Sato Koroku

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Sato Koroku Day (Kooroku Ki)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Mid-Summer
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Satoo Kooroku 佐藤紅緑
1874年（明治7年）7月6日 - 1949年（昭和24年）6月3日）


Kooroku Memorial Day, Kooroku Ki 紅緑忌 (こうろくき)
June 3. He was 75 years old.



He was born in Hirosaki, Aomori prefecture and later worked for the Nihon Shinbun newspaper in Tokyo. Here he met Masaoka Shiki for the first time and became his haiku student.
In 1895 he returned to Hirosaki because of illness and worked for a newspaper there.
He also translated works from Dumas and Victor Hugo.

In 1905 he stopped working for the newspaper and founded a haiku group.
In 1922 he married the actress Mikasa Mariko 三笠万里子.
In 1923 he travelled to Europe to study more about cinema.

He wrote a lot of popular literature. Many of his novels for young boys were published in the famous magazine
"Young Boys Club" Shoonen Kurabu 少年倶楽部.



His Manuscript, the red marks are from Kyoshi.

©　Aomori Museum ... look at more pages.



His Grave

"A poet should write about ideal situations.
If you just state the daily complaints of your wife,
that does not make you a good novelist!"


©　PB5H-OOTK



- Reference : 佐藤紅緑


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HAIKU


賭け事にかけし羊生紅緑忌
kakegoto ni kakeshi hitsushi nushi Kooroku Ki

this sheperd
started gambling ...
Kooroku Memorial Day

©　hokubei shinbun Senryu collection

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戦中も少年に夢あり紅緑忌　
senchuu mo shoonen ni yume ari Kooroku Ki

even during the war
young boys have dreams -
Kooroku Memorial day

Kotani Shun 小谷俊

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All Tr. Gabi Greve

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Related words

***** Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets　


***** Memorial Days of Famous People
....... A WORLDWIDE SAIJIKI




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Ota Dokan and Edo

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Ota Dokan Memorial Day

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Early Autumn
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

DOOKAN, Ota Dokan, Oota Dookan 太田道灌

(1432-1486)
Died 文明18年7月26日（1486年8月25日 August 25）



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observance kigo for early autumn

Dookan Ki 道灌忌 (どうかんき) Dokan Memorial Day




The famous monomizuka is at the temple Hongyo-Ji 本行寺, see haiku below.
Dookan monomizuka 道灌物見塚.

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Ōta Dōkan 太田 道灌
1432 - August 25, 1486
also known as Ōta Sukenaga (太田 資長) or Ōta Dōkan Sukenaga, was a Japanese samurai warrior-poet, military tactician and Buddhist monk. Ōta Sukenaga took the tonsure as a Buddhist priest in 1478, and he also adopted the Buddhist name, Dōkan, by which is known today.

Dōkan is best known as the architect and builder of Edo Castle (now the Imperial Palace) in 1457, in what is today modern Tokyo; and he is considered the founder of the castle town which grew up around that Ōnin era fortress.

Dōkan met an untimely end at Uesugi Sadamasa's home in Sagami (modern-day Kanagawa) after he was falsely accused of disloyalty during a period when the Uesugi family struggled through an internal clan conflict. His death poem is as follows:

Kakaru toki
sakoso inochi no
oshikarame
kanete nakimi to
omoishirazuba

Had I not known
that I was dead
already
I would have mourned
the loss of my life.
[Tr. Yoel Hoffmann]

Following his death, the castle was then abandoned until it was taken over by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1590.

Dōkan's residence in Kamakura became Eisho-ji, a Buddhist temple.

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Dokan Festival in Isehara, Kanagawa
伊勢原道灌祭り Dookan Matsuri
Second Weekend in October

Visiting Dokan Ohta
This tour course combines several tourist sites in Tokyo and two other prefectures, in relation to the historical figure, Dokan Ohta. Experiencing the local culture through food, festivals, and other facets is a shortcut to the rediscovery of these areas!
source : www.funade.jp

The remains of his old residence can be visited at
Mount Dokan, Dokanyama 道灌山, a favorite spot for visitors even in the Edo period.
See woodblock prints below.



