Cluster Twenty-two:
Shiki and Matsuyama

When you say "haiku," you say "Matsuyama." Matsuyama on Shikoku is the hometown of Matsuoka Shiki (1867-1902), who in his short life transformed the Edo-period hokku into the modern haiku. He is greatly honored in his hometown, with a Shiki Museum and numerous haiku stones. What is more, Shiki was not Matsuyama's only famous haiku poet - his disciples Kawahigashi Hekigoto (1873-1936) and Takahama Kyoshi (1874-1959) were also from Matsuyama and the famous haiku magazine Hotogogisu was born in this city. On top of that, the itinerant haiku poet Santoka (1882-1940) spent his last years in a hermitage in Matsuyama and Meiji-literature giant Natsume Soseki (1867-1916) taught for a year English at Matsuyama Junior Highschool. In Matsuyama, Soseki is not only remembered for the novel Botchan which is set in the city, but Soseki was also a not inconsiderable haiku poet - for a while, he shared a house in Matsuyama, Gudabutsuan, with Shiki.

So there is every reason for Matsuyama to consider itself as the world capital of haiku. There are more than 480 haiku stones in the city and in many places you will find a kind of postboxes where you can contribute your own haiku. The Ehime Culture Foundation, based in Matsuyama, also organizes the Masaoka Shiki International Haiku Awards.

Haiku Post

As the above indicates, Matsuyama is such a haiku lovers paradise, that one is at a loss where to start. What to do with almost 500 haiku stones? I have made a small selection, for more suggestions see the website of the Ehime University Library, where part of a guide to these stones has been translated. Our Matsuyama kuhi tour will be split in four parts: central Matsuyama (on this page); Dogo Onsen and the Shiki Museum; Ishiteji Temple; and Santoka's Isso-an Hermitage.

We start where many visitors enter the city: at the JR Matsuyama station. When you come out of the station, on your left you will find a rather oversized haiku stone, carrying the present poem as a sort of symbol of Matsuyama. The stone was set up in 1962 when it replaced a smaller specimen from 1949. Shiki wrote the haiku, which is unfortunately not very beautiful in translation, in 1895.

Matsuyama Castle, to which the haiku refers, was built in the early 17th century by Kato Yoshiakira. Later, in 1635, it was given in the custody of a branch of the Matsudaira clan, relatives of the shogun in Edo. It sits on the steep Katsuyama Hill in the center of the Dogo Plain. Together with the castles in Wakayama and Himeji, it is one of three so-called multiple wing castles in Japan. Unfortunately, Matsuyama Castle is not as historical as the one in Himeji, because the most important part, the donjon or central castle tower, was several times destroyed and lastly rebuilt in 1854 on a much smaller scale. Some other towers went up in flames in WWII, and have been rebuilt now by the city - beautifully in wood. In fact, the whole castle, with its bare wooden exterior, exudes an air of antiquity.

The haiku speaks about the measure called koku- here translated freely as "bushel." 1 koku is in fact 180 kilograms of rice - as tax was levied mainly as rice from the peasantry, income was indicated in koku of rice. 150,000 koku is a rather modest fief, but Shiki was proud of his hometown.

There is a second train station in Matsuyama called Matsuyama City Station, serviced by the private Iyo Railway that connects the city with its suburbs. It is linked to the JR station via a short streetcar ride. Here, too, on the left side in front of the station (on the streetcar platform, in fact) we again find a haiku stone by Shiki. The haiku was written in 1892 and again sings about Matsuyama Castle. "Ao-arashi", "green gale," is a strong wind blowing through the green leaves and is a kigo for summer.

Shiki composed this haiku in 1895. On the way to visit Murakami Seigetsu's house, Shiki dropped by at Shojuji Temple (which also happened to be his family temple) to pick up the priest Bukkai. Bukkai (1863-1945) was Shiki's friend and also a haiku poet - he wrote under the name Isshuku. Shiki stands at the side door (uchi-genkan, the private entry used by family and friends) and calls out "Tanomo," "Anybody home?" "Morning chill" is a season word for autumn.

Shojuji stands at the back of Matsuyama-shi Station and has now been hemmed in by houses. The grounds seem not very attractive, until you reach the back where a replica stands of the house where Shiki was born and where he lived until age 17. This is now a small museum displaying Shiki memorabilia. Opposite the museum stands one of the oldest carriages of the Iyo Railways, a box car affectionately called the "Botchan train," as it figures in Natsume Soseki's famous novel. Near the small graveyard are more monuments related to Shiki, such as a grave of his hair and a stele commemorating his connection with baseball - he seems to have been one of the earliest practitioners of this sport in Japan.

The Botchan Express