Tracing the Kashima Pilgrimage: Basho’s Journey to View the Harvest Moon
In mid-autumn of 1687 (Jokyo 4), Matsuo Basho set out from Fukagawa with his disciples Sora and Soha to view the harvest moon. Their destination was Nemoto-ji Temple in Kashima, Hitachi Province, to visit his Zen mentor, Priest Buccho. Traveling by boat and on foot across the Tone River, waiting for a glimpse of the moon through misty rain—this map traces the literary steps of his short moon-viewing journey described in "A Visit to Kashima Shrine" (Kashima Kiko).
2026.08.25
·Total ~91.5km
日本、〒135-0006 東京都江東区常盤１丁目３−１２
In mid-autumn of 1687, Basho departed his hermitage in Fukagawa with his disciples Sora and Soha to view the harvest moon. They headed toward Kashima's Nemoto-ji Temple to visit his Zen master, Priest Buccho. Taking a boat downriver, this marked the beginning of their little moon-viewing journey.
日本、〒272-0021 千葉県市川市八幡４丁目２−１
Crossing from Fukagawa to Gyotoku by boat, the travelers walked overland to Yawata. This ancient shrine in Shimosa was visited by Basho's party on their way to Kashima. It is famous for its thousand-year-old "Sembon Icho" (sacred thousand-trunk ginkgo tree).
日本、〒270-1101 千葉県我孫子市布佐
Passing through Kamagaya, they reached Fusa along the banks of the Tone River. From here, they boarded a night boat downriver toward Kashima. The moon-viewing journey continued aboard the boat gliding across the dark river waters.
日本、〒314-0031 茨城県鹿嶋市宮中２６８２
A Rinzai Zen temple where Basho's Zen master, Priest Buccho, resided. Basho stayed the night here hoping to see the harvest moon, but unfortunately it began to rain. Still, the moon made a fleeting appearance through the clouds, inspiring his haiku: "Swift moves the moon / while tree tops still / hold onto rain." Haiku monuments inscribed with his poetry stand within the temple grounds.
日本、〒314-0031 茨城県鹿嶋市宮中２３０６−１
The head shrine (Ichinomiya) of Hitachi Province and one of the Three Great Shrines of the East. An ancient shrine dedicated to Takemikazuchi-no-Okami, the deity of martial arts, which Basho and his companions visited the following morning. As the primary destination of his travelogue, it is renowned for its lush sacred grove and the legendary "Kaname-ishi" (Keystone).
日本、〒311-2424 茨城県潮来市潮来４２８
On the return journey, Basho stopped by the riverside town of Itako and stayed overnight at the home of Honma Jijun. This pin marks Chosho-ji, an ancient temple in Itako with ties to Minamoto no Yoritomo. It marks a serene conclusion to the moon-viewing journey in a charming water town renowned for irises and traditional riverboats.
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