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Things found on the way



'Yamabuki-no-Mino"

The warrior Ota Dokan Sukenaga (1432-1486) was caught in a rain storm and sought refuge at a rundown mill. The owner's daughter, instead of bringing him a rain coat, brought a fan decorated with yellow mountain rose flowers yamabuki, making reference to the stylized five petal flower design on his family crest mon, seen on his left sleeve.
. Ota Dokan and the Flower Maiden 　

- quote
Yamabuki no Sato 山吹の里 Yamabuki village

There have from times past been a number of theories about the location of Yamabuki village, which is famous for its legend about Ōta Dōkan.
Building upon these theories, the "Guide to Famous Edo Sites" says that according to oral legends,
Yamabuki village was deemed to have been situated
in the north of 高田馬場 Takatanobaba.
. source - Tokyo Metropolitan Library.

- quote
Ōta Dōkan 太田持資 (Mochisuke 1432-1486)

He was a general from the Muromachi period and a chief retainer of
the 扇谷 Ogigayatsu 上杉氏 Uesugi family.
From 1456 to 1457, he engaged in the construction of Edo Castle.
This painting shows Dōkan enjoying poetry in 静勝軒 Seishōken built as his residence in Edo Castle.
The western part of the Seishōken was called the 含雪 "Gansetsu" and
the eastern part was called the 泊船 "Hakusen."
. source - Tokyo Metropolitan Library.


by Ogata Gekkō (1859-1920) Ogata Gekko

- source : facebook

- quote
The Five Fabric Colors: Yellow
(五衣色染分 Itsutsuginuiro no Somewake: Ki)

In this series each of the five colors used for dyeing fabric - blue, red, yellow, white, and black - is embodied in the figure of a beautiful woman.
Chosen to represent "yellow" was お駒 O-koma, a character from the Jōruri puppet and Kabuki play
「恋娘昔八丈 Koimusume Mukashi Hachijō.
O-koma is dressed in 黄八丈 a kihachijō kimono featuring stripes on a yellow base.
Kihachijō is a silk fabric with the three keynote colors of yellow, tan, and black.
Its name derives from the place of manufacture, Hachijō-jima in the Izu Islands.
It was presented as tribute to the Shogun's household, and until the middle Edo period was only permitted to be worn by members of higher-ranked warrior households.
Produced in 1775 (An'ei 4), the Jōruri play Koimusume Mukashi Hachijō was based on the true story of a liaison between a man named
忠七 Chūshichi and a woman お熊 O-kuma, who wore a kihachijō kimono.
This play was well received by Edo residents and the kihachijō kimono worn by its heroine,
who was renamed お駒 O-Koma in the play, enjoyed great popularity among young women.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library


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. Edo Castel, Edo joo 江戸城
The History of Edo Castle　

. Edo, The City That Became Tokyo 　

. 100 Favorite Dishes of Edo 江戸料理百選


. Tokyo - Local Dishes

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HAIKU



陽炎や道潅どのの物見塚
kageroo ya Dookan dono no monomizuka

heat shimmers -
the look-out hill
of Ota Dokan

Kobayashi Issa

In the year 1811 Issa went to visit the temple Hongyo-Ji 本行寺 (Hongyooji) in Arakawa ward, Tokyo (Edo at the time) on Januray 29th. Now there is only a stone memorial where Dokan built his first look-out for enemies.

. . . . .

In this haiku, Issa pays tribute to Ota Dokan - the Monomizuka must still have existed when he came here. But all the same, a sandhill is not much as the sole remembrance of the founder of Edo and in the summer heat Issa only sees a column of shimmering, hot air.
Ad G. Blankestijn, Japan.


. Heat Shimmers and Haiku

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- quote -
Listening to the Insects at Dōkan-yama
Dōkan-yama (around the present day 4-chome Nishinippori, Arakawa Ward) was in the Edo period a popular place for insect savants who liked to hear the noise insects make ('mushi-kiki') and attracted many more people as a cool evening spot.
Dōkan-yama was not the only place popular for mushi-kiki; there was also Sumida River's east bank as well as Ōji and Asukayama.
The type of chirping insects would vary depending on the location and so people seem to have differenciated these places according to their mood, for example, when they wished to hear crickets they would go to Asukayama and would go to Dōkan-yama when they fancied hearing the sound of pine crickets. Such was peoples' interest at the time in the sound of insects and as there were also people who wanted to keep insects as pets in their homes, there were insect sellers who walked the streets carrying their wares in bamboo caskets.
During the Edo period, the Dōkan-yama is said to have offered views such as mountain ranges of Tsukuba and Nikko and Shimosa-no-kuni kōnodai.
Aside from this illustration, there are many more remaining works depicting 'mushi-kiki' in Dōkan-yama.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Museum -


Dokanyama, Utagawa Hiroshige

稲の花道灌山の日和かな
ine no hana Dookanyama no biyori kana

rice blossoming -
a fine day to visit
Mount Dokan

. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規
age 28



Dokanyama and fireflies, Hiroshige


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***** . Memorial Days in Autumn 　

. Welcome to Edo　江戸 ! .

