"I can see no watermelon In the spring water of the temple in latter part of autumn"
"It is a long time Since I saw the tree of Hyon Covered with very thick leaves" (Shiki)
These Haiku appeared the end of "Sansaku-shu" for Oct. 2nd of 1895 (Meiji 28), prefacing "Two Haiku of Healing Buddha".
Yakushuji Temple was built by Yoshiakira Katoh and the Kwannon (the Goddess of Mercy) of waterfall is worshipped in the precinct of the temple, where the cool water gushed out and watermelons had been used to be cooling down in the water in every summer.
[Notes} The tree of "Hyon";
This tree is called "Hyonno-ki". Another name is "Isuno-ki" and belongs to the family of "Mansaku". A plant of the genus Distylium racemosum Sieb. et Zucc. (Greek name).
The area of distribution is from Southwestern of Japan Proper to Ryukyu Island, Taiwan and Chinese mainland.
It is a evergreen tree grown in the mountains of mild land. It is about 20meters high and its leaves with hairless thick volume are five to eight centimeters long.
The name of " the tree of Hyon" was derived from that insects' cast-off shell (i.e. gall ; The part extraordinarily grown on the grounds that insects blow or live on the edge of its leaves) whistle "Hyou Hyou" by breathing out its hole. Its flowers come into blossom in spring.
