Ishii Rogetsu: a Haiku Memorial in Stone
Долин Александр АркадьевичЭпиграфика Востока '2021, №Вып. 36 (№3-4), с.95-110
DOI: 10.31696/0131-1344-2021-3-4-95-110
The paper presents a brief biography of Ishii Rogetsum one of the best Japanese
haiku poets of the late XIX early XX c., and focuses on the description of the memorial
stone kuhi – steles with haiku by Rogetsu engraved on them. The distinction of these kuhi
as compared with memorial steles of other Japanese poets is their location within the
boundaries of Rogetsu’s native prefecture Akita where the poet is treated as a local cultural
hero. During his lifetime, Rogetsu did not care to publish not a single collection of poems/
Nevertheless his contribution to the cause of enlightenment in Akita was really significant.
After his death, his activities were appreciated by all haiku lovers and he was officially
recognized as the greatest haiku poet of Nort-Western Japan. Ishii Rogetsu Haiku Society
initiated the first Rogetsu memorial stele construction just a year beforwe his death.The
overwhelming majority of kuhi were constructed in the second half of the XX c. being the
proof of the growing interest towards the intangible cultural heritage in Japan. It also
shows a typical feature of traditional Japanese culture where fragile manuscripts tend to be
converted into stone scripts – to be remembered and revered forever.