BACK : Top of this Saijiki

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Madame Curie

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Madame Curie Memorial Day (Kyurii ki)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Late Summer
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

memorial day of Madame Curie
Kyuri ki キュリー忌（きゅりーき)
Kyurii fujin sai キュリー夫人祭 (きゅりーふじんさい)
Festival of Madame Curie
Kyuurii ki キュウリー忌


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Fear Less, Know More

Nothing in life is to be feared,
it is only to be understood.
Now is the time to understand more,
so that we may fear less.

Madame Marie Curie

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Marie Sklodowska Curie
(7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934)
was a physicist and chemist of Polish upbringing and subsequent French citizenship. She was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity and the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes —in physics and chemistry. She was also the first female professor at the University of Paris.
She married Pierre Curie.

Her achievements include the creation of a theory of radioactivity (a term she coined, techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes, and the discovery of two new elements, polonium and radium. Under her direction, the world's first studies were conducted into the treatment of neoplasms (cancers) using radioactive isotopes.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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HAIKU


キュウリー忌薊は棄教の花かとも　
Kyuurii ki azami wa kikyoo no hana ka tomo　


Maria Magudarena マリア　マグダレナ
http://homepage2.nifty.com/cat-fish/9811himu.html



At the radium hot spring in Misasa, Tottori, there is a statue of Madame Curie

三朝温泉 「キュリー祭」
Curie Festival, usually held in August




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on the late-night movie
as I try to swallow oatmeal
"Madame Curie"

Anita Virgil
source : Simply Haiku, Autumn 2006





Madame Curie is a 1943 biographical film made by MGM.
It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sidney Franklin from a screenplay by Paul Osborn, Paul H. Rameau and Aldous Huxley (uncredited), adapted from the biography by Eve Curie.
Marie Sklodowska (Greer Garson) is a poor, idealistic student living in Paris and studying at the Sorbonne.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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with her life
she opens the door of physics
Curie memorial day

Nakamura Sakuo
Joys of Japan, August 2012



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***** . Misasa Tug-of-war (Misasa tsunahiki) 　
At Misasa Onsen Hot Spring



***** Memorial Days of Famous People

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Kitamura Kigin Day

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Kitamura Kigin Day

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Late Summer
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation



Kitamura Kigin 北村季吟
1625-1705. June 15, ６月１５日　
1625年1月19日（寛永元年12月11日） - 1705年8月4日（宝永2年6月15日）
Dates vary according to the Asian Lunar Calendar.


Day of Kigin, Kigin Ki 季吟忌 (きぎんき)
Day of Shuusui Ken,
Shuusui Ken Ki 拾穂軒忌（しゅうすいけんき）


He was the haiku teacher of Matsuo Basho, Yamaoka Genrin 山岡元隣 and Yamaguchi Sodoo 山口素堂.

He was a famous writer and compiler of the early Edo period. He also used these pen names:
静厚、通称は久助、別号は慮庵・呂庵・七松子・拾穂軒, Kogestu Tei 湖月亭
He belonged to the Teimon Group of haiku, Teimon Ha 貞門派 of Matsunaga Teitoku.

He was born in present-day Shiga prefecture, former Omi province.

He was the haiku student of Yasuhara Teishitsu 安原貞室 and Matsunaga Teitoku 松永貞徳.
He edited some old pieces of literature, for example the Tale of Genji, the Tosa Nikki (Tosa Diary) and the Tales of Ise.



He compiled an important collection of seasonal words and topics:

北村季吟『山之井』 Yama no I
by Kitamura Kigin ［1624 -1705］comp. 1647-8
It contained 1300 kigo.
............... later republished as
Zoo yama no i "Expanded Mountain Well "Yama no I" 1667

. WKD : History of Japanese Saijiki .


