“Sansaku-shu” is a collection of Shiki’s 144 haiku, which were composed while his rambling through the fields in Matsuyama in the autumn of 1895 (the 28th year of Meiji). The time was Shiki’s last days in Matsuyama in his life.
In the autumn that year, Shiki made (roaming トル)tours with his friends in the city five times in total ,and composed haiku. It started on September 20, 1895 (the 28th year of Meiji ). On the second tour, on September 21, the party visited place near to the house where I was born. Turning over the page of “Sansaku-shu,” you will find a prelude, which says:
“It was a little cloudy, but had not yet started raining. Encouraged by the three people of Aishoo,Rokudoo,and Baioku, I passed through the road beneath a hospital, and went to the foot of Mt.Miyukiji and back. On both ways, I composed some haiku.”
Reading this, we can understand the four people, including Shiki, participated in the tour that day.
There seemed to be a prefectural hospital on the east side of the
Matsuyama Castle mountain. The party seemed to pass through the
east road beneath the hospital and through “Jo-hoku Renpei-jo”
(soldier training fields), which is now changed to the campuses of
Ehime University, Matsuyama University and Ehime Prefectural
Matsuyama Kita High School. And they advanced north for Mt.Miyukiji. At the foot of the mountain are a temple named Miyukiji Temple and a cottage called “Isso-an,” where a famous haiku poet Taneda Santooka,who spent most of his life wandering around the fields while composing haiku, lived in his last days and died.
秋の山御幸寺と申し天狗住む
Aki no yama miyukiji to mooshi tengu sumu
This autumn mountain,
People call it Miyukiji, and there,
A tengu(long-nosed goblin) lives.
「散策集」とは子規の最後の帰省となった明治２８年秋に子規が松山市内を散策吟行しながら詠んだ１４４の句を収録した紀行句集である。
その時の子規の散策吟行は明治２８年９月２０日に始まり、合計５回に及んでいるが、その第２回、明治２８年９月２１日の散策吟行で子規が辿った途は私の生家近くに及んでいる。「散策集」の頁を捲(めく)ると、「稍(やや)曇(くも)りたる空の雨にもならで愛(あい)松(まつ)碌堂(ろくどう)梅屋(うめや)三子に促され 病院下を通り抜け御幸(みゆき)寺山(じさん)の麓にて引き返し来る途上口占」との前口上があり、その日、子規を含めた４人で散策吟行したことがわかる。
当時、松山城の東側山腹に県立病院があったらしく、一行はその東の麓の道を北に抜け、いま愛媛大学、松山北高、松山大学の敷地となっている城北(じょうほく)錬兵場(れんぺいじょう)を通り抜け、御幸寺山に向かっている。その山の麓には御幸寺があり、寺に隣接して一草庵がある。漂白の俳人種田山頭(たねださんとう)火(か)の終の棲家(すみか)となった庵(いおり)である。
秋の山御幸寺(みゆきじ)と申し天狗(てんぐ)住む
