The place first published the Haiku magazine "Hototogisu"
"Greeting a Happy New Year
A bush warbler just starts to chirp
The Hototogisu was first published"
(Shiki)
On Jan. of 1897 (Meiji 30), Kyokudo Yanagihara started "Hototogisu" (in hiragana characters, at present in katakana characters) at his own house for a publishing office, as the foundation of the Haiku Association of Shiki's group of "Shofu-kai".
The location of Kyokudo's residence had been not better known than "50th house in Tachibana-cho", but turned out to be the house number of 63, through the investigation by Shiki Memorial Museum. This Museum specified the place of Kyokudo's residence, several meters away southwestward from to the place located this Haiku monument, according to the map of Meiji era.
(referred to Ehime Newspaper of Nov. 11th of 1997.)
On May 5th of 1889 (Meiji 22), Shiki suddenly spat blood at the age of 23. He was diagnosed as a lung disease at that night. He composed two Haiku on the day following this accident."It seems to me as if A little cuckoo could have come flying To aim at deutizia flowers" "It just sounds to me A little cuckoo go on twittering Until duetizia will have scattered"Hototogisu (i.e. a little cuckoo) was called the bird to chirp spitting blood and the synonym of a lung disease.
Shiki, been born in the Year of the Hare, was suddenly hitted by a lung disease in his brilliant youth. On that night, he composed Haiku of a little cuckoo, a little over 40 or 50, and since that time, he named himself "Shiki", as his pen name. Hototogisu is assigned various Chinese characters and Shiki selected "Shiki" between them.
It was because the characters of "Shiki" included one character in his name "Tsunenori".
Shiki placed his sorrowful mentality that he would be able to live only several years, in this seemingly elegant pen name. After ten years and more since that time, he passed away at the age of 36, on Sept. 19th of 1902 (Meiji 35)."Hototogisu would see the lung disease in a dream. Who on earth put me to torture ?"Shiki serialized the essay "Sickbed of 6-shaku (about 18 centimeters)" in the Newspaper "Nippon" until two days before his death.
The above sentence was appeared in the end of this essay, a serial in 217 parts, on Sept. 17th of 1902 (Meiji 35).[Notes] "Sickbed of 6-shaku"(May 5th - Sept. 17th); This essay was serialized in Newspaper "Nippon".
It was started by the following introduction;
"- This sickbed of 6-shaku is my whole world. Besides, the area of this sickbed is too large for me.-"
When the serial got over a hundred parts, Shiki was very delighted to survived for a hundred days on Aug. 20th of 1902 (Meiji 35) and closed the essay by the following sentence.
"- Ume blossoms will come out in the half a year and more. Can it be really sure that I could catch the view of Ume blossoms in my eyes ? -"
