poem monument of miyazaki ikuu, hakodate

Miyazaki Ikuu (real name Miyazaki Daishiro) was born in Niigata Prefecture in 1885. After his birth, his family moved to Hakodate and his father started a MISO (soy bean paste) factory. Ikuu became a staff member of the literary group "Bokushukusha" which was formed in 1906. Since Ishikawa Takuboku came to Hakodate in 1907, Ikuu kindly continued to support Takuboku both financially and spiritually. In 1909, Ikuu married Fukiko, who was a sister of Takuboku's wife Setsuko.

Even after he succeeded his farther's business he kept on writing poems and passed away in 1962. The poem on this monument is included in the second chapter "Jimon Jito", literally meaning "Ask yourself and then answer yourself', in "Ikuu Kashu" (the collection of Ikuu's poem) published after his death. This monument was built by Hakodate Toshorikai (The association of book lovers) in 1968.

POEM MONUMENT OF SUNAYAMA KAGEJI: Sunayama Kageji (real name Nakano Torao) was actively engaged in the literary magazine "Gin no Tsubo" (a silver pot) which was first published In 1918. Since Kageji was an ardent admirer of Ishikawa Takuboku and his poems. we can find Takuboku's Influence on Kageji's poems. He had a skeptical outlook on life and commited suiside at the age of 20 in 1921 by leaping from an Aomon-Hakodate ferryboat.

This poem is found in the preamble of "Botchan no Kashu" (The collection of a boy's poem), and this monument was built by Kaikyohyoronsha and Hakodate Toshonkal (the association of book lovers) in 1968.

Text by CITY OF HAKODATE