"The ear of chestnut tree
Don't hit at the very part of
The stone of this grave"
(Shiki)
In 1895 (Meiji 28), Shiki contracted hemooptysis on the ship return from the Shino-Japanese War and he return to Matsuyama after taking care of his health. This had resulted in the last return home. He visited his father's grave in his family temple, "Houryuji Temple" in this autumn.
In 1872 (Meiji 5), his father, "Tsunenao" died of illness, aged forty, when Shiki was six years old.
The foreword of this Haiku said ;
"I visited my family grave in Houryuji Temple, I found it now being completely changed to be the grave of waste field that brought tears to my eyes in spite of myself."
In the autumn of 1873 (Meiji 6), Shiki went to the elementary school of "Suehiro School", the type of school in temple, that was found in this temple, with Hajime Minami and others.
The school consisted of 103 pupils of the whole school and two teachers.
