Haiku Page

Yagyu Road 　柳生街道

We went hiking on Yagyu Road the other day.
In Edo period some parts of the road (mountain path) to Yagyu in the mountain were paved with stone. It must have been very tough work to pave the road in the mountain forest. The stone-paved-road are now broken in some parts or blocked with big trees grown from the cracks of the road. And the road is covered with various kinds of fallen leaves just like red and yellow carpet.
Some cedar trees are very old on the way to Yagyu, and we saw several Buddha carved in big rocks. A very quiet moment exists there.

　Nakai Tokiko 　　　登喜子

　　次々に　滝音聞いて　落葉踏む

I step on fallen leaves,
The little water falls sound
One after another

倒木は　苔むし落ち葉　つもりけり

On a big fallen tree
Moss grow every inches and
Fallen leaves lay thick

Nakai　Hirokazu 　　　弘一

紅葉踏み　歩む古道に　百年杉

An ancient road
Covered with red fallen leaves,
A hundred-year-old cedar tree stands

山間の　苅田の上に　空ありて

In the fold of the mountains
Reaped rice-fields spread before me
Above them only sky

---

Igaueno 伊賀上野

We went to Iga-ueno the other day, where the great Haiku master, Matsuo Basho was born. Matsuo Basho was a wandering poet who lived and died traveling. Basho considered life as travel. It seems that traveling was life itself to him.

我が肩に　添う妻の寝顔　秋の旅　　弘一

To my shoulder

my wife's napping face nestles,

Autumn journey

どんぐりの　肩をたたいて　地に消えぬ 　　　　弘一

An acorn drops

on my shoulder and disappears

on the ground

山茶花や　苔庭に落ち　なお白し 　　　　　　登喜子

A sasanqua blossom

fallen on a mossy garden

even more white

堀深く　高石垣に　そぞろ寒

Tall castle walls

rise up by a green moat,

in Autumn chilliness

Mt. Rokko 六甲 We went on a hike in Mt. Rokko (931m) Sept. 22. It was a very fine day. The sky was pure water-blue, and it was cool. We started Higasi-otafuku-yama-tozan-guchi bus stop for Jatani-kitayama top and Ishi-no-houden. Some parts of the route was steep. And then We went to the top of Mt. Rokko. The top was well-maintained. Japanese pamas grass was growing siver in the autumn sky with the sun light. We enjoyed lunch (Onigiri) there and went to Arima-onsesen by way of Toto-no-michi. There is a public onsen-bath. We enjoyed bathing. It was such a fine day and everything was so fine. 澄み渡る　青と緑に　赤とんぼ　 　 弘一 Dragon-flies fly in-between the green leaves and the clear blue sky 山道の　風の行方を　奏でる葉　　　弘一 Winds blow away, leaves traces with rustling sounds in the mountain path 空高く　木漏れ陽道を　妻とゆく　　　弘一 Beautiful autumn day, In the sunlight through the trees I walk with my wife

Mt. Ibuki 伊吹山

We climbed Mt. Ibuki (1377m) August 19. It was rather hard to hike up from the 6th station to the 9th station. We could see a fine view on the way to the top around the 6th or 7th station, but clouds came up around the 8th to the top. For a very short time, it cleared up, then we could see Ibuki town through the cracks of the clouds down the mountain. Seen from the top, it was just like a miniature town.

雲われて　眼下の湖国　日の盛り　 　 登喜子

From the top of Mt. Ibuki

through the cracks of the clouds

sunny lake land below

雲間に見る　登り越し途　花ばたけ　　　弘一

The route to the top

is seen through the cracks of the clouds,

fields of mountain flowers

August 16 Daimonji-okuribi

The Daimonji-okuribi festival started around 8:00 p.m.. The old Kyoto people began this festival more than 300 years ago. Okuribi is a fire lit to send the souls of deceased ancestors on the way after they have returned to this world for the bon festival. The fire is the same as the old Kyoto peaple saw 300 years ago. I enjoyed seeing the fire at Hiden-in Temple near my house.

