In the 1570s Obanazawa became the fief of Obanazawa Fujizaemon who was a vassal of Tendo Yorihisa. After Tendo's castle was laid waste by Mogami Yoshihiko, a new castle was built on this site, but it was evacuated in the 1680s when the Mogami family fortunes revived, but the town became the official government post for the Bakufu and remained so until the Meiji Restoration. Even today the people of the area call it Obane meaning "tail feathers." In ancient times this region gave the tail feathers of kites and hawks as tribute to their sovereigns. Along with Takada in Echigo and Takayama in Hida, this is known as one of the three snowiest regions in Japan. Also, in June they have an annual horse market which is widely known. Since early times they dried the benihana flowers which were then taken by boat from Oishida to Sakata and from there shipped to the Kansai region where they were made into cosmetics.

Seifu's real name was Suzuki Michisuke (?) and his house of business was called the Shimadaya. Seifu was his poetry name. He was an important figure in the Mogami region and his benihana business was one of the largest. He was 49 years old when Basho visited, but lived on to the age of 71. He often travelled to Edo and Kyoto and was a great haiku enthusiast. At first he had studied poetry in Kyoto learning the Shinpu style from Suganoya Takamasa, but later he became involved with poets of the Danrin School. He published several collections of poetry. One collection Okure Sugoroku included a poem by Basho. He also collaborated with Basho and Sora on a number of linked verse sequences on occasions when he was in Edo, so he was an old friend of these two travellers. When Basho says he was a wealthy man, but had good taste, it indicates that many wealthy merchants were philistines, but that Seifu was not, he was a man of poetic sensibility. Although Basho tells us that Seifu often travelled to Kyoto, we know that he often travelled to Edo as well, so Miyako here refers to both capitals. There is also a contrast here; although he was a wealthy man, he was also familiar with the rigors of travel. He knows both the pleasures and difficulties of travel; the difficulties of the road and the pleasures of being taken in by a friend.

Basho and Sora stayed at Obanazawa from 5.17 (7.3) for ten days until 5.27, but they did not stay at Seifu's home the whole time. They spent only the nights of 5.17, 5.21, and 5.23 there according to Sora.

THE POEM: Suzushisa wo... Suzushisa is a season word for summer. Nemaru has several interpretations: 1) to sleep comfortably, 2) to sit comfortably, 3) both of the above. Aso shows that nemaru is a regional dialect word meaning 'to sit cross-legged in an informal, relaxed way. He believes that while visiting Seifu's home Basho was invited to relax and sit in this way, and, intrigued by the use of this unfamiliar word, Basho chose to use it in his poem. Aso says it definitely does not mean to get into a futon and sleep.

The term suzushisa wo refers to the refreshing coolness of Seifu's large house after their difficult trip across the mountains. It also refers to Seifu's nature as a person. He is a wealthy man, but one of refined sensibility, this is as refreshing as a cool breeze in summer. Waga yado ni shite means that Basho made himself right at home here.

The idea of the poem is that this man welcomed us and made us feel at home and relaxed, and this feeling of welcome was as refreshing as the cool breeze. In this sense the poem may be considered as a form of greeting to his host Seifu. This was the opening poem of a linked verse sequence composed by Basho, Seifu, and Sora.

THE POEM: Haiide yakaki... The season word is hiki (toad) and indicates summer. kawazu is a spring word, but hiki is for summer. Hiki is larger than a frog and lives under the house or in a corner of the garden and emerges in a slow, ungainly fashion. In this poem kaiya refers to the house where silkworms are raised.

In the Manyoshu volume 10 is the poem: Asagiri kahiya ga shika ni naku kawazu koe da ni kikabaware kaime ya mo. The sense of the poem is that beneath the Kaiya which is shrouded in morning mist, croaking like a toad, yet never showing himself, I hear only his voice. In the same way, I yearn for you, my beloved. Also in Manyoshu Book 16 is a poem: Asagiri kahiya no shita ni naku kawazu shinobitsutsu ari to togen ko mo ga mo. This means a toad croaking beneath the kaiya shrouded in the morning mist, but it hides itself where no one can see it. In the same way I yearn for my love, but she does not know it. How good it would be if someone told her how I feel. Basho was probably familiar with these two poems, and thinking about them, his verse came to mind. In Manyo times kaiya referred to a room where they had a smudge to keep away the mosquitoes. Sometimes they wrote the syllable ka with the character for deer rather than the character for mosquito. In such cases it referred to a small building where they burned a fire to drive away the deer. Basho chose to use the sense of a silkworm raising room. Sora also wrote a poem about silkworm raising. Clearly silvaculture was a common occupation in this area. Basho evidently linked his thoughts of these old poems with the silkworm rooms he saw around him and wrote his poem.

