According to Sora's account, they left Sendai on 5.8 (6.24). It was raining, but cleared off abround 10:00. They went to Tofu no suga, saw the Tsubo no Ishibumi monument, and arrived at Shiogama around 2:00. After eating lunch they went on to Sue no matsuyama, Oki no ishi, Noda no tamagawa, etc. All these are places famous in poetry as Uta makaura. At last they returned to Shiogama where they found lodging at the home of a man named Jihei just in front of the Horenji temple.

Noda no Tamagawa, Oki no ishi, Sue no matsuyama, etc. are all places that have been celebrated in poetry, but if one just looks at them realistically, they are nothing more than a ditch full of water, an ordinary stone, and a common field of pine trees. Basho, however, chose not to see the reality before his eye, but to share these views with the men of ancient times. In the same way, seeing the cemetery he was reminded of the ancient poetry and felt the futility of human life. In seeing the fishermen row their boats he felt a deep sense of sharing this experience with the poets of old. In this way even the most ordinary places on Basho's itinerary were enriched.

Noda no Tamagawa today is a small, ditch-like river, but in ancient times it was a deep tidewater and with the moon rising over the ravine it was a famous poetic spot for moon viewing. In SKKSM #643 is the famous poem by Noin: Yusareba/ shiokaze koeshite/ michinoku no/ Noda no tamagawa/ chidori nakunari. The sense of the poem is that as evening falls beside the Tamagawa at Noda in Michinoku, the breeze comes in from the sea and the sanderlings cry mournfully. (H.H. Honda, p. p, 173, translates it: Come evening/ briny air starts flowing in/ with plovers crying over Tama's stream/ at Noda in Michinoku.) This river is one of six famous Tamagawas from around the country.

Oki no ishi - Nijoin Sanuki composed a poem found in the Senzaishu: Waga sode wa/ shiohi ni mienu/ oki no ishi no/ hito koso shirane/ kawaku ma mo nashi. The sense of the poem is that my sleeves are sunk beneath the waves of the sea like oki no ishi even at low tide. No one knows it, but my tears never dry. In this poem oki no ishi is a generic term meaning only a stone in the offing, but it may also be used as a proper name to indicate a s pecific stone. In Torin's Mutsu yuku he writes, "Behind the commoners' dwellings of Yawata village is the well called Oki no ii. Here is a 3 ken square stone surrounded by a pond. The local people call the pond Oki no ike. This is the stone Basho saw and referred to as Oki no ishi."

Sue no Matsuyama is a small hill located behind Masshozan, a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect. It was a satellite temple associated with the Zuiganji Temple of Matsushima and founded in the time of Date Masamune. The name of the temple is written with the same characters as Sue no matsuyama, so the name is the same, but read differently. The poet-priest refers to three places - Moto no matsu, Naka no matsu, and Sue no matsu. Ancient accounts describe this place as having dozens of pines although today only two large ones remain.

Sue no Matsuyama is an uta makura. Among the Azuma Uta of the KKS (#1093) we find: Kimi wo okite/ adashi kokoro wo/ waga motaba/ Sue no matsuyama/ nami mo koenamu. The sense of the poem is: If I were to ignore you and behave as if I had given my heart to someone else, then would the waves wash over the pines of Sue no matsuyama. (Laurel Rodd translates, If ever I could/ change my mind and banish you/ from my heart, then would/ great ocean waves rise and cross/ Sueno matsu Mountain.) Another poem is by Kiyohara Motosuke (One of the 36 poetic genouses of the Heian period, he was also skilled in playing the koto.) in Goshuishu: Chigiriki na/ katami ni sode wo/ shiboritsutsu/ Sue no matsuyama/ nami kozashi to wa. The sense of the poem is that as we wring out our sleeves soaked by the tears we have wept together, we will vow firmly that our bond will never change just as surely as the waves will not wash over the pines at Sue no matsuyama.

Today Sue no Matsuyama is some distance from the sea, but in ancient times it was much closer. Several old documents indicate that the writers could view the sea from here. Indeed, even today one can glimpse the sea from this low rise.