我五十路　ゆらめき灯る　大文字

I'm now fifty,

Okuribi fire flares in the dark

this year again

夜風吹く　向こうに灯る　大文字

Night breeze blows

to the place far away

where Okuribi fire flares

虫の音が　いにしえ誘う　大文字

The old times flash back

invited by the chirps of crickets,

Daimonji-okuribi

---

中山道・乗鞍岳

We (my wife and I ) went on a travel in Nakasendo (Magome to Tsumago) and in Norikura Heights on July 20 - 22. Nakasendo was one of the main interurban roads in old Japan. Magome and Tsumago remain some of the old features. It was a kind of time travel. We stayed at Tsumago overnight.

Then we went to Norikura next day. Echo-line road to Tatami-daira was very crowded with cars heading for it. Our bus stopped before we reached there. The conductor said we would need 3 hours to get to the destination. So we got off the bus on the way. We hiked up from Kata-no-koya entrance to the summit. It was a fine veiw from the top (3,026 m) though we could not see Hodaka mountains because of the clouds capping over there. We stayed at Suzuran. We enjoyed hot spring bathing outside in the woods looking over at the starry sky. It was just like a dream.

The last day we walked around the heights. We saw spectacular Norikuras from Ushidome-ike. White birches grow bright green with the sun.

It was a nice short travel for us. Norikura is vivid in our memoroies.

木の香浴び　夫婦（ふたり）旅する　中山道　（弘一）

An old couple travel

Bathing the scents of hinoki woods

on Nakasendo Road

天に杉　底に沢音　中山道　（登喜子）

Cedars above in the sky

Sounds of mountain streams below

We are on Nakasendo

かみしめん　乗鞍山頂　夫婦（ふたり）立ち　（弘一）

An old couple

on the top of Norikura

enjoy standing there

幾千年　乗鞍映す　碧池（みどりいけ）　　（弘一）

Thousands of years,

An old dark green pond reflects

the Norikuras

乗鞍の　雲消ゆを待つ　池の端　　（登喜子）

An old couple wait

for the clouds capping Norikura

going away

We went cycling around Kita Sagano this time. Besides Daikakuji Temple, we saw Ohsawa-no-ike. It was a very quiet place. There were stone monuments around the pond on one of which a haiku is written. It says; Saga no mushi Inishihe hito to narite kiku 嵯峨の蟲　いにしへ人と　なりて聴く We recalled the last visit here with our children, who have now grown up university students. We saw vegetable fields extend to the foot of the mountains there. 立葵 背伸びし見てる 少年野球 北嵯峨の 拡がる畠に 蝶遊ぶ 大沢の 並ぶ石仏 顔おぼろ 中井　朋 (Tomo Nakai) あじさいの子どもの花に梅雨の朝 ajisai no kodomo no hana ni tsuyu no asa A baby-hydrangea, when the rainy-season starts blooms in the morning 中井　弘一　(Hirokazu Nakai) 山頂に　拡がる視界　初夏の風 Early summer winds Blow over a top of a mountain with a panoramic veiw 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 モチツツジ　登り切りて　一つあり　　　　 A mochi-azalea On the top of a mountain Waits for my reaching 山おりて　鶏鳴くや　里の音　　　　 Going down a mountain I hear a chicken sing The sound of a village 　　 清滝にて　At Kiyotaki ハミングす　人と山道　すれ違い　　　　 On a mountain path A hiking woman humming a song passes by me 石投げて　しぶきつかの間　川流る　　　　 A thrown stone makes momentous splash ripples , The river flows incessantly 老夫婦　山道登る　五月晴れ　　　　 An old-aged couple hikes up on a mountain path, A very fine May day 太田神社にて At Ohta Shrine カキツバタ　遠き昔を　色に見る Purple color of Irises Reminds me of what I was lng long ago 近江富士 中井　登喜子 (Tokiko Nakai) 堂朽ちて　信者通りし　石段あり 　 Long stone steps remain By an old crumbled mountain shrine Where believers used to come up 　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　 　　　　 山頂の　花に蝶々も　休みおり On a top of a mountain, A butterfly takes a rest On a wild blossom 山おりて　なお水田に　山のあり 　　 Going down a mountain On the water surface of rice field I still find reflected mountains * We went hiking together in Mt. Mikami, so called "Oumi-Fuji" on May 20. We walked about 4 hours in the mountain. The highest summit is 462m high, but the way to the top is very steep.