Rakushisha, the Hut of the Fallen Persimmons

In front of you is Rakushisha, the “hut of the fallen persimmons”. It belonged to Mukai Kyorai, one of the most loyal disciples of Matsuo Bashō, the great master of haiku.

1A crop blown away

The name comes with a story that Kyorai told himself in a short essay. There were about forty persimmon trees in the garden. One year a merchant bought the whole crop and paid in advance. That very night, a storm knocked every fruit to the ground. The next day the merchant came back in despair, and Kyorai, feeling sorry for him, gave him his money back. From then on he signed himself “Kyorai of Rakushisha”. It is an anecdote told by the man himself, not a legend, and it sums up the spirit of haiku nicely: accepting with good humour whatever the wind takes away.

2Bashō in Sagano

Bashō stayed here several times. In the spring of 1691 he spent about two weeks in the hut and wrote the “Saga Diary”, in which he notes visits from friends, walks and poems. He even records that one night five people slept under a single mosquito net.

The hut you see is not the original: the poet Inoue Jūkō, a relative of Kyorai, rebuilt it in 1770, and nobody knows exactly where the first one stood.

Kyorai’s grave, a small and simple stone, is very close by, behind the hut.

3What to look for

• The thatched roof, thick and rounded.
• The persimmon trees in the garden, heavy with orange fruit in autumn.
• The stones carved with haiku, by the entrance and in the garden.