Narrow Road to the Deep North

予もいづれの年よりか、片雲の風にさそはれて、漂泊の思ひやまず、海浜にさすらへ

There came a day when the clouds drifting along with the wind aroused a wanderlust in me, and I set off on a journey to roam along the seashores...

The Narrow Road to the Deep North (奥の細道 Oku no Hosomichi) is the title of famed haiku poet Matsuo Basho's most famous work, a poem-filled travelogue through Japan's remote northeastern region of Tohoku.

One of the most famous travelogues ever, the Narrow Road continues to inspire Japanese art and visitors to Tohoku, and each of the places Basho visited continues to revere his poems and observations.

In Basho's day, the land of Oku (奥) — "the interior" — was the back of beyond in Japan, where farmers eked out a meager living and bandits and hermits roamed in the mountains. Well aware of the dangers awaiting him, Basho fully expected to never return, selling his house and preparing a will.

When reading Basho's work, it is important to note that he takes more than a few poetic liberties with the exact route chosen and the sights seen. Fortunately, he traveled for most of the way with fellow poet Sora, whose diary has allowed the reconstruction of the route.

Back in 1689 Basho walked the entire distance, starting in late spring and taking over five months (156 days, to be precise) for the entire journey.

Even with the assistance of modern transportation and perfect scheduling (public transport is sparse in this neck of the woods), it would take a month for a whirlwind tour of all visited sights.

Due to Basho's predilection for mountain climbing, a faithful copy of the itinerary can only be done in summer, after the heavy snows of the Sea of Japan coast have melted and the mountains are accessible.

Basho's original itinerary is as follows, with modern place names or major nearby cities in parentheses where applicable.

Basho sweeps the cobwebs and shutters his riverside thatch hut in what is today 35.679944139.7977221 Kiyosumi Garden, Fukagawa , to depart for a journey he does not expect to return from. On the riverboat dock at 35.751678139.8021392 Senju (千住), he bids farewell to his friends and the cherry blossoms of Ueno & Yanaka, and weeps. The party barely reaches 35.825389139.8053333 Soka City, west of Yashio before nightfall, weighed down by parting gifts they are too polite to bin. (Sora says they actually passed Soka and spent the night at Kasukabe, some 15 kilometers north).

• Basho Museum/Basho Memorial Hall.
• Sumida river cruises, though now they do not reach Senju.
• See the Basho Stone in Kiyosumi Garden.

They reach the eight shrines of 36.405917139.7821564 Muro-no-Yashima, now Omiwa Shrine in Tochigi, dedicated to the Lady of Cherry Blossoms (Konohanasakuya-hime), who keeps Mt Fuji sleeping. After a night in Kanuma, they enter the hospitality of 36.719833139.6981675MISSING WIKILINK Inkeeper "Buddha" Gozaemon, who Basho praises for assisting the pair of medicant pilgrims. In the morning, they climb Mt 36.798139.3746 Nikko, visit Futarasan Shrine, and admire Urami-no-Taki, the rear-view waterfall. Intriguingly, Basho does not even mention Nikko's largest tourist draw, the extravagant Tokugawa mausoleums.

• Futurasan Shrine is between Omiwa Shrine and Nikko, so it may be wise to visit it out of order.

The pair cut straight through what were then fields and now golf courses of Tochigi prefecture to reach Nasu district. There, they meet an aquaintance, the deputy governor of 36.85140.1166677 36.85140.1166678 Kurobane , and his brother. At the insistence of

• • 36.852778140.2094449 Unganji, 37.101472139.99891710 Sesshoseki )
• Stage 10: 37.126306140.21091711 Shirakawa barrier, the gate to the north.
• Stage 11: 37.285140.37312 Sukagawa

• Stage 12: 37.756140.4713 Asaka (Fukushima)
• Stage 13: 37.776028140.47430614 Mount Shinobu
• Stage 14: The remnants of the Sato clan in 37.831944140.43722215 Tatenoyama Park
• Stage 15: 37.838191140.43411316 "Iizuka (飯塚)" in Fukushima
  • Iizuka (飯塚) was likely a misspelling of Iizaka (飯坂), now Iizaka district of Fukushima

