“Ukiyo” is the “floating world” or the merry, pleasure-seeking urban life, but also has the connotation of being empty, seeking pleasures in a fleeting and transient life. Here, “uki” is written in the hiragana alphabet rather than in the kanji ideagram, leaving it open to other meanings, including scandal, bad reputation, and rainy season. “Black sleeves” denotes the black garb of priests. He is referring to turning away from the meaningless, pleasure-seeking world of society and his former life and going on a more spiritual path.
