Iyo-bushi(Folk Song in Ehime)

  "I have taken a lesson
          In singing Iyo-Bushi of folk song here
                  When spring rain is drizzling" 
              
                                                  (Seigetsu)

"Well-known products and famous places in Iyo"
 The morning market in Mitsu, Hot spring of Dogo
 Well-known five colored fine noodle, The first Cherry Blossoms of Izayoi
 Peach Blossoms stuck into sands, Small Irises
 Teiregi in the village of Takai,
 Well with violet water and one-eyed crucian carp
 The cherry blossoms of light sumi and the red turnip
  Iyo-Kasuri cloth with splashed patterns


"The morning market in Mitsu"
 Local inhabitant, Zenzaemon Shimomatsuya started a wholesale store of fish
in 1616 (Genwa 2), by permission of the lord of Matsuyama feudal Domain,
Yoshiakira Katho.

 "Bamboo leaves with dew drops
            Hung over sea breams in the basket
                    In the morning Market here"       (Shiki)

"Hot Spring of Dogo"
 In old times, it was called "Hot Spring of Nigitazu" or "Stone Spa of
Iyo".
 The oldest hot spring in Japan.
 Issa Kobayashi came to here two times, 1795 and 1796.

 "Lying down at the curb
           Of a open-air hot spring that have
                 A butterfly come to stay"            (Issa)

"Five colored fine noodle"
 In 1635 (Kanei 12), when the lord of Kuwana Feudal Domain, Sadayuki
Matsudaira (Hisamatsu) moved his domain to Matsuyama, he accompanied
Ichizaemon Nagatoya who was a producer and merchant of this fine noodle.


"The Cherry Blossom of Izayoi"
 The cherry tree of Izayoi grows in Yamagoe-Sakuradai, Matsuyama.
 The name of this cherry tree is derived from that it blooms on Jan.18 of
the lunar calendar, every year. Alias "the cherry tree of good son".

 "It could be hardly believed
          That the cherry blossoms of Izayoi are
                   Came into bloom on Jan.16"           (Shiki) 

"Peach blossoms  stuck into sands in Yoshida"
 Yoshida, Matsuyama was the producing district of peach in the period of
Edo.
 The peach tree were buried by sands, suffering the damage of the high tide
in the period of Houreki, but broke into leaf and bloomed in spring. 
 It seemed as if the peach trees would be stuck into the sands.


"Small Irises"(Shiki)
 It grows in Koshiori-Yama, Hojo City. The name of it made appearance in
the period of Genroku. Its botanical name is "Ehime-Ayame".
 Its flower opens in the beginning of April and blooms one flower per a
stalk.
 It was designated as the natural treasure,

 "It's so pity to see
           The small irises made up a package
                     Have already drooped like this"      (Shiki)


"Teiregi in the village of Takai"
 It is the native water plant in the village of Takai, Matsuyama City, and
the special product of this district.
 It grows on the bed of clean river and is suitable for the cool water of
about fifteen degrees centigrade.
 The botanical name is "Oobataketsukebana".

 "Autumn breeze is blowing now
           Teiregi in Takai and bream of Mitsu
                    are well known in season"             (Shiki)  


"Well with violet water"
 This well is located in Kiya-cho, Matsuyama City.
 The water of it had been dried up now.
 It had been said that the color of the water change into violet seven
times
a day, and was called as "the strange spring".
 

"One-eyed crucian carp"
This is fifty meters away from Well with violet water.
 The legend said ;
 "When the Saint Kobo who had been a trainee monk, happened to pass by the
village of Yamagoe, he found a farm woman grilled many crucian carps. He
had pity on the fishes and received them to release into the near spring.
And then, the crucian carps that one eye had already broiled, were restored
to life."
 Since that time, it had been said that all crucian carps grew up in this
spring are one-eyed.

"Dishes of raw crucian carp
           The one-eyed crucian carps have the origin
                     That was handed down now"           (Shiki)

"Cherry Blossoms of light sumi"
 This cherry tree grows in front of the main building of Saihouji Temple,
Shimoidai, Matsuyama. 
 In the old time, Empress, who came here, got ill and recovered her spirits
by praying to God through the Imperial Commands. And then, Chokushi (a
special envoy to convey Imperial Commands) presented "Rinshi" (the words of
Emperor) written by light sumi (Indian Ink) with cherry blossoms.
 This cherry tree was planted in the precincts of Saihouji Temple.
 The botanical name is "Iyo-usuzumi-zakura".

"The noble words of sovereign
           On the sheets tinged with light gray
                    With cherry blossoms of sumi"               (Kyokudo)

"The red turnip"
 It is formally called "Hino Turnip".
 In 1635 (Kanei 12), when Sadayuki Matsudaira (Hisamatsu), the lord of
Kuwana Feudal Domain, moved his domain to Matsuyama, he accompanied a gun
smith, Yoshisada Oka, who came from Hino, Ohmi Country. And Yoshisada
ordered seeds of turnip from Hino and sowed them in Yugun Village and
Takehara Village.

 "I can take a view
          That women are picking up red turnips
                  In the vegetable field now"             (Shiki)

"Iyo-Kasuri cloth with splashed patterns"
 In the period of Kyowa, kana Kagiya in Imade found the tie-dyed fabric for
"Kasuri" cloth and made Iyo-kasuri more beautiful.
 Iyo-Kasuri is popular as one of the three major kasuri in Japan.

 "A rose of Sharon is
         In bloom I can hear the sound of 
                 Weaving from every house"    (Shiki)