[Serialization: Following the narrow road in the back part 7] The journey is finally coming to an end, from Dewa to Uzen, and then to Hokuriku

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On June 10, 1689 (7/26 in the new calendar), when Basho Matsuo and Sora Kawai were leaving Mt. Haguro, Basho borrowed a horse and descended, perhaps due to fatigue. Did.

While they were staying at a samurai's house in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, and enjoying haiku and other activities, Basho fell ill and stayed there until the 12th.

On the 13th, we took a boat from Tsuruoka to Sakata, and after spending one night, we headed to Kisakata in Akita Prefecture, one of the destinations on our trip to Mutsu and famous for its scenery on a par with Matsushima.

What is Oku no Hosomichi?

``Oku no Hosomichi'' is a journey in which the haiku poet Matsuo Basho and his disciple Kawai Sora travel from Edo to Mutsu, from Hokuriku to Ogaki in Gifu, visiting Utamakura and famous historical sites while composing haiku. This is a collection of travelogues.

Utamakura refers to famous historical sites whose images and emotions were woven into waka poems by poets from ancient capitals, and were the object of admiration for poets and haiku poets.

In the preface, Months and days are travelers for a hundred generations, and every year that comes and goes is also a traveler'' . It appears in textbooks and is translated as "It's like a traveler."

It introduces the climate of Michinoku and the haiku poems that were composed there, and is a record of the 156-day journey of approximately 2,400 km from its departure on March 27, 1689 (May 16, 1689).

[Tsuruoka/Sakata] Reaching Shonai in Yamagata Prefecture and looking out at the Sea of ​​Japan

Goryemon Nagayama, a vassal of the Shonai domain who provided accommodation to Basho and held haiku performances in Tsuruoka, was a central figure in Tsuruoka's haiku community, and was an old acquaintance of Kondo (Zushi) Sakichi, who took care of him in Haguro. was.

On the evening of the 13th, Basho and his friends arrive at Sakata by boat from Tsuruoka, but as they are unable to contact their intended accommodation, they stay at a regular inn on that day.

The next day, the 14th, I stayed at the house of Genjun Ito, a doctor with the haiku name ``Fuchian Futama,'' whom I had been able to contact.

The two haiku I will introduce next are said to have been written while heading towards Hokuriku from Kogata, and are said to have been written to express gratitude to the haiku poets of Shonai.

Atsumiyama and the cool evening breeze over Fukuura (Basho)

The meaning is ``Mt. Atsumi (Atsumi) looks like it is being cooled in the evening by the wind from Fukiura (sea).'' Mt. Atsumi is a mountain behind Atsumi Onsen in southern Yamagata Prefecture, and Fukiura is This is the coast of Yuza town near Sakata.

The Shonai domain's name for Sankai was used to describe the state of ``blowing away the heat to cool down,'' and stone monuments inscribed with this phrase have been erected in the towns of Atsumi and Yuza.

Spend a hot day in the sea Mogami River (Basho)

This phrase means, ``The sun that brought a hot day is about to set off the coast of the Mogami River estuary.''

It expresses the feeling of watching the sun set over the Sea of ​​Japan, as if all the heat of the day was being poured into the sea.

Basho haiku monument <Information>

• Facility name: Basho haiku monument (remains of Nagayama Goroemon Shigeyuki's mansion)
• Address: 11-18 Sanno-cho, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture 997-0028

Google Map

[Shogata] Matsushima where the sun rises and Shogata where the sun sets, impressing with their different tastes

Basho and his friends left Sakata on the 15th (July 31st), but it was raining heavily, so they stayed overnight in Fukiura, Yusa Town, and the next day they entered Akita Prefecture through the rain, arriving in Nigata around noon.

Yasaburo (low-eared) who is said to be a merchant from Gifu , joins the group in Sakata, and they tour Kokugata together.

On the 17th (8/2), after the rain stopped, I went sightseeing in Kurogata, happened to see a festival at Kumano Shrine, and took a boat trip around Noin Island, which is connected to Noin Priest, and felt a different atmosphere from Matsushima. It seems like it was.

