Masaoka Shiki's words

It was on October19,1895 when Shiki left Matsuyama for Hiroshima. He went on board a ship at Mitsu-hama. It was a trip back to Tokyo. As the departure date was approaching, Shiki came to think he would like to compose haiku while wandering around the city. Going out into nature with notebooks and making poetic sketches was a way of creation, familiar to him. In 1894,a year before, he already had such experiences and compiled some haiku collections ,such as “Ueno-kikoo”, “Sozoro-aruki” (rambling around), and “Ooji-kiko.” Wandering around the places in the city, which started on September 20, 1985, was carried out five times in total; on September 20 and 21,October 2, 6 and7. The number of haiku composed by Shiki in these five tours was 144. But,these haiku seem to have long remained unknown to the public. I myself first read them in a book belonging to the complete works of Masaoka Shiki. But, generally speaking, only after they are compiled and published as a booklet titled as “Sansaku-shu” by the effort of Matsuyama Municipal Board of Education, these haiku first came to be known to the public. Today if you visit Shiki- Kinen Museum, you can get a thin vermeil booklet on its first floor.

I came to think about ten years ago that the days had already passed when I should continue working in a big city like Tokyo. Around that time there was a job change possibility for me to a post in a Shikoku subsidiary of a company I was working for. And, fortunately I was able to come back to Shikoku. Since then, on holidays, I often walk around the area where Shiki once did. I always have the thin vermeil booklet of “Sansaku-shu” in my hand.

その子規が三津浜から船に乗って広島に向けて松山を発ったのはその年の１０月１９日だった。その出立の日が近づくなかで子規は松山市内の散策吟行を思いたった。散策吟行という方法論は子規にとってはすでに馴染みのもので、その前年明治２７年にも「上野紀行」、「そぞろあるき」、「王子紀行」等の紀行句集を書き上げている。明治２８年９月２０日に始まる松山市内の散策吟行は、翌２１日、１０月２日、１０月６日及び１０月７日と合計５回にわたっていて、その時子規が詠(よ)んだ俳句の数は１４４に及んでいる。しかし、それらの句はながらく日の目を見なかったらしい。私が最初に読んだのは、講談社発行の「子規全集」によってであるが、これらの句が「散策集」として纏められ世間に知れるようになったのは、昭和４１年に松山市教育委員会によってこれが編集・出版されてからのことだと言う。今松山市立子規記念博物館の１階ロビーに行けば、朱色の薄い冊子になったその「散策集」を求めることができる。

今から約１０年前のこと、都会で仕事し続ける年はもう過ぎたと感じていた私に、運よく四国への転勤話があり、首尾よくこの地への帰還を果たすことができた。それから時々、私は休みの日になると、その薄い冊子の「散策集」を手に持って、むかし子規が歩いた場所をよく歩くのである。またその周辺を歩くのである。

Masaoka Shiki's words

That rented house is often referred to as ” Gu-da-butsu-an,” adopted from Sohseki’s pen name for his haiku composition. On the first floor of the house lived Shiki, and on the second floor lived Sohseki. The original location of the house is about 100 meters south of Mitsukoshi Department Store’s Matsuyama Branch. But, the place is now changed to a car parking lot with only a stone monument showing the former site of “Gu-da-butsu-an” erected. The house itself was burned down by the war damage during the Second World War time. The present facility of the same name is what was restored later years by Ehime Prefectural Board of Education. It stands on the mountain side in the compound of “Bansui-so” adjacent to the Matsuyama municipal “Saka No Ue No Kumo Museum” (clouds- over- a-pass museum).

The communal life of Shiki and Sohseki in Matsuyama, which started that way, lasted for some 50 days until October 19 that year, when Shiki left Matsuyama. As a citizen of Matsuyama, I feel very proud of the fact that there is a historical fact that the two persons lived under the same roof of the house, even though for a very short time, seemed to deepen their thoughts on literature and aesthetics, and both of them very much influenced the direction of modern Japanese literature, or in a broader sense, the way how to write Japanese language from the viewpoint of well expressing things.
In those days at this “Gu-da-butsu-an” gathered haiku fans belonging to a haiku association called “Sho-fu-kai” every night. And they held a haiku gathering with Shiki as an instructor. Sohseki also sometimes joined it. Yanagihara Kyokudo asked Shiki to instruct people in haiku on August 28,and then Shiki’s instruction for the “Sho-fu-kai” members started.The association of “Sho-fu-kai” was established a year before, consisting mainly of higher-elementary school teachers. In the letter sent to Kawahigashi Hekigotoh in Tokyo, dated on September 7, 1895 (the 28th year of Meiji), Shiki wrote as follows:
“Four or five people come here every night. And we hold a haiku gathering. I am impressed by their eagerness toward haiku. Especially, Yanagihara have continued coming here every night.”
In the same letter, he further wrote:
“Natsume (Sohseki) also has recently come to be a member of it.”
The haiku composed by the “Sho-fu-kai” members and selected by Shiki, including those by Sohseki, came to appear in the local newspaper “Kainan.” It started on September 6.