Basho heard the old toad croaking sonorously in the darkness beneath the floor and called to it to come out. He makes an allusion to the earlier poems, but creates a totally different mood. Perhaps the sun was setting and he was resting on the veranda when he heard the croak of the toad. He feels it must be lonely and calls to it to come out; the lonliness of the traveller is expressed in the voice of the toad. There is a certain sad melancholy in the croaking of the toad, but also humor in the way he calls out to it and in the way he represents himself as a lonely traveller.

THE POEM: Mayu haki wo... The season word is benihana indicating summer. The benihana resembles a red and yellow thistle. They pluck the petals of this flower and make rouge and lipstick from it for women. They also use it for dyes. It is also called Suetsumuhana because it blooms from tip to base.

There are two interpretations of the word Mayuhaki: 1) It is a kind of thistle and the benihana resembles it, so the poet made this reference, but this seems unlikely. 2) This refers to a kind of tiny eyebrow brush. It has a thin, bamboo handle tufted with rabbit fur. It is used to touch up the eyebrows after white makeup has been applied to the face.

Omokage ni shite means to resemble something closely, meaning that the benihana blossoms resembles the mayuhaki used in applying makeup.

The mayuhaki is an artificial, man-made utensil while the Benihana is a natural object. This does not mean that the natural flower resembles the artificial cosmetic tool, but that the two are one and the same. Basho juztaposes unrelated things and in this respect this is a witty poem. Yet the wit is very simple; the benihana is used in women's makeup and the mayuhaki is a cosmetic tool. There is a very natural progression of associations from the flower to the women's makeup, to the mayuhaki.

Sora identifies this poem as having been written on the road between Obanazawa and Ryushakuji. If that is so then we probably cannot interpret it as being a greeting to Seifu. Nevertheless, Obanazawa was a center for the production of Benihana and Seifu's home was a large trading place for Benihana, so even if the poem was composed later, it still captures and conveys the sense of Seifu's home. Since Basho included the poem at this point in his final version of the diary, it can be regarded as a greeting to Seifu.

THE POEM: Sora's... The season word is kogai which is usally a spring word and in that sense it does not fit the season. There are two explanations for this. 1)This refers to the second crop of silkworms, summer silkworms. 2) Cultivating silkworms is a springtime occupation, but it is in summer that they make their cocoons, so there is a natural extension from spring into summer for this enterprise. Since Basho was in Obanazawa for ten days beginning 5.17 (7.3), there is no way this poem could represent spring, so we should probably consider these to be summer silkworms.

The phrase kodai no sugata raises the question of just what sort of image is intended. Again there are several interpretations. According to one source silkworm raising families observe certain special taboos. For example, the women of the household do not dress their hair with oil and they do not blacken their teeth. Perhaps this is what constitutes the figures of ancient people. Another work says that raising silkworms is an image of purity, so this figure suggests striking flints (as a purification ritual) and tying back the sleeves with special cords. These interpretations may be extreme, but the reference probably does have to do with forms of dress. One author suggests a special kind of mompe work pants called fugumi worn by the women of this region. In any case it seems to be an unusual style of dress and one not found around Edo. It is a style which seems to suggest a simpler age and thus antiquity to Sora.

This poem reflects the poet's interest in the simply dressed figures of the people who tend their silkworms. The poet imagines this is what people must have looked like back in ancient times.

We know from another work that Sora had written a draft of this poem earlier on the trip and refined it at this point to go along with Basho's poem about the toad. It is not clear whether Sora made the revision, or whether Basho may have done it. In any case, the silkworm cultivators suggest an image of the ancients. The poem seems shallow when we compare it to Basho's preceeding poem. Sora's poem lacks a lyrical note. Although this poem uses the same technique of a simile as Basho's Mayuhaki, it lacks the richness of association. The Haiide yo poem makes a contrast between the rustic and the humorous. The Tsuzushisa poem has charm, but Sora's poem is merely descriptive. Perhaps Basho chose to include Sora's poem at this point to serve as his companion's greeting to their mutual friend Seifu.

We know from Sora's account that they stayed with Seifu on the night of the 17th when they first arrived in Obanazawa, and again on the 21st and the 23rd. The other nights they lodged in a temple. They visited a great many other local poets and friends during their rest stop at Obanazawa although in Basho's account he says only that they stayed for some days with Seifu. The fact that they took lodging in a temple the following day and spent most of their time visiting local poets belies Basho's statement that Seifu knew and sympathized with the weariness of travellers.

Seifu had known Basho for a long time, but he belonged to a different school of poetry and had already established his poetic reputation in both Edo and Kyoto, He knew many of the famous poets of the age and was three years older than Basho, so he did not necessarily consider Basho to be his poetic mentor. There are many stories about Seifu's willfulness and business shrewdness and it seems unlikely that he was willing to serve as an attendent to Basho. Basho, to, did not want to play second fiddle to Seifu, so he enjoyed himself by passing the time with other poets who felt respect for Basho. Basho clearly enjoyed his time here and after the rigors of the mountain crossing he felt welcome and at home at Seifu's place. Basho expresses his appreciation with these poems.