Poetry monument of Machi Tawara on the Asuwa River's embankment

The poetry monument of Machi Tawara on the Asuwa River's embankment near Sakura Bridge

 

Yesterday, as I was walking on the pathway of the Asuwa River's embankment, a famous spot for cherry blossoms, a monument of a tanka (Japanese poem of thirty-one syllables) by a poet Machi Tawara, who was raised in Fukui, caught my eye.

 

The monument was originally built on Mt. Asuwa about 30 years ago and moved to this location during the restoration work of the embankment that was broken by the heavy rain in 2004. I had never seen it before, but actually it has been here for 15 years already.

 

The tanka carved on the monument says: "Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, they begin to bloom, they finish falling, but the park looks as if nothing happened."

 

Now looking at the row of cherry trees, reminds me of the flood in 2004. But in fact, originally the trees were planted by people to mourn the victims of the World War II and in hope of reconstruction of the city. Because Fukui City was destroyed completely by US air raid.

 

The line "as if nothing happened" makes me feel the flow of a long thousand years beyond passing the seasons.
T.S

 

Cherry trees that were planted after the World War II are over 70 years old.

 

Fukui City in the 'snowless' New Year of 2020