漱石の俳号からよく「愚(ぐ)陀仏(だぶつ)庵(あん)」と称されるその下宿では、１階に子規が住まい、漱石が２階に住んで暮らしている。三越松山店から約１００メートル南に歩いたところが、その下宿のあった場所だが、いまは車の駐車場となっていて「愚陀仏庵」跡地を示す簡単な石碑が建っているだけである。建物自体は戦災で焼失している。坂の上の雲ミュージアムに隣接した萬(ばん)翠(すい)荘(そう)（松山城のある山の麓近くに建つ）内の北側の山手にある建物は後年愛媛県教育委員会の尽力で復元されたものである。
そうして始まった子規と漱石の共同生活は、その年の１０月１９日に子規が松山を出立するまでの５０余日間続いている。後に日本の文学、より広義に言えば現代日本語の書き言葉の行く末に大きな影響を及ぼした二人の人物が、短い時間であったにしろ、この松山市内の同じ屋根の下で暮らしつつ、互いに思索を深めたという歴史的事実のあることを、松山人の一人として、私は誇りに思う。
当時「愚陀仏庵」では「松風会(しょうふうかい)」と称した俳句仲間の会員が連日この下宿に集まり子規を中心に句会を開いていた。漱石もまたときにそれに加わっている。松風会員への句作指導は８月２８日に柳原極堂が子規に懇請したのがきっかけである。松風会は高等小学校教師らを中心に前年に結成された俳句結社だった。東京に居る河東(かわひがし)碧(へき)梧桐(ごとう)宛てに出した明治２８年９月７日付けの手紙で子規は
「小生宅へは毎晩四五人の訪問者ある夜毎(よごと)に臨時小運座(しょううんざ)これあり候　諸子(しょし)の熱心に驚(おどろき)入り候(そうろう)　柳原などは小生帰郷いらい日参致(いた)し候(そうろう)」
と書いている。また同じ手紙で
「夏目も近来(きんらい)運座連中の一人に相成(あいな)り候(そうろう)」
と書いている。
子規選による松風会員の句は、漱石のそれも含めて、地元「海南(かいなん)新聞」に９月６日から掲載されるようになっている。

Masaoka Shiki's words

After receiving medical treatments in Kobe Hospital for two months, Shiki moved to Suma Sanatorium Center on July 23. And he left there on August 20. Counting the number of days from when he entered Kobe Hospital to when he left Suma Sanatorium Center, it comes to be three months in total. After getting into remission, he went to Matsuyama on August 25. This was his second coming back to the city in 1895 (the 28th year of Meiji).

At this time,Natsume Shoseki(Natsume Kin-no-suke),an old acquaintance of Shiki, was living in Matsuyama from April that year, serving as English teacher for Matsuyama Middle School. Since Shiki already brought his mother and sister over from Matsuyama to Tokyo three years before, there was not a house of Shiki’s in Matsuyama. Of course, there was a house of his uncle Ohara Tsunenori’s in 4-chome,Minato-machi. Actually, he visited the house once. Nevertheless it was only on August 25 and 26 when he stayed there. It was the house Sohseki rented, located in 2-bancho where Shiki stayed and used for the base in Matsuyama. The distance between the 4-chome and the 2-bancho is not so far. When Shiki came to Matsuyama in the middle of March that year, he stayed in his uncle’s house. It is a common sense that he stays there, in his uncle’s house, when he is in Matsuyama. But, Shiki dared to choose that rented house of Sohseki’s.

２ヶ月に及んだ神戸病院での治療のあと、子規は７月２３日に須磨保養院に転院している。須磨保養院を退院にしたのが８月２０日だから、神戸病院から起算すると計３ヶ月に及ぶ治療・療養だった。その甲斐あってようやく元気を回復し小康を得た。そして、８月２５日に松山へ渡っている。それが、明治２８年の子規の二度目の帰省である。

この時松山には、その年の４月から松山中学の英語教師として赴任していた旧知の漱石（夏目金之助）がいた。すでにその３年前に子規は母親と妹の二人を東京下谷区上根岸に呼びよせていたから、もう松山には子規の家はない。しかし松山市内湊町４丁目には叔父の大原恒徳邸宅があり、実際一旦そこに入っている。だがそこで泊まったのは２５日と２６日の２日間だけで、そのあと子規が松山滞在の生活拠点にしたのは、二番町にあった漱石の下宿だった。湊町４丁目から二番町まで歩いてもたいした距離ではない。３月半ばに松山へ帰省した時は湊町４丁目の叔父の家に泊まっており、普通に考えればそこに泊まるのが常識である。それでもあえて漱石の下宿を選んだのだった。