Upon arriving in 38.153511140.81970217 Kasajima district, he asks for the grave of Fujikawa no Sanekata (located west of Nitori city). Complaining about the rain and mud, Basho decides to skip it for the 38.105140.86218 Pine of Takekuma (now Takekoma) . The poet Nōin, writing six centuries prior says it was cut down as material for a bridge. Basho compliments its twin trunks, as after the many times it was cut down another pine was replanted. He comments that every tree retained the shape of its ancestors. In 38.268222140.86941719 Sendai Basho meets with a famed painter, Kaemon, researching the precise locations of sites mentioned in poetry that had become obscure. Kaemon showed him some: the hills of Tamada, Yokono and Tsutsuji-ga-oka, the forest of Konoshita, and the fields of Miyagino. Today, they have all been subsumed under Sendai's urban sprawl, unlike Yakushido Hall and Tenjin Shrine. As parting gifts, Kaemon gives the pair sketches of the area and straw sandals with iris-blue straps, which (in Basho's opinion) demonstrated his natural savoir faire.

Following Kaemon's sketches, the pair head east on a road called Oku no Hosomichi where sedge grew in abundance, towards Tagajo castle. There, he reads the 38.30359140.9883820 Tsubo Stone Monument in Tagajo City, commemorating the castle's construction. In Basho's time, the monument was a millenium old and covered in moss — he feels the hearts of the past in his own, and weeps. He leaves for Shiogama port, visiting 38.314361141.02197221 Oki-no-Ishi 沖の石 , mentioned in poetry, and Masshōzan, where undying loves lay buried, along the way. In the morning, he worships at 38.31875141.01255622 Shiogama Shrine .

Just before noon, the party hires a boat to reach the location that had inspired the trip in the first place, 38.380167141.06733323 Matsushima. Basho declares it to be the best view in Japan (though today its only considered to be Japan's Top 3). Before leaving, he visits Zuigan temple. They travel along Sendai bay, resting in 38.43425141.30272224 Ishinomaki. Basho believes he sees Mt Kinka, though it is impossible to see from Ishinomaki.

• Stage 23: 38.986611141.11383325 Hiraizumi
  • Once a capital that rivaled in Kyoto in splendor, today's Hiraizumi has little left except two famous temples — and some famous haiku lamenting the loss penned here by Basho.
• Stage 24: 38.744861140.71872226 Dewagoe (Naruko)
  • At this point Basho abandoned the original plan to head all the way north to Aomori and instead decided to head across the mountains. Naruko is now a popular hot spring resort.

• Stage 25: 38.600639140.40566727 Obanazawa
• Stage 26: 38.312556140.43738928 Risshaku-ji Temple (Yamadera, Yamagata)
  • The temple of Ryushakuji is quite literally carved out of the mountainside: hence the common name Yamadera, "Mountain Temple".
  • Yamadera Bashō Museum
• Stage 27: 38.593833140.37266729 Oishida, now sprawled into Obanazawa
• Stage 28: 38.589140.36930 Mogami River (Yamagata)

• Stages 29-30: 38.700278140.00027831MISSING WIKILINK 38.700278140.00027832 Mount Haguro and Mount Gassan (Dewa Sanzan)
  • The three holy mountains of Dewa Sanzan are the center of worship for the Shinto-Buddhist Shugendo sect and its mountain-climbing yamabushi ascetic monks. Note that Basho only visited Hagurosan and Gassan. He never made it to the third, Yudonosan.

• Stage 31: 38.914861139.83672233 Sakata
• Stage 32: 39.203139.90772234 Kisagata or Kisakata (Nikaho)
  • Kisakata was the northernmost place that Basho visited. He was enthusiastic about seeing the lagoon. It was rainy when he arrived and wrote his first poem, but it cleared up the next day and he took a boat to Kanmanji Temple and other islands around Shiogoshi, which he, along with other historic poets, described as being of equal beauty to Matsushima. He went on to write that the difference was that the beauty of Matsushima was cheerful, while the beauty in Shiogoshi was for the lonely and troubled. Unfortunately, the Kisakata Earthquake of 1804 caused the land to raise by 2 meters, eliminating the bay completely. The former bay remains on land today, so you no longer need a boat to reach Kanmanji Temple; you can walk there in about 20 minutes from Kisakata Station.

