Haiku Inspiration at Rakushisha Cottage
This thatched-roof cottage on the outskirts of Kyoto was once the home to Mukai Kyorai (1651–1704), a disciple of haiku master Matsuo Basho, who moved here at age 27 and received many visits from Basho himself. The bucolic cottage—nicknamed the Hut of Fallen Persimmons after a summer storm knocked fruit off the 40 persimmon trees surrounding the cottage—has inspired many visitors to try their hand at writing haiku themselves. Stone tablets outside the cottage are inscribed with haiku, and inside, ink-brushed poems hang on the walls alongside an old straw raincoat and hat. Kyoriai's grave outside is a poetic reminder of life's brevity.
