Yamanaka Hot Springs is said to have been discovered by the priest Gyogi Bosatsu. It was redscovered around 1200 by a retainer of the Kaga domain who watched an injured hawk bathing in the healing waters of a mountain stream.

The Shirane massif including Hakusan, forms the border between Ishikawa and Gifu Prefectures. It consists of several tall peaks. Because it is snow-capped all year it is called Hakusan (White Mountain). In ancient times it was ranked with Mt. Fuji and Mt. Tateyama as one of the three greatest mountains in Japan. It has often been celebrated in poetry.

It is hard to know what Basho intended when he says they put Shirane behind them, since it lies to the southeast, the direction they were heading. Some critics have suggested that curves in the road made it appear to be behind them. According to Sora's diary, on 8.5 Basho left Yamanaka accompanied by Kitaeda and returned via Natadera to Komatsu to meet Ikoma Mambei (Manshi). This backtracking may have confused his memory of the scene.

The Kannondo of Natadera is located in a rock cavern. The temple was founded in 717 by Taicho Daishi and belongs to the Shingon sect. The main building of the temple and the pagoda were burned during the warfare of 1573-92, but were rebuilt by the lord of the domain Maeda Toshinobu. Within the temple grounds are many oddly shaped caverns and the place is famous for its autumn leaves.

The retired Emperor Kazan (r. 984-986) was a son of the Emperor Reizei (r, 967-969). After abdicting as emperor at the age of 19, Kazan practiced religious austerities at various places. He died in 1008 at the age of 41. The 33 sites he visited were all places in western Japan dedicated to the worship of Kannon. This route became an established pilgrimage. The reason for choosing 33 sites is that the Kannon appears in 33 manifestations.

When Basho says this is a special place he means that not only is the scenery outstanding, but from a Buddhist point of view, it is also a very sacred place.

THE POEM: Ishiyama no... (Whiter far). The season word is aki no kaze which indicates autumn. There have been many interpretations of this poem, but they fall into three groups. 1) Ishiyama is used here as a place name referring to Ishiyama in Omi (Shiga Prefecture). 2) That it refers to the stone mountain of Nata that was there before Basho's eyes. 3) That the adjective shiroshi, white, refers both to Ishiyama and to the autumn wind. The first interpretation is found in many of the older commentaries on the text and even today some commentators follow this lead. The basic points of this interpretation are that a) at that time Ishiyama referred to the temple in Omi and it was not a way of referring to Natadera. b) A Komatsu poet named Yuichi published a work titled Jishozan Hanami no Ki in 1708 in which he writes, "Regarding the scenery on this mountain, the stones are whiter than the stones of Ishiyama, some are shaped like cows and some are shaped like Buddhas and there are many caverns and grottoes." Other poets who were also contemporary with Basho have also interpreted Ishiyama to refer to the place in Omi and consider that it is being compared to Natadera. It is quite reasonable to suppose that Basho looked at Natayama and was reminded of Ishiyama in Omi. In that case the meaning of the poem is that the stones of Nata give the impression of being whiter still than the stones of Ishiyama. Over these white stones blows the autumn wind.

The second interpretation is that Ishiyama refers to the stone mountain the poet sees here at Nata. The reasons behind this interpretation are a) It would be impossible for the stones of Nata to be characterized by the adjective shiroshi, so we have to see aki no kaze as the noun being defined by the adjective. According to the Erh Ya, one of the earliest Chinese dictionaries, green is the color of spring, red is the color of summer, white is the color of autumn, and black is the color of winter. The spirit of autumn is clear and white. Thus, the autumn wind is characterized as a white wind that is the message of this poem. c) The first interpretation which says only that the stones of Nata are whiter than the stones of Ishiyama sees the poem as a descriptive statement that is lacking in poetic feeling. Consequently we should read the poem to mean that while the stones of Nata give a white impression, the autumn wind blowing over the stones is whiter still. Yet to say that the autumn wind is whiter still, is also a merely descriptive statement, we simply have three levels of perception - the stones in Omi are white, the stones at Nata are whiter, the autumn wind is whitest of all.

The third interpretation is a combination of the first two; it joins together the ideas that the stones of Nata are whiter than the stones of Omi with the idea that the autumn wind is whiter even than the stones of Nata. In this version shiroshi modifies both nouns. The meaning of the poem is that the stones of Nata are whiter than the stones of Ishiyama in Omi and the autumn wind is whiter still than the stones of Nata.

Some argue that if shiroshi were to modify both Ishiyama no ishi and aki no kaze, it should be shiroki. By using Shiroshi, the two nouns are not contrasted or compared, but made sequential. The poem divides itself into two parts; Ishiyama no ishi yori shiroshi' makes a comparison with Nata no ishi which is implied. In the second half of the poem, aki no kaze is what blows over the white stones. Rather than comparing or contrasting the colors of whiteness [which has no color], the poem takes the quality of whiteness found in the stones and in the wind, and blends them together. The dynamic here is toward unity, not contrast. The stones are white and the wind is white too.

