Akita International Haiku Network

 

On December 29, 2012, I happened to visit Senshu Park（千秋公園）in Akita City, taking a stroll there and remembering its history.

I also took some photos there, inspired to compose haiku later.

Senshu park is located in the remains of Kubota Castle（久保田城）.

In 1602,  Satake Yoshinobu (佐竹義宣）(1570~1633) was moved from the Mito area to Akita after the Battle of Sekigahara（関ヶ原の戦）.  They built Kubota Castle in 1604.

One of the office buildings called 御物頭御番所 is the only original structure remaining there, and there is a recreated castle keep which functions as a museum for the history of the area.

  Here I would like to show you around Senshu Park through some photos and my haiku.

 

Here is a photo of some part of the moat.

  

  

久保田城凍れる堀の静まりぬ

 

Kubota Castle –

the moat turns frozen

into silence

 

 

Here is a photo of the entrance to Senshu Park.

  

  

「詩の国」や雪のきらめく城下町

 

“The Land of Poetry”–

snow shines in

the castle town

 

秋田は江戸時代教育や文化の分野が盛んであったと言われています。美しく素晴らしい自然を持つ風土により多くの漢詩人を輩出しました。象徴する作品として秋田人士による漢詩文が約一万編あります。天下の水準を遙かに傑出した作品が少なくありません。

 

Akita is said to have flourished in the fields of education and culture in the Edo period (1603~1867), when the beauties and wonders of nature in Akita produced a lot of poets of Chinese poetry. Akita poets composed about 10,000 numbers of Chinese poetry, some of which were looked upon as better works of poetry by far.

 

 Here is a photo of snowy stone steps from the outer keep to the inner keep of the castle.

  

 

雪の坂至るところは矢留城

 

the snowy slope

leading there –

Armistice Castle

 

 

Kubota Castle has been called “矢留城”, which means“Armistice Castle.”

This is because they did not construct any stone walls（石垣） nor the main keep（天守閣）, which is usually called the central tower.

  

Here is a photo of the slope to the inner keep.

  

  

松が枝に白雪映ゆる矢留城

 

snow shining

white in pine branches –

Armistice Castle

 

 

Here is a photo of the inner keep, and the statue of Satake Yoshitaka(佐竹義堯)(1825~1884), the 12^th lord of the Kubota domain, who was the last lord.

 

 

 

久保田城千代の松が枝雪に映ゆ

 

Kubota Castle –

everlasting pines brighten

in snow

 

 

陽光や輝く雪の松の枝

 

the sunbeam –

snowy pines brighten

branch to branch

 

 

Here is a photo of part of Senshu Park and Akita City, and Mount Taihei（太平山）, which are seen from the inner keep of the castle.

 

 

 

「詩の国」や白銀の景あらはれる

 

“The Land of Poetry”–

the landscape presents its show

with silvery snow

 

 

Here is a photo of zelkova trees and a recreated castle keep which functions as a museum for the history of the area. There are a great number of various kinds of old or giant trees growing in the park instead of stone walls or the main keep.

 

 

 

欅の木ともに矢留の雪見かな

 

snow viewing

with zelkova trees

Armistice Castle

 

 

矢留城雪に輝く欅かな

 

Armistice Castle –

Zelkova trees brighten

in snow

 

 

Here is a photo of the lake called 胡月池, which is in the center of a traditional type of garden.

 

 

 

客迎ふ石灯籠や雪帽子

 

stone lantern

welcomes visitors –

snow hat

 

 

冬の池音一つなく冴え渡る

 

winter pond

makes no sound –

cooling all over

 

 

Here is the last photo of the moat near one of the gates to the outer keep.

 

 

 

冬の堀雁住む宿となりにけり

 

sweet home

for wild geese –

winter moat

 

 

久保田城冬越す雁や堀住まひ

 

Kubota Castle –

wild geese wintering in

the moat

 

 

Lastly, you can check out photos and haiku at the blog below.

http://akitahaiku.blogspot.com/

 

 

The next posting ‘Haiku by Ashok Bhargava’ appears on March 2.

 

―　Hidenori Hiruta