Masaoka Shiki's words

There is another letter sent to Naito Motoyuki (Meisetsu) living in Masago-cho, Hongo,Tokyo,dated on July 27,1895. In the letter, the following were written:
“I have troubled you very much for my illness and I thank you for your kindness of having taking care of us. Thanks to your help, I was allowed to leave the hospital and come to this sanatorium at length. I did not think myself to the extent that I would die. But later I heard that even doctors had been very much worried about my condition. Hearing it, I feel as if I had been in a dream, and now I half feel happy, and half fearful.”
Reading these letters makes me understand people around him were very concerned about his conditions. But, the consciousness of Shiki, the person concerned, was kept calm and cool, beyond our expectation. I certainly feel so. Is it because Shiki’s eye observed even his own illness from the objective viewpoint?
In later years, in the December, 1899 issue of the magazine of “Hototogisu,”Shiki released an essay titled as “Yamai” (illness),based on the incident he coughed up blood on the ship of Sadokuni-maru. The essay was just an example in which he practiced in his writing “Shasei,” a viewpoint or a sense of a writer in delineating or sketching natural landscapes or humans’ emotion, which Shiki advocated as a key element for well expressing things in writing.

また東京本郷真砂(まさご)町(ちょう)１８番地の内藤(ないとう)素行(もとゆき)（鳴(めい)雪(せつ)）宛に須磨保養院から出した７月２７日付けの手紙にも、次のことが記されている。
「小生病患ニ付いては種々御配慮ニ預かり候ところ漸(ようや)ク退院の許可を得て当地ニ来(きた)り申(もう)し候(そうろう)　自分は死ぬとまでも思ハざりしが医者さヘ気遣(きづか)ひしと聞きてハ今更(いまさら)夢のやうに覚(おぼ)えて半(なか)ハうれしく半(なか)ハ恐ろしく」
これらを読むと、子規を囲むまわりの人たちの心配が大変なものだったとわかる。しかし当事者である子規の意識は思いの外に冷静沈着であったと写る。子規の目が己が病をも客観視しているから、そうした印象を私に持たせるのであろうか。
後年、子規は明治３２年１２月の「ホトトギス」誌上で、佐渡国丸船中での喀血とその後の出来事を、「病」と言う題の文章にまとめ発表しているが、それは彼が提唱した叙事文にける写生の視点の導入を、自ら実践してみせた文章でもある。

Masaoka Shiki's words

However, Shiki’s eye observing the process of the treatments of his illness looks very cool, which makes me feel surprising. I would take some examples. There is a letter dated on July 7, 1895 sent by him in Kobe Hospital to Ioki Ryohzo (Hyootei),who was then in Hiroshima at the Sanitary Headquarters in the Fifth Division of the First Corps of the Military. In the letter were written such things as the process in which he had coughed up blood on the ship on his way back and entered the hospital, the fact that more than 40 days had elapse since hospitalization, the fact that hemoptysis this time was more serious than that in a year before, and the fact that it lasted for about 20 days. And following them, Shiki wrote:
“I didn’t think the illness this time is not so serious. But, people around me were so worried about my condition. For example, Meisetsu likely had regarded it as if I were beneath the ground. I heard of these things later. But, these days, I am proceeding to better direction, and has come to be able to take postures like sitting on bed with my legs laid forward or sitting on chair. Nevertheless, I am yet unable to walk only one step. But, anyway, recently I have recovered to talk with people .It is the happiest thing for me.”
There is another letter sent to Naito Motoyuki (Meisetsu) living in Masago-cho, Hongo,Tokyo,dated on July 27,1895. In the letter, the following were written:
“I have troubled you very much for my illness and I thank you for your kindness of having taking care of us. Thanks to your help, I was allowed to leave the hospital and come to this sanatorium at length. I did not think myself to the extent that I would die. But later I heard that even doctors had been very much worried about my condition. Hearing it, I feel as if I had been in a dream, and now I half feel happy, and half fearful.”

しかしこの間、子規の自身の病気療養の過程を見る目は意外と冷静である。例えば、その時広島の出征第１軍第５師団衛生隊本部にいた五百(いお)木(き)良三(りょうぞう)（飄亭(ひょうてい)）宛に子規が神戸病院から出した明治２８年７月６日付けの手紙がある。その中で、帰途の船中で喀血してのち神戸病院へ入院するまでのこと、そしてその後４０余日になること、今回の喀血(かっけつ)が前年に比してもひどいものだったこと、それが２０日間に及んだと述べたあとに、次のことが記されている。
「自分はそれ程(ほど)にもなかりしが傍人いたく心配して鳴(めい)雪(せつ)翁などは最早(もはや)小生を以って地下の人とせられ候(そうら)ひしかとあとにて聞(き)き及(およ)び候(そうろう)　この頃はますます快方に向かひやうやう足を出して座る事と腰かける位の事は出来(でき)申(もう)し候(そうろう)　ただしまだ一歩もあるけ申さず候(そうろう)　何しろこの頃は談話が出来だして一番うれしく御座候(ござそうろう)」