We end up with this: Basho came to see the sights at Natadera and found the rocks bleached white giving him a feeling that they must be whiter even than the stones of Ishiyama. He notices, too, that the autumn wind is blowing over the rocks. The autumn wind is said to be a white wind and it does indeed create a mood of whiteness which expresses the desolation of the autumn wind. The restless wind is in contrast to the immoveable stones.

On reading Basho's text we get the impression that he stopped at Natadera on his way from Komatsu to Yamanaka Hot Springs, but that is not the case. According to Sora's diary they set out from Komatsu on 7.27 and arrived at Yamanaka that evening. They stayed there through 8.4. Then on 8.5 they set out to go back to Komatsu and on the way Basho and Kitaeda visited Natadera. Apparently they planned to meet Ikoma Mambei in Komatsu on 8.6. Consequently he parted from Sora at Yamanaka.

In his diary for 8.5 Sora writes, "Cloudy in the morning. Around noon the master and Kitaeda went to Nata. The following day they went to Komatsu and met Ikoma Manji.... Went to Daishoji and arrived at Zenshoji in the evening. Rain during the night." From this we can see that Sora went to Daishoji and spent the night at the Zenshoji Temple. Basho, meanwhile, had headed back the other way and is thought to have spent the night at Komatsu. Thus, when Basho says Mount Shirane disappeared behind him, he may have been recalling this part of the journey. Basho's rearrangement of the sequence surely has to do with his sense of emphasis and association.

Nata has many weird stone shapes and impressive scenery and it is also rich in historical connections, so Basho was evidently quite taken with it. Probably it made the same sort of impression on him we find on his visits to Unganji and Ryushakuji.

Basho compares Yamanaka favorably with Ariake Hot Springs which is probably an error for Arima Hot Springs on the NW slope of Mt. Rokko. Sora writes Arima in his diary.

Kumenosuke (1676-1751) was the young master of the Izumiya, an inn at Yamanaka. Kumenosuke was a childhood name and he was later known as Matahei. His family name was Hasebe. Basho gave him the poetry name of Toyo. He died in 1751 at the age of 76. He was 14 when Basho visited. His father had died when he was four and he inherited the Izumiya at that time. He had an uncle who was also a haiku poet and Kumenosuke followed that example. Izumiya was one of 12 inns at Yamanaka and it continued to operate until the Meiji period. Kumenosuke took advantage of Basho's visit to become a disciple and receive a poetic name. He went on to become a prominent poet. His father was also called Matahei and he was a poet of the Teishitsu School. Sora says it was Kumenosuke's grandfather who was also a poet and he is probably right.

Teishitsu's (1610-73) name was Yasuhara Masaakira. He was a paper merchant in Kyoto and from very early on he had been a disciple of Teitoku. He was loved for his genius, but his ambition and proud insolence often resulted in conflict and hard feelings. He compiled several collections of poetry. He died in 1673 at the age of 64. His name appears from time to time in Basho's various travel diaries and poetry collections. He was appreciated by members of the Basho school. It is not clear whether the episode Basho relates here actually happened or not. Nevertheless, the dates would be right for Kumenosuke's grandfather and Sora also recounts this story so at least it was a story that had much currency at Yamanaka at that time.

Teitoku (1571-1653) is a reference to Matsunaga Teitoku. He had studied all branches of poetry under a variety of masters and eventually devoted himself to the art of haikai. He was the founder of the Teimon School of haikai. He died in 1653 at the age of 83.

THE POEM: Yamanaka ya... (Bathed in such comfort). The season word is kiku which indicates autumn. Basho was at Yamanaka until 8.5 (9.18) which is a bit early for the chrysanthemums, but perhaps he just wanted to include a mention of chrysanthemums. Yamanaka is a place name, of course, but it also calls to mind the image of a mountain path with chrysanthemums.

When Basho speaks of not plucking the chrysanthemums, the reference is to the ancient Chinese courtier at the court of Chou who was sent into exile in the south. There he drank the dew from the chrysanthemum leaves and became an immortal. Basho says the hot spring at Yamanaka is so restorative that he need not break off the chrysanthemum leaves. He is also saying that the fragrance of the chrysanthemums is so powerful it overwhelms the smell of the hot springs without having to break off the stems. Both the chrysanthemums and the hot springs are restoratives. The poem might more literally read: Yamanaka! The crysanthemums never fall, fragrance of hot springs.