• Stage 33: 37.902472139.02316735 The Echigo Road, through (Niigata)

• Stage 34: 37.039028137.86266736 Ichiburi, Itoigawa
• Stage 35: 36.561056136.656537 Kanazawa
• Stage 36-37: 36.408333136.44552838MISSING WIKILINK 36.408333136.44552839 Komatsu
  • In Komatsu, Basho visited w:Nata-dera, a famous temple still visited by many Japanese (but few foreign tourists).

• Stage 38: 36.302778136.31502840 Daishoji (Kaga)

Basho parts ways with Kawai Sora here, at Yamanaka Onsen.

• Stage 39: 36.092194136.29872241 Matsuoka
• Stage 40: 36.064056136.21958342 Fukui
• Stage 41: 35.645194136.055543 Tsuruga

In Tsuruga, Basho visited the famous Kehi Shrine and stayed at Kanegasaki to observe the full moon. He wrote one of his haiku at Konzenji Temple at the foot of Kanegasaki about the temple's famous bell.

• Stage 42:35.729265136.03490444 Ironohama (Irohama)

• Stage 43:35.359944136.61269445 Ogaki - there is a small museum for the poet's long journey.

The starting point of the trip was Tokyo, today served by Haneda ^IATA & Narita ^IATA airports, however, as the first stretch of the trip has been largely absorbed into urban sprawl, many choose to head straight for Stage 18, Sendai, served by Sendai ^IATA (with a possible detour to Nikko beforehand).

This route is a long, 1000+ kilometer journey: feel free to mix-and-match methods of transportation. Keep visa time limits in mind while planning.

The E4 (Tohoku Expressway), Tobu Nikko line (TN, Orange), and Tobu Railway Express all leave Tokyo for Western Tochigi

From Nikko to Unganji, the most practible way by public transport transfers through Utsunomiya.

The path from Asaka to the Sendai Bay is well-trodden: both the Tohoku Shinkanzen and Tohoku line connect the cities. The E4 follows a similar route.

If departing for Hiraizumi from Sendai, take the Tohoku Shinkanzen. If from Hiraizumi, take the Ishinomaki and Tohoku lines with a transfer at Kogota station.

The Tohoku#JR East Rail Pass covers stages 1 to Joetsokukyo station

• Club Tourism organises a bus tour with an accompanying historical guide.

The roaming bands of Ainu bandits that Basho feared — but did not encounter — are long since gone. Now the riskiest parts of the trip are inclement weather and the mountain ascents.

Tohoku and Hokuriku is bear country: attacks are uncommon but not unheard of. Thankfully, it is the smaller Asiatic black bear that inhabits Honshu. It may be wise to carry bear bells and bear repellant spray ((熊鈴 kuma-suzu; クマ撃退スプレー kuma gekitai supurē), especially in mountainous and rural areas. If doing the route by foot, bicycle, or motorcycle, practice with the spray before the trip, and store it in an easily-accessible location — it may be seconds before a bear is upon you. Those in cars should remain vigilant as to not crash into a bear on the road.

• JNTO advice on bears in national parks

What tabloids call the murder hornet (Asian giant hornet) is responsible for hundreds of deaths worldwide, both the young and the old, the hearty and the frail. If you are stung, immediately seek medical attention. The Japanese term is "大雀蜂" or osuzumebachi, memorise it!

The ending point of Ogaki is 30 minutes by rail from Nagoya, a Tokaido Shinkansen stop. Nagoya is home to the Chubu Centrair International Airport. Ogaki is also not so far from Kansai, and it is only a few hours back to Tokyo.

You might also wish to detour to Iga where Basho was born or Otsu on the shores of Lake Biwa, where Basho died in 1694. He is buried in that city at the small temple of Gichu-ji.

Do another of Basho's trips, like the one in Nozarashi Kiko.

Narrow Road to the Deep North

• Japanese Wikisource: おくのほそ道
• Oku no Hosomichi (in Japanese)

Sora's Diary

Works of Saigyō Hōshi