Haiku Travels
Sounkyo (Hokkaido)
splitting the sky
splitting the rocks
tumbles the waterfall
ten no sakeme / iwa no sakeme no / taki otsuru
天の裂目岩の裂目の滝落つる
Seison
Daisetsuzan National Park in central Hokkaido encompasses a massive cluster of volcanic peaks, rolling highlands, and scenic gorges. It has been called "the roof of Hokkaido," with Asahidake at 2,290 meters as the highest peak. Cold winds blowing down from Siberia create an alpine environment usually only seen at much higher elevation - in summer, alpine plants bloom spectacularly against a background of cinder-sloped volcanic cones and craters.
Sounkyu is a forested, narrow gorge lying at the entrance to Daisetsuzan National Park. The 24 km long gorge follows the upper reaches of the river Ishikari and was formed by an eruption of Mt Daisetsu. The village of Sounkyo is a busy onsen resort and base for hiking trips in the area. The sheer cliffs of the gorge with their columnar joints and waterfalls present a grand spectacle. The "Ginga no Taki" (Milky Way Falls) is a picturesque waterfall, cascading down the 100 meter high, sheer cliff-side. Another powerful waterfall is the nearby "Ryusei no Taki" (Shooting Star Falls). The gorge is famous for its autumn colors.
The hot springs of Sounkyo were discovered by Matsuda Ichitaro, who came here in 1857 to find the source of the river Ishikari. The first spa accommodation was built in 1915. In 1921 the writer Omachi Keigetsu stayed here and he devised the name "Sounkyo," the "Gorge of Layers of Cloud," as the surrounding mountains are often swathed in clouds (the original Ainu name was Sounbetsu or "many waterfalls"). The spa water is hydrogen sulfide, good for healing rheumatism and gout and, when ingested, constipation.
[Sounkyo]
Yamaguchi Seison (1892-1988) was born in Morioka (Iwate) and studied at Tokyo University to become a mining engineer; he also worked as professor at his alma mater. As a haiku poet, he was a student of Takahama Kyoshi. His haiku are known for their connection to the earth and their thematic engagement with the Tohoku region. In 1922 he founded the Haiku Society of the University of Tokyo together with Mizuhara Shuoshi and others. He was also the founder of the literary magazine Natsukusa (Summer Grass).
Yamaguchi Seison visited Sounkyo in August 1956, after inspecting a silver mine in the area. It was a rainy day, but the rain made the swollen waterfalls seem even more powerful, a great natural sight, as is expressed in the haiku, where they seem to split the mountain and the sky.
[On Mt Daisetsuzan]
Sounkyo is about 2 hrs by direct bus from Asahikawa Station.
Information about Daisetsuzan gleaned from Gateway to Japan by June Kinoshita and Nicholas Palevsky (Kodansha International, 1990) and about Sounkyo Onsen from A Guide to Japanese Hot Springs by Anne Hotta and Yoko Ishiguro (Kodansha International, 1986)
[The photos in this post are my own]