Published on January 1, 2018
Published on January 1, 2018

Shiki was supported by his many friends, pupils and family.

A farewell party for Mokugo (Chu) Asai who went to Paris to study (drawn by Chu Asai): Appeared in the January issue of "Hototogisu" (1900)
A farewell party for Chu Asai, who went to Paris to inspect the international exhibition and study, was held on January 16, 1900 at Shikian. Participants of the party were Shiki, Chu Asai, Meisetsu Naito, a haiku poet, Katsunan Kuga, Izan Shimomura, a painter and a haiku poet, Fusetsu Nakamura, Hyotei Ioki, a newspaper reporter at Nippon and a haiku poet, Seisei Matsuse, a haiku poet, and Kyoshi Takahama. They wrote legends on a painting jointly created by three painters, ate Western food, and enjoyed the party. Shiki expressed the atmosphere in a tanka poem:

 
　ふらんすのぱりに行く絵師送らんと画をかきにけり牛ひくにけり　子規

     At a farewell party for a painter who will go to Paris, France, We made paintings and ate beef   Shiki


A comic picture jointly created by three painters at the farewell party for Chu Asai (Material deposited from Shikian)

Chu Asai presented a watercolor painting of autumn flowers to Shiki, arranged to borrow a large birdcage for Shikian, and went on the journey.
 
"A sketch of a haiku meeting held at Shikian" drawn by Izan Shimomura and written by Hekigoto Kawahigashi (1935, a material deposited from Shikian)

 

 "Chuo Bijutsu Kyokai" created 30 copies of this picture, which depicted a successful New Year's haiku meeting held at Shikian around 1897-1898, as a commemoration of haiku innovations in 1935. One of the copies that was distributed as a hanging scroll was donated to Shikian in 2013. All of the copies are handmade, so each copy has a slightly different picture and calligraphy. Besides Shiki, Rogetsu Ishii, Rokkotsu Sato, Hekigoto Kawahigashi, Shihoda Sakamoto, Meisetsu Naito, Koroku Sato, Kyoshi Takahama, Joseki Otani, Saemon Yoshino, Hyotei Ioki, Bokusui Umezawa, Gojo Sudo, Kakudo Akagi, Rihei Isahaya, Izan Shimomura, Gusai Orii, Sokotsu Samukawa, Haritsu Fukuda, Sanshi Yamada, Katto Tani, Meikyu Iwata, Shijin Matsushita and others (clockwise from Shiki) participated in the party.
 

"Faces of haiku comrades" (around 1900, Courtesy of the Shiki Museum)

Faces of haiku comrades drawn by Shiki. An excellent point is that he humorously commented on their faces: For example, Takashi Nagatsuka has a narrow pointed face, Sachio Ito a distorted one, and so on.
The first haiku meeting of "Busonki," or an anniversary of Yosa Buson's death (1897, Courtesy of the Shiki Museum)

A commemorative photograph taken at a guest room's porch of Shikian. Shiki sat in the middle of the middle row. Shiki was an ardent admirer of Buson Yosa. He wrote "Haijin Buson" and "Haikaku Taiyo," and established "Shasei Shugi," or realism haiku poem, which quoted drawing from nature in the Western art. These accomplishments led to the foundation of "Hototogisu," a haiku magazine, and "Araragi," a tanka magazine, which Takashi Nagatsuka, a tanka poet and a novelist, who was profoundly impressed by Shiki's Shasei Shugi, took part in.
 
"Hototogisu," a haiku magazine
This magazine was started by Kyokudo Yanagihara, a friend and a pupil of Shiki, at Matsuyama in 1897. The title was derived from the name of Shiki. Haiku poems in the magazine were selected by Shiki, Kyoshi Takahama, Hekigoto Kawahigashi, Meisetsu Naito and others, and covers of the magazine were designed by Fusetsu Nakamura and others ( refer to Calligraphy Museum's pages). The publication of the magazine was taken over by Kyoshi Takahama, and the title "Hototogisu" was changed to katakana words. Although the publication of it was temporarily suspended in 1945. it is still published after undergoing some changes.
 
Busonki (December 1899) (Courtesy of Shikian)

This picture was taken in front of the blackboard fence on the west side. Shiki leaned on an armrest in the middle.
 

Busonki (December 1900) (Courtesy of the Shiki Museum)

This picture was taken in front of the Kenninji fence on the south side of the small garden. This year, Shiki's condition became worse, and he could not walk down to the small garden (The large birdcage that was borrowed through Chu Asai is seen on the left side).

References
1) "Shiki Zenshu" written by Shiki Masaoka: Kodansha
2) "Shikian Shunju" by the Shikian conservation society: the Shikian conservation society foundation
3) "Soseki/Shiki Ofuku Shokan-shu" edited by Shigeki Wada: Iwanami Shoten  Others

Taito City created a pamphlet titled "Taito Burari Sanpo," or stroll in Taito City. The part 6 of the pamphlet, which is subtitled "Masaoka Shiki Yukari no Chi (Kuhi) wo Otozureru," or visiting places (stone monuments engraved with haiku poems) related to Shiki Masaoka, features articles on Shiki and stone monuments engraved with haiku poems by Shiki in Taito City.

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Copyright© Taito City All Rights Reserved