Japan Navigator

Trips to Haiku Stones

A haiku stone or kuhi is a usually a natural stone, on which the text of a famous haiku has been carved.

The stone is often placed at the location where the haiku was supposedly written, or to which the short poem refers.

The stone can be old, for example dating back to the Edo period, or just a few years young.

The custom of placing ‘literature stones’ is still alive and well in Japan, and one often finds them in temple or shrine grounds, parks and along solitary paths. In ‘Haiku Stones’ I have collected some of the stones I found on my journeys.

1. Along the Sumida River (Tokyo)

Basho is not only an overwhelming presence in haiku, he was also a life-long Buddhist pilgrim. So I start my haiku tour, which is in fact a literary pilgrimage, where Basho lived for his most active years: in Tokyo’s Koto ward, on the left bank of the River Sumida. Here also stands the Basho Museum, close to which I find a cluster of haiku on a path along the river. Strictly speaking, these are not haiku stones, but modern printed boards, a practical way of creating a pleasant haiku walk. More…

2. The Frog in the Pond (Tokyo)

Basho’s haiku about the frog jumping into the old pond is the most celebrated haiku in the world. It has been inscribed on several stones both in and around the Basho Museum and I visit the one in the Kiyosumi Gardens, which also feature a beautiful pond - much larger than the one in Basho’s poem, although lacking any frogs. It appears that the frog-haiku was indeed written in this area, which in Basho’s time had many stock ponds for fish. More…

3. Leaving Edo for the North (Tokyo)

Not only Basho’s frog-and-pond haiku is very famous, also his haibun-travelogue Narrow Road to the Deep North (Oku no Hosomichi) is a classic of world literature. It was Basho’s largest pilgrimage, one from which he feared not to return. My third cluster therefore consists of the two stones that mark the two first haiku in Basho’s account, describing his leave-taking from Edo. For now, I stay behind in the city, so it is almost as if I am seeing Basho off, too… More…

4. Cherry Blossoms (Tokyo)

Next I visit a small cluster of haiku on the linked themes of cherry blossoms, drunkenness and the bells of Asakusa and Ueno. Fittingly, the first two stones, with haiku by Basho, stand in Asakusa and the second one, with a haiku by a young poetess, Shushiki, in Ueno. While Basho’s senses are confused by the blossom splendor, so that he does not know anymore which bell he is hearing, Shushiki fears that chaotic drunks will harm the tender blossoms… More…

5. Bonito and Barley (Kawasaki, Kanagawa Pref.)

Not only the ‘Narrow Road to the Deep North’ but also other routes Basho traveled are now punctuated by haiku stones. I find a cluster of ‘food haiku’ in two former post stations, Totsuka and Kawasaki, close to Tokyo. One is about a bonito that has taken leave from the sea for the trip to a human mouth, the other tells how Basho says goodbye to his disciples to travel to the Kansai area on what would be his last journey… More…

6. Touring Nikko (Nikko, Tochigi Pref.)

Here I join Basho on the first leg of Oku-no-Hosomichi, in which he describes his visit to Nikko and nearby Soja. I find three haiku stones here. The first one, not incorporated in Basho’s travelogue, sings of the vapor rising above the pond of Muro no Yashima, a famous ‘pillow word.’ The second one praises the government of the Tokugawa, who have brought peace to Japan. And in the third one, Basho hides behind a waterfall to practise meditation, like in a monk’s cell… More…

7. Garden of a Hundred Flowers (Tokyo)

We are again in Tokyo, where I visit the Hyakkaen or Garden of a Hundred Flowers. Established in 1804, this is a small pleasure park for literati, filled with plums, pines and other flowers with literary associations, and dotted with more than thirty old stone memorials. I find two stones inscribed with haiku by Basho, which not surprisingly sing of the plum blossom, the prime literati flower. More…

