, found themselves in a passive position, waiting for men to come courting them. Thus, "on nights when they waited for a visit, they might mistake the sound of rain or wind for the arrival of their visitor, causing them to be startled," since...