JR station square 


"Come spring as of old
    When such revenues of rice
       Braced this castle town!"
                            (Shiki)

This stone monument is recognized as one of the symbols of Matsuyama-City, located North-West of the Matsuyama Station.
In apr. of 1949(showa 24), the small monument carved this Haiku was promptly built as Shiki's haiku monument at this Matsutama Station Square after the Word War II. This monument was transferred to City Station Square in 1953(Showa 28), and to Horinouchi later.
After that time, this big monument was built at the center of Matsuyama Station Square again, in 5th, Jul. of 1962(Showa 37) and transferred to the nothern corner of the square on account of the reorganization construction of the Station Square in Aug. of 1980(Showa 55). In that year, Shiki composed another Haiku entitled "mourn the death of Kohaku (his real name is Kiyoshi Fujino) ".>

"It's now old time There used to be a man Named Kohaku"

Kohaku, Shiki's cousin, killed himself by his gun, in that year.

A famous novelist, Ryotaro Shiba, who died in Feb. of 1996, wrote with referrence to this Haiku as follows in the beginning of the first section of his novel "Sakano-ueno-Kumo - Clouds over the top of hill". "The very small country is going to break into the civilization period. One of the chain of islands in this country is Shikoku consists of Sanuki, Awa, Tosa and Iyo. The metropolice of Iyo is Matsuyama that has Matsuyama Castle. The population of this Castle Town was about 30,000 including a descendant of samurai. There is a hill looks as if a caldron is placed bottom upward in the center of the Town and covered with Japanese red pines.
We can look at the stone wall of about 30 meters hight, seen through the trees, rose to the sky, and the three storied dangeon of it is set up over the top of the hill with the sky of Seto Inland for the background. From old time, it had been said that this Castle is the greatest castle in Shikoku, but because of the elegant surrounding landscape, the stone wall and turrets don't look so steep. (...) Shiki returned to this Town and composed this Haiku "Come spring as of old When such revenues of rice Braced this castle town" in 1895(Meiji 28). (...)He composed this Haiku feeling at easy after the freedom and easiness of the human nature and landscape in Iyo - Matsuyama."
Matsuyama seems to possess a "mysterious creative power" that fosters literature and poetry and attracts authors and lovers of literature alike Shiki Masaoka and other famous Haiku poets were born here. Many eminent writers have also visited here since olden times.
Why dont't you enjoy a poetic journey through Matsuyama?
* Enlargement of his own handwrinting, performed in Meiji 28 (i.e. 1895).