Kano Aoki Water

Poet Akiko Yosano, who has ties to Yosano Town, composed this tanka poem in August 1922 while she visited Shima Onsen hot spring in Gunma Prefecture. The poem was announced the following month.
The rich water of the Nodagawa River running through Yosano feeds the paddies. After nourishing the town’s high-quality rice and vegetables, the river empties into the Asokai Sea next to Amanohashidate, one of Japan’s Top Three Scenic Views.
Although Yosano’s scenery is not mentioned in this poem, if you look at the bird’s-eye view of the riverside rice paddies in this video, it reminds you of the Nodagawa River or “Mono omourashi.”

Assisted by: Tanka and Haiku Museum
Yosano Municipal Kozan Bunko