At that time, Kujukushima was a group of small and large islands floating in the sea like Matsushima, but the 1804 "Kujukushima" earthquake caused the islands to rise by more than 2 meters, causing the islands to turn into small mountains on land. It became its current appearance.

In the rain, Nebu flower (Basho)

``The appearance of the Nebu flowers (Hehuan no Hana) blooming on the seaside of Xionggata being beaten by the rain resembles the image of the legendary Chinese beauty Seishi looking down.'' The image of the white flowers soaking in the rain represents the feeling of a beautiful woman looking down and shedding tears.

Basho wrote, ``Matsushima is smiling brightly, but Kogata is like a melancholy beautiful woman,'' and perhaps that is what he wanted to convey with this poem.

Shihogoshi and cranes and shins are wet and the sea is cool (Basho)

The meaning of this phrase is ``A crane descends into the shallows of Shiogoshi, and its shins are wet with seawater, making it look cool.'' Shiogoshi was a port town that was located at the connection point between Kokugata and the Sea of ​​Japan, and it seems that Kokugata was sometimes called Shiogoshi.

Kogataya What to eat Divine Festival (Sora)

"Kumano Gongen festival is held in Kumano Gongen, but religious people are not allowed to eat fish. Fish is delicious in Kumano Gongen, so what do they eat?" said Sora, who was interested in the food the locals ate on their special day. This is a poem I wrote.

A house made of vines, a door board, and the cool evening breeze (low ears)

The only poem published on Oku-no-Hosomichi is a poem that says, ``The elegance of the fishermen's houses in Kokugata is to enjoy the cool evening breeze with their door boards lined up and benches.'' It depicts the simple life of fishermen. I think it's elegant.

Kurogata＜Information＞

• Tourist attraction name: Nigata
• Location: 73-1 Oshiogoshi, Kogata-cho, Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture

Google Map

[Sakata/Echigoji] Going to Hokuriku while suffering from chronic illness

The group returned to Sakata on the 18th and stayed until the 24th, enjoying interaction with Sakata's haiku poets.

There are also theories that Basho was worried about his health, and that Basho was satisfied with his visits to destinations such as Matsushima, Hiraizumi, and Zogata, and was attacked by a feeling of weakness.

In addition, the nine days (actually more than two weeks) from Sakata to Ichiburi Seki in Etchu (Toyama) after crossing Nezumi Seki (Nezugaseki, Nenjugaseki) are covered in the main text. It's just one sentence above. Basho explains the reason for this in his text: ``Due to the heat and rain, my nerves were affected and I suffered from a chronic illness, so I didn't have anything to write about.''

Nenju Seki <Information>

• Facility name: Nenju-seki ruins (Nezuga-seki ruins)
• Location: 246 Nezugaseki Kou, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture

Google Map

[Detour to the Oku ⑦] Basho and Sora go from Oku to Hokuriku on separate trips

When entering Echigo, Basho and Sora actually traveled separately from Atsumi-juku in Yamagata to Murakami in Niigata , with Basho traveling by horse to Nezumi-no-Seki along the Sea of ​​Japan, and Sora traveling from Yuatsumi through the mountains to Nakamura-juku in Murakami. We met up.

The reason for this is not written anywhere, and there are various theories such as ``Basho was particular about the Nezumi Seki that Minamoto no Yoshitsune and his group passed through,'' and ``Sora wanted to go to Onkai Onsen,'' but there are many theories that are true. is unknown.

summary

Nezugaseki, located on the border between Michinoku and Echigo, is considered one of the three Ou-sankans, along with Shirakawa-no-Seki and Nakoso-no-Seki.

There is an anecdote that once, when Minamoto no Yoshitsune's party escaped from the capital to Hiraizumi, they were suspected by the officials when they tried to pass through this barrier in the guise of Yamabushi (ascetic monks), and Benkei tearfully pinned down Yoshitsune, who was suspected of being a monk, and made the officials believe that he had passed through this barrier. It is left behind.

In the Kabuki play ``Kanjincho,'' which made this anecdote famous, it is referred to as ``Ataka Seki,'' but Basho, who admires Yoshitsune, crosses this Nezuga Seki and travels along the narrow path that Yoshitsune took along the Hokuriku route. This continued until they arrived at present-day Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture.