"Thus the elegance shows itself
            On the beard as the wheat of
                    The last year put out"           (Shiki)
 "The autumn sky is high
            He will be stroking his sparse beard
                     I suppose in this day"            (Seigetsu, 1904)
 "I take a view of
            The snow of Mt.Ishizuchi every year at
                     The anniversary of Meisetsu's death"    (Seigetsu, 1937)
                                

This monument was built on the third anniversary of Meisetsu's death and its reverse side said, "The tower of beard built in May of 1928".
Meisetsu died on Feb.20, 1925 (Taisho 15).
This mound was designed by Gizan Shimomura who designed Shiki's hair tower.
The beard on the front view of the monument was stocked in. Meisetsu and Izan were cousins.

Meisetsu Naitou:

His real name was Motoyuki.
He was born at the Matsuyama Feudal Domain Residence in Edo, in 1847 (Kouka 4).
He was named as "Nantou" and excellent in Chinese Poem.
When he became the caretaker of the dormitory of Tokiwa-kai, he began to originate Haiku, being affected by Shiki, at the age of 46 and was respected as the senior of the Haiku World of Japan Group.
He had another pen name. "Baikyo", and died at Azabu, Tokyo, in 1925 (Taisho 15) at the age of 80.
His last Haiku is the following ;

  "It is so cold today
         That I request only a warm Yuba
                 To warm up myself now"

[Notes] Yuba:
This is the food made by picking up a thin skin on the surface of soup that is boiled up the soybean curd (tofu) added to soybean flour, and drying it on the wire netting slowly. It is rich in proteins.