Yosenji Temple (Web) 養泉寺 (Web)

Official explanation

Yosenji Temple is a branch of Kaneiji, a Tendai Buddhist temple in Ueno, Tokyo. It is the twenty-fifth stop on the Mogami pilgrimage, a circuit of 33 local temples dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion. The famous haiku poet Matsuo Basho (1644–1694) lodged here for seven nights during his 156-day journey from Edo (present-day Tokyo) through northern Japan in 1689. He was accompanied by his disciple Kawai Sora (1649–1710). Their journey was the basis for one of his most famous works, Oku no hosomichi (Narrow Road to the Deep North). Along the way they stopped in Obanazawa for 10 nights to visit Basho’s friend, the wealthy local merchant Suzuki Seifu (1651–1721). The Suzushizuka, a stone monument inscribed with a brief biography of Basho and a haiku he composed during his stay, stands on the grounds:

suzushisa o Making the coolness

Read the full explanation

waga yado ni shite My abode, here I lie

nemaru nari Completely at ease.

(Translated by Donald Keene)

The year of Yosenji’s founding is unknown, but it was renovated in 1688, and reconstructed after it burned down in 1895. The temple commands a view of pastoral rice fields, with Mt. Gassan and Mt. Chokai towering in the distance.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.