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He rewrote more than 180 classic novels into easier language, some of which are the The Tales of the Genji, Makurano Soushi, The Tales of Yamato, The Diary of Tosa, and The Tales of Ise. The Yedo government presented him with a title Houin and invited him to Yedo.
In his later life he devoted himself to educating his students, many of whom became influential, among them the famous Matsuo Basho.
Kitamura Kigin died at 82.
　©　Photo and Text : kinki/yasu



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The Invention of a Literary Tradition of Male Love

Kitamura Kigin's "Iwatsutsuji 岩つつじ"
Paul Gordon Schalow

Ominaeshi monogatari, (1661; Tales of Lady Flowers)
a collection of anecdotes and legends about female poets.



湖月抄　Kogetsushoo

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Reference : 北村季吟





地主神社 Jishu Shrine Visit, Kyoto



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HAIKU



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***** Memorial Days of Famous People / SAIJIKI


History of Japanese Saijiki

Matsunaga Teitoku 松永貞徳 (1571-1653)


Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets


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Rooka, Saint Roka

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Memorial Day for Saint Roka

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Early Winter
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Memorial Day for Saint Roka,
Rooka Ki 浪化忌 (ろうかき)

November 17. (1672 - 1703)

寛文11年12月17日（1672年1月16日） － 元禄16年10月9日（1703年11月17日）

He was born in Kyoto. His boyhood name was "Shoo Maru" 正丸.
His haiku names are 自遣堂・応々山人・休々山人.

He was a monk of the Pure Land Sect and also a famous haiku poet. His father Takunyo 琢如（たくにょ) had been priest at the famous temple Higashi Honganji in Kyoto.



Zuisen-Ji village

He lived at the temple Zuisenji 越中国井波瑞泉寺, where he became abbot in 1677 at the tender age of 7. He often travelled to Kyoto to meet his father and his brother, both haiku students of Kitamura Kigin.
Later he became a haiku student of Mukai Kyorai, one of the 10 important disciples of Basho.

In 1694 he met Matsuo Basho for the first time at the Haiku Group in Saga/Kyoto, Rakushi sha 落柿舎（らくししゃ）and became his disciple.

He was very fond of Basho and built a memorial for him after the death of Basho. He received a bit of the hair of Basho as mememto and later build his recluse, "Black Hair Hermitage" Kurokami An 黒髪庵.


"Black Hair Hermitage"


His Haiku Publications
『Ariso umi 有磯海』『Tonami yama となみ山』




Japanese Reference


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HAIKU

Haiku by Roka himself

下積の　蜜柑ちひさし　年の暮
shitazumi no mikan chihisashi toshi no kure

the lower layer
of mandarins is rather small ...
end of the year

Haiku about Trees



いなづまの濡れて走るや砂の上
inazuma no nurete hashiru suna no ue

getting wet
and running from the thunderstorm
on the sand

Haiku about Sand
Tr. Gabi Greve


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More Haiku by Roka

「のら猫の声もつきなや寒の内」
「初春のおちつくかたや梅柳」
「待春や机に揃ふ書の小口」
「朝立つや鳥見かへれば雲にいる」
「一本をくるりくるりと花見かな」
「霊前に新茶そゆるや一つまみ」
「首立て鵜のむれのぼる早瀬哉」
「釣りそめて蚊屋のにほひや二三日」
「秋深し昼も馴れたる小夜着哉」
「賑やかに菊は咲きけり初しぐれ」
「柊の花のこぼれや四十雀」
「久々で野に出る馬や大根引」


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Related words

***** Kitamura Kigin 北村季吟


***** Memorial Days of Famous People
....... A WORLDWIDE SAIJIKI

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Nakayama Gishu

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Nakayama Gishu

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Early Autumn
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Gishu Memorial Day, Gishuu Ki 義秀忌 (ぎしゅうき)
August 19.


Nakayama Gishuu, 中山義秀（なかやまぎしゅう)

Takama Yoshihide 議秀（よしひで）was his real name.

1900年10月5日-1969年8月19日.



Born in Fukushima prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University Department of English Literature.
He worked as an English teacher at junior high school.

Novelist and Poet.
Akutagawa Literary Award winning writer.
After the war, he began to write historical novels about samurai life.

He became ill with cancer, but still found energy to write about Basho and haiku:
Bsshoo-An Toosei 芭蕉庵桃青.

On the day before his death he was baptised a Christian.

After his death, a literature prize was established in his name.

Nakayama Gishuu Bunka Gakushoo
中山義秀文学賞（なかやまぎしゅうぶんがくしょう）

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


His grave is at the temple EngakujiTemple (円覚寺), Shoreiin (松嶺院) in Kita-Kamakura.