8. The Fields of Nasu (1) (Kurobane, Tochigi Pref.)

Next we again travel north on our “Oku-no-Hosomichi trip” to in the beautiful old town of Kurobane, standing in the green fields of Nasu, and rich in haiku stones. Basho spent so much time here that we need two clusters to cover all the poems he wrote. Basho was regaled by his former disciple, Joboji Tosetsu, the castle steward of the town, and his younger brother Tosui. Together they toured the sights of Kurobane, such as the solemn Unganji temple, and held several renga sessions. More…

9. The Fields of Nasu (2) (Kurobane, Tochigi Pref.)

More haiku from Kurobane, including the famous one about a hay carrier, who loses some straws from the pack he carries on his back and therefore seems to be laying down markers for Basho to follow on his walk through the fields. And we conclude with the haiku Basho wrote when leaving Kurobane, in which he praises the cultural level of the town where even the boy leading his horse asks him for a haiku… More…

10. Nara Temples and Haiku (Nara)

Basho often visited Nara and has left several famous haiku about the temple town, often again preserved in the form of kuhi. Here is a tour of the most famous ones, in Todaiji, Taimadera, the Kasuga Shrine, as well as a small temple in the center of Nara where Basho writes about the “ancient Buddhas” and the smell of chrysanthemums. The most moving haiku is about Ganjin, the blind Chinese priest who founded Toshodaiji Temple. A modern haiku is by Masaoka Shiki, who writes about the temple bell of Horyuji that just starts booming as he bites in a persimmon… More…

11. The Hut of Fallen Persimmons (Kyoto)

When in Kyoto, Basho lodged several times in a cottage owned by his disciple, Kyorai, in Sagano, the western outskirts of the city. The rebuilt hut is today a small pilgrimage center for Basho fans and the garden is studded with haiku stones. One of them is is the humorous haiku Kyorai wrote to explain the name of the cottage: ‘Hut of Fallen Persimmons;’ another describes how Basho has to tear himself loose from the cottage at the end of his pleasant stay. And then we also have the grave of Kyorai, with a stone that is the smallest in the world… More…

12. Suma Poetics (Kobe)

Suma, just west of Kobe, with its sandy beaches, crooked pine trees and autumn moon, was a famous scenic spot in ancient Japan. It was therefore a favorite poetic association, and its set of allusions was further enhanced when the Heike and Genji fought a tragic battle here. Today, the beach is gone and all we have are the haiku stones in Suma-ura Park. But nearby Sumadera is a very atmospheric temple, its grounds also covered with haiku stones. Basho wrote about the flute of the tragic hero Atsumori sounding through the ages, and Buson observed the slow surging movement of the spring sea. Shiki, from his sickbed, looked at the passing sails and Hosai lamented that he had to view the autumn moon alone… More…

13. A View of the Fuji (Shimizu, Shizuoka Pref.)

Basho often had a view of the Fuji when he traveled down the Tokaido - for example from Shimizu, where the mountain can be seen from over the bay. But in the present haiku he describes a scene of clouds and fog - and tells us that was just as beautiful. Both from where the haiku stone stands - on a small hill next to Tesshuji - and from neighboring Ryugeji with its famous garden, there are excellent views of Mt. Fuji - if you are more lucky than Basho. More…

14. Buson and Konpukuji (Kyoto)

Konpukuji, in the hills north-east of Kyoto, is a small temple harboring the city’s second hut associated with Basho. But even more than Basho, the temple now is associated with Buson, who rebuilt this Basho Hut and who is also buried on the forested hill behind the temple, which is a veritable haiku shrine… More…

15. Issa’s Frog (Tokyo)

Japan’s third great haiku poet is Kobayashi Issa, who is known for his Buddhist view of life and empathy with small animals. One of these is the frog and we find Issa in Entenji, a small temple in the northern part of Tokyo, encouraging a skinny frog who is fighting much larger ones… More…

