A memorial party for Masatoshi Yamagishi's haiku monument, "Tasushimai no Gunte ni Nokoru Nigiri Habit" at Yew Forest, Hokuryu-cho, Tokyo.

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

On Wednesday, September 16, as part of the Hokuryu-cho Cultural Activity Promotion, the Hokuryu-cho Board of Education erected a haiku monument in the Yew Forest in recognition of Mr. Masatoshi Yamagishi's (age 77) contributions to local disaster prevention and cultural improvement in Hokuryu-cho.

Yew forest where Masatoshi Yamagishi's haiku monument is erected



Yew forest (from explanatory sign)

This forest will become a symbol of the town with the cooperation of Mr. Nobuakiyo Takahashi, a.k.a. Dorokame, people from the "Yamakawa Plant Growing Gathering" and "Sapporo Hokuryukai," as well as children from Wa Nursery School, Manryu and Hekisui elementary schools, and many local residents. The forest is a handmade forest. We hope that the trees will grow big and strong for the future. Hokuryu Town

A number of monuments have been erected.

Monument to Mr. Masatoshi Yamagishi

Classmates from elementary and junior high school days in Hokuryu-cho

To commemorate the erection of the monument, a get-together of classmates from elementary and junior high school days in Hokuryu-cho was held on Sunday, November 8, at Sunflower Park Hokuryu Onsen.

Prior to the reception, all classmates gathered for a commemorative photo shoot at the Yew Forest. Eighteen participants of the day came to celebrate.

Classmates who came to the celebration (in no particular order, titles omitted)

Masatoshi Yamagishi, Kaoru Sato, Yoshiharu Yamashita, Toshiaki Watanabe, Yukio Takada, Isamu Takimoto, Akio Fujii, Katsutoshi Yamamoto, Shizuko Oji, Mitsue Iwakura, Machiko Takagi, Noriko Takada, Sachiko Kitakiyo, Kuniko Ichinowatari, Susumu Asano

The monument "The habit of gripping that remains in the military hands of the rice field finishing dance"

Masatoshi Yamagishi: Winner of the "Michi" Haiku Association Haiku Writers' Prize and the 21st Hokkaido Haiku Poets' Association Prize

Masatoshi Yamagishi has served as a member of the Haiku Poets Society, a Hokuryu-cho fire brigade leader, and president of the Hokuryu-cho Cultural Federation.

Born April 11, 1943, in Hokuryu Town, he studied under Kitakosei, leader of the Michi Haiku Association, in 1973, and under Onihiko Minamoto in 2001.

While farming, he devoted himself to haiku and became a member of the Hokkaido Haiku Association "䃯(つぶて)" in 2015 (Heisei 27), and published his haiku collection "Taru Ichiki" in 2017 (Heisei 29). In October of the same year, he was awarded the "Michi" Haiku Association Writer's Prize, the 21st Hokkaido Haiku Poets Association Prize in 2018, and the 53rd Hokkaido Haiku Association Associate Prize in 2020.

Mr. Yamagishi's Passion for Agriculture in Haiku

This haiku expresses my way of life, and chronologically, it was written when I was in my fifties.

I studied under the carpenter haiku poet Kitakosei, who advocated haiku by working people, and later under Onihiko Minamoto. I myself wanted to sing about my profession, agriculture.

The "tanjimai" is an event to celebrate with family and relatives after the completion of a year's work in agriculture.

The quirk on the military hand that he took off symbolizes his single-minded love for the profession of agriculture and the hard work he put into it,

I wanted to sing about the farming life I have lived throughout my life while farming and leave it in haiku," said Mr. Yamagishi, who spoke warmly about his thoughts on haiku.

Bouquet presentation to Mr. Yamagishi

To the monument by Masatoshi Yamagishi, where the soul of a farmer dwells in a forest of yew trees,
With endless love, gratitude and prayers.

More Photos

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◇ Photography and Editing: Noboru Terauchi Reporting and Writing: Ikuko Terauchi