More English LINKS

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Nakayama Memorial Hall in Shirakawa, Fukushima






Postcard from a walk to the Memorial Stone at Narita San Park
成田山公園

人老ゆれば　自然に風物寛寛恕たり


©　真間山弘法寺


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU



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Related words

***** Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets　


***** Memorial Days of Famous People
....... A WORLDWIDE SAIJIKI


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Saito Mokichi

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Saito Mokichi Day

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Spring
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

1882年5月14日（戸籍では7月27日） - 1953年2月25日 February 25）
He was a famous Tanka Poet.
He was the family doctor of Ryūnosuke Akutagawa and assisted in his suicide.

Mokichi Memorial Day, Mokichi Ki 茂吉忌 (もきちき)

Saito Mokichi / FACTS





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HAIKU


茂吉忌に重なる父の忌を修す　
Mokichi Ki kasanaru chichi no ki o jusu

Mokichi Day
the same as my father's death aniversary
to remember and pray

©　泉　靖子 / Izumi Yasuko
Tr. Gabi Greve

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龍太忌茂吉忌二月二十五日
Ryuuta Ki Mokichi Ki Nigatsu Nijuugo Nichi

Ryuta Day
Mokichi Day - February
Twentyfifth


©　藍生主宰句
Tr. Gabi Greve


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***** Memorial Days of Famous People
..... WKD SAIJIKI

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Gioo the Dancer

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Day of Gioo the Dancer (Gioo Ki)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Mid-Spring
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

Memorial Day for Gio, the mistress of Kiyomori

Gioo Ki 妓王忌 (ぎおうき)
Gioo Ki 祗王忌（ぎおうき）

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Giō and Hotoke
The story of Giō and Hotoke is long and involved, but basically tells of the most famous shirabyoshi Giō, who had won the heart of Taira no Kiyomori, being ousted by a younger and more talented shirabyoshi named Hotoke. Kiyomori cruelly sent Giō away, which grieved her greatly, and Hotoke was constantly ridden with guilt.

A year later, Giō was asked to perform a dance for Hotoke at Kiyomori's command, who actually intended on humiliating her. In her grief and humiliation, Giō, her sister and their mother became nuns seeking for a happier life. A few years later, the guilt was too great for Hotoke and she became a nun. She asked for forgiveness from Giō, who willingly forgave her and the four women lived out the rest of their days in prayer.



Shirabyoshi (白拍子)
were female dancers that performed traditional Japanese dances (also called "shirabyoshi") dressed as men. The profession of shirabyoshi developed in the 12th century. They would perform for nobles and high-ranking samurai, and at celebrations.

They are sometimes referred to as courtesans in the West, but the term refers to a high-class prostitute, so this is rather incorrect. By nature they were performers, though some shirabyoshi would give birth to nobles' children, but this was not their purpose.

Shizuka, a famous shirabyooshi, commonly referred to as Shizuka-gozen, was the concubine and lover of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, the tragic hero of many folk legends.

© More in the WIKIPEDIA !




Dolls: Gio and her younger sister Gijo
祗王とその妹の祗女



............................. The song of Dancer Hotoke

"A delicate young pine at her first meeting
With him who is her Lord, through joys and tears
Sings of her hope that he may hear the beating
Wings of the passage of a thousand years;
While storks upon the tortoise island stand
And crowd the lily pond to seek his hand."


Read all the details here
THE STORY OF GIO

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shirabyooshi 白拍子 Shirabyoshi Clay Doll
34 cm high

. Dolls from Shimane 島根県 .
Nagahama 長浜土人形 clay dolls


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way



Taira Kiyomori and the Genpei War


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HAIKU

妓王忌のミッキーミニーのペアカップ
Gio ki no mikkii minii no pea kappu

Gio Day -
pair cups of
Mickey and Minnie

©　Gendai Haiku Kukai





Japanese are very fond of pair cups. Usually, they are called "Couple's cups" meoto yunomi 夫婦湯のみ for husband and wife. Now boyfriends and girlfriends use them when they live together. Usually the one for the wife is just a bit smaller.
We also have rice bowls for couples in the same way.
Click on this thumbnail to view some more samples.