16. Ota Dokan’s Hill in Hongyoji (Tokyo)

Hongyoji, a temple in Nippori, is home to three haiku stones by both Issa and Santoka. Issa writes about Ota Dokan, the 15th c. warlord who founded the first castle in what is now Tokyo, and about a view of the river, where white sails glide by beyond the green paddy fields. The modern haiku poet Santoka, visiting a for him strange city, is in his turn relieved that the moon is the same as in his hometown… More…

17. Issa in Nagareyama (Nagareyama, Chiba Pref.)

When he came to the Kanto, Issa lodged more than 50 times in Nagareyama, a production and distribution center of mirin, soy sauce and sake on the Edo River not far from Tokyo. He had befriended Akimoto Soju, the owner of one of the first mirin factories, who was himself also a haiku poet. I find both their haiku stones in the Issa-Soju museum, the Akagi Shrine and Komyoin Temple, where also Soju’s grave is. More…

18. The Killing Stone (Nasu-Yumoto, Tochigi Pref.)

We travel on along Oku no Hosomichi and visit the Nasu Yuzen Shrine and the Killing Stone on the side of the Chausudake Volcano. There are no killing vapors anymore, but the valley, with its thousands of Jizo statues, exudes an eery atmosphere. Afterwards Basho stops at a willow tree made famous by a poem of his great model, the medieval poet Saigyo. More…

19. Haiku Stones in Asakusa (1) (Tokyo)

The largest cluster of haiku stones in Tokyo can be found in the grounds of Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. Tokyo’s playground in the Edo and Meiji periods, the still bustling temple and its adjacent shrine have been handsomely served with loads of monuments. More…

20. My Hometown - Santoka and Hofu (1) (Hofu, Yamaguchi Pref.)

The pleasant town of Hofu in Yamaguchi Prefecture is the hometown of Santoka (1882-1940), who belonged to the small group of haiku poets who were also begging priests: Basho and Issa in the Edo period, and Hosai in the 20th century. Hofu is dotted with haiku stones and haiku on wooden boards and walls, the whole town now is dedicated to Santoka - who in his lifetime was chased away as a beggar… More…

21. My Hometown - Santoka and Hofu (2) (Hofu, Yamaguchi Pref.)

We continue our exploration of Santoka’s hometown, Hofu, by visiting the site of the house where he was born, the Tenmangu shrine - one of his favorite spots in town - and Gokokuji Temple, where his grave now stands. More…

22. Shiki and Matsuyama (Matsuyama, Ehime Pref.)

When you say “haiku,” you say “Matsuyama.” This city on Shikoku is virtually the world capital of haiku. It is the hometown of Matsuoka Shiki (1867-1902) and many other haiku poets and home to more than 480 haiku stones… In this section, we look at stones with haiku by Shiki in the city center. More…

23. Haiku in Dogo Spa (Matsuyama, Ehime Pref.)

Dogo Onsen, in the outskirts of Matsuyama, is one of Japan’s oldest spa baths. In Dogo Park also stands the Shiki-Kinen Museum, while Hogonji, a temple near Dogo’s bar district, also has some interesting haiku stones. More…

24. Haiku in Ishiteji Temple (Matsuyama, Ehime Pref.)

Ishiteji is an old temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, with a beautiful pagoda and Nio gate. The grounds are littered with haiku stones and other monuments, of which I present a small selection. The temple obviously also was a favorite destination of Shiki… More…

25. Santoka and Matsuyama - Isso-an (Matsuyama, Ehime Pref.)

Our final destination in Matsuyama is Isso-an, the small house where the wandering haiku poet Santoka found a place of rest in the last months of his life - he died here in his lseep in October 1940. Hemmed in by the developing city, the tiny garden of Isso-an manages to find room for four haiku stones. More…

26. Haiku Stones in Aoyama (Tokyo)

Tucked away in temple gardens and schoolyards in fashionable Aoyama, to my surprise I find two stones with haiku by Basho, as well as a kuhi bearing a haiku by modern poet Nakamura Kusatao… More…