We have seen from Sora's diary that he had been unwell for some time. At Kanazawa he had not accompanied Basho on several outings and he reported being treated with medicine by a doctor. Some critics have suggested that the reason Sora and Basho separated was that they had a personal falling out, but there is no evidence for this. When the two travelers parted company on 8.5, Basho was returning to Komatsu to meet Ikoma Mampei and was planning to visit some other paces, and since Sora was ill he must have felt unable to follow such a convoluted route. At the same time, they were approaching the end of a long journey during which they had been through much together and now Basho had Kitaeda to accompany him at least as far as Fukui, so at this point Sora could feel comfortable about going on ahead. His plan was to go directly to Nagashima in Ise where he had family and where he could recouperate. Although he left Nagashima again on 9.3 to rejoin Basho in Ogaki, in the meantime his diary speaks several times of illness, so we can believe that he was indeed ill and this is why they separated, not because of any falling out.

According to Sora's diary, he arrived at Nagashima on 8.15 (9.28) and recouperated at the Daichiin, a temple where his uncle was the resident priest. As a youth Sora had been a samurai in the service of the Nagashima domain, so this was home for him.

THE POEM: Yukiyukite... (No matter where I fall). The season word is hagi and it indicates autumn. Taorefusu is an engo related to hagi. There are several other slightly different earlier versions of this poem which read, Izuku ni ka/ taurefusu to mo/ hagi no hana. This is an allusion to a poem by Saigyo from the Sankashu: Izuku ni ka/ nemuri nemurite/ taurefusan/ to omou kanashiki/ michjishiba no tsuyu. Apparently Basho altered the poem when he decided to include it in Oku no Hosomichi The change is quite likely Basho's work.

There are several interpretations of this poem. 1) Sora is saying he would like to continue on with Basho until he drops. This reading seems off the mark. 2) Saigyo wrote a poem, Negawaku wa/ hana no shita ni te/ shunshinan/ sono toki saragi no... where he says his wish is that he might die in spring beneath the flowering cherry looking at the full moon. Sora expresses the same sentiment using the flowering bush clover on the plain. 3) The worst case Sora can imagine is to fall down and die in a field of flowering bush clover, yet he is not worried because he does not find that such a daunting prospect. His personal loss of self is of no great significance in the face of the enduring beauty of nature. That is the point of Saigyo's poem as well.

Sora has parted from his master and is traveling alone, he is ill, he may collapse at any moment, and yet he sees that the plain is covered with flowering bush clover and decides there is no reason to feel sorry for himself. It is not that he wants to die in a field of bush clover, rather, he recognizes the beauty of it and does not feel sorry for himself. He is reconciled to whatever will happen.

As they part, Basho says he knows the sadness (kanashimi) of one who departs, and the regret (urami) of the one who remains behind. In the word sekifu Basho is alluding to a Chinese poem written by Ssu-ma Ch'en when he parted from his friend Li Lin and compared himself to a solitary duck who wanders lost among the clouds.

THE POEM: Kyo yori wa... (From this day forth, alas). The season word is tsuyu indicating autumn. Tsuyu does more than just indicate the season. It is also emblematic of the truth that life is transitory and that those who meet must part. It is also symbolic of the tears of separation. It is also connected with the image of the hagi in the previous poem.

The phrase Basho had written on his hat was the conventional one for pilgrims, Kenkon Muju Dogyo Futari which means, "Two pilgrims with no home on earth or in heaven." The original idea is that one travels on the journey through life with the Buddha, completely unattached to worldly things, but here, ironically, his companion is another person and, not surprisingly, they have separated. This reinforces the idea of transitoriness exemplified by the dew.

The verb kesan is unclear, it may be interpreted in various ways. 1) It may be that the dew on the hat washes away the inscription. 2) Basho uses the dew that has collected on his hat to wash away the inscription. Probably this latter is the best interpretation.

Up till now they were traveling together and he had "a party of two" written on his hat, but from now on he will be traveling alone, so he uses the dew that has gathered on his hat to erase the words that no longer apply. The truth of human existence is that those who meet will surely part; relationships, like the dew are evanescent.

Basho spent 9 days, from 7.27 (9.10) till 8.5 (9.18) resting at Yamanaka recovering from the fatigue of his journey. While there he accepted the young master of the inn as a disciple and gave him the name Toyo and recited the poem, Momo no ki no/ ha chirasu na/ aki no kaze. Among the sights he enjoyed while there was watching the locals fish by torchlight. He and Sora and Kitaeda composed a verse sequence while there. There was also an important work titled Yamanaka Mondo in which Kitaeda asked the master questions and copied down his responses. This book is said to have been composed here.

Sora had been ill since their arrival at Kanazawa and even the restorative powers of the hot springs did not cure him. It seems odd that he chose to leave Basho at this point after sharing the joys and hardships of the road all the way from Edo. Nevertheless, Sora evidently felt Basho would be able to get along all right and set out ahead for his home at Nagashima.