Traditional Tea cups for Couples


More about Happy Couples (meoto, fuufu) in Japan :
Meoto Daruma and the Takasago Legend 夫婦だるま


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妓王忌の苔に結べる春の露
香燿子



妓王忌や屈託もなく若き声
Gioo Ki ya kuttaku mo naku wakaki koe

Gio Memorial Day -
this young voice
so carefree

君不去
Tr. Gabi Greve



妓王忌とおもふ渚のうつぼ草
吉田紫乃

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- quote -
Dancer, Nun, Ghost, Goddess
The Legend of Giō and Hotoke in Japanese Literature, Theater, Visual Arts, and Cultural Heritage
Roberta Strippoli, Binghamton University
Dancer, Nun, Ghost, Goddess
explores the story of the dancers Giō and Hotoke, which first appeared in the fourteenth-century narrative Tale of the Heike. The story of the two love rivals is one of loss, female solidarity, and Buddhist salvation. Since its first appearance, it has inspired a stream of fiction, theatrical plays, and visual art works. These heroines have become the subjects of lavishly illustrated hand scrolls, ghosts on the noh stage, and Buddhist and Shinto goddesses. Physical monuments have been built to honor their memories; they are emblems of local pride and centerpieces of shared identity.
Two beloved characters in the Japanese literary imagination, Giō and Hotoke are also models that have instructed generations of women on how to survive in a male-dominated world.
- source : brill.com/products/book... -


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- quote -
Temple Gio-Ji - The Ladies’ Temple in Saga
- snip -
... I discovered a Basho renku about the Nonomiya Shrine in Saga, west of Kyoto, ...
... I translate “Gio dera” to “ladies’ temple” in a stanza by Basho taken from linked verse, known as renga.

Her hair gone,
chamberlain’s daughter
grown weary

Storm over Nonomiya
ladies’ temple bells

The Grand Chamberlain (Jijū) is a chief functionary of the Imperial court, and aide to the Emperor of Japan. He also keeps the Privy Seal and the State Seal, but his high rank does not prevent his daughter from experiencing the travails of life. She cuts her hair and escapes to Saga, at the foot of Mount Arashi (Storm Mountain) where there are many temples. Because “Gio” sounds like “Gion,” the stanza in Japanese recalls the famous opening to the Tales of the Heike:
“The bells of the Gion Shōja echoes the impermanence of all things…. The proud do not endure, like a dream on a spring night, the mighty falls at last, as dust before the wind.”

The Gion Shōja (or Jetavana) temple in India is where the Buddha gave most of his discourses. This passage is usually said to portray the fall of Kiyomori and his clan from power and wealth to exile and death – however the words well apply to the tale of the four dancers who became four nuns.

Basho sets up the opposition of storm and bells. The first is wild, violent, uncaring; the second deep, steady, and unifying. The storm represents the arrogance and intimidating behavior of men such as Kiyomori; the bells are the steady, focused energy of women. A bell, shaped like a uterus, is clearly female. Temple bells, with their reverberations of up to a full minute, are conducive to meditation, and have become a symbol for world peace. “Bells,” as final word of the verse, resounds through the weariness of the daughter as well as the violence of the storm. In “bells” there is resolution.

When I visited Gio-ji, I spoke to a priest who pointed out that the temple has no bell, so in Basho’s stanza we hear the bells of many temples in Saga combining their reverberations. While Gio-ji lacks a bell, it does have a beautiful moss garden which you can walk through but not touch. The temple is a twenty minute walk from Arashiyama Station which is a fifteen minute ride on the JR Sagano Line from Kyoto Station. There are statues of the four women, and their graves; they remained together for eternity. Maybe if you are there in the evening, you will be able to hear the kindness of Gio, the wisdom of Lady Buddha, the solidarity of the four women, in the temple bells of Saga. Furthermore, through this renku pair, we can explore the multi-faceted issue of gender politics, the ways men use their power to dominate women, the adaptations of women to survive, the chamberlain’s daughter who seems to be alone in her weariness, the ladies who found happiness in sharing their lives of devotion.
- source : Jeff Robbins 2017 -

Giō-ji 祇王寺 Temple Gio-Ji
Kyoto, Ukyō-ku, Sagatoriimoto Kozakacho, 32


... Tiny Gio-ji Temple is one of the most scenic spots in Arashiyama. The thatched-roof main hall overlooking a moss-covered grotto is a magical sight.


. Matsuo Basho Archives 松尾芭蕉 .


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Related words

***** Memorial Days of Famous People
....... A WORLDWIDE SAIJIKI

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