In visiting the cemetery Basho emphasizes death as the separation of lovers and speaks of them in terms of a pair of birds who share a wing or trees whose branches intertwine. A pledge of one wing and intertwined branches are metaphors for the intimacy between a man and a woman. In P'o Chu-i's "Song of the Everlasting Sorrow" these images are used. The idea is that the birds are so intimate they share one wing and one eye. Likewise, the branches of two trees intertwine as if one. This is to suggest that the pledge between a man and a woman is unbroken. We see a similar reference in the "Kiritsubo" chapter of The Tale of Genji. Shiogama was known for it's poems on love and on the evanesence of things and Basho emphasizes these and then adds in the evening tolling of the temple bell to remind us of the truth of impermanence. All these people who once lived active lives are now nothing but grave stones.

Shiogama Ura is a bay where they have great vats for boiling sea water to make salt. The name Shiogama itself means salt vats. Many poems have been written about this place. Even in Basho's time this was a busy place with many commercial ships and fishing boats in the bay. The smoke from the salt fires at evening was considered one of the eight famous views of Matsushima. Basho and Sora set out from Shiogama on 5.9 (6.25). According to legend, this part of the country was opened up when an old man guided people here and showed them how to make salt from the sea water. The vat he used to boil the water is venerated at the shrine, and it is from this that the place gets its name. The Myojin shrine is an ancient one, but it was rebuilt by Date Masamune in1607, some 82 years before Basho's visit.

The vesper bell - Basho visits the graveyard and is reminded that all living things must die and come to an end, also, the day is ending and he hears the tolling of the temple bell which reechoes the idea of impermanence. The verb "iri" is a pivot word meaning both "to enter Shiogama Bay" and "iriai no kane," the vesper bell.

Magaki Island is a small island located offshore from Shiogama and the Magaki Myojin Shrine is located here. Through the pine trees one can glimps the red torii. Many poems have been written about this place. KKS (#1089) has: Waga seko wo/ miyako ni yarite/ Shiogama no/ Magaki no shima no/ matsu z koi shiki. This means that my beloved is in the capital and, in love with him, I await his return. (Laurel Rodd translates it: When my beloved/ is in the far capital - / on Magaki Isle/ in Shiogama I wait/ pining 'neath the evergreens.)Basho passed near this island on the 9th on his way to Matsushima.

In the phrase 'tsunade kanashimo', tsunade means to pull in the nets. Kanashi does not mean sad, but 'to pull at the heart' in the sense of to be moving or even interesting. In KKS among the Azuma Uta we see an example of this: Michinoku wa/ izuku wa aredo/ Shiogama no/ ura gokubune no/ tsunade kanashi mo. This means that all the sights of Michinoku are interesting, especially the rowing boats at Shiogama no Ura. Near the shore they pull in their nets; it is a wonderful sight. (Laurel Rodd's translation: Northern provinces/ lovely wherever you go/ spellbinding are the/ men towing the ships which will/ sail across Shiogama.)

At their lodging place in Shiogama Basho listened to the blind priest perform the Oku Joruri. This is a style of narrative performance where one narrates the ancient sagas to the tune of a lute or the beating of a fan. This rustic music was performed beside Basho's pillow. He felt tired and the music was bothersome, but when he stopped to consider how it preserved the elegance of the rural past, he was both attracted and moved by it. What Basho literally says at this point is that "he beat it with a rustic rhythm and he did it close to my pillow, but at any rate it was a tradition of this area and I could not put it from my mind, and so it seemed commendable." This ability Basho had to change his mind and find the value in something rather than to be simply irritated by it is typical of him. Even the blind priest is a human being, and even the mundane, irritating music has overtones of traditional elegance to one who will recognize and appreciate them.

On visiting the Myojin Shrine Basho is impressed by the thick pillars, the vermillion fences and the stone stairs, all gorgeous in the sunlight and he reflects on the glory of Japan, the land of the gods.

The lantern in front of the Myojin Shrine at Shiogama is made of metal and the door has the shapes of the sun and moon on it as well as an inscription. The lantern is dated 1187 in the reign of the Emperor Gotoba. This was the year Fujiwara Hidehira died and when Yoritomo was gathering a force to bring against the north. Izumi Saburo was Hidehira's third son. He followed his father's wishes and defended Yoshitsune and was killed by his elder brother who betrayed Yoshitsune and sided with Yoritomo. Saburo died at the age of 23. For Basho he is the epitome of courage and loyalty on the part of a warrior. The lesson is that if you do your duty with courage and devotion, fame will follow naturally and in due course. Accounts of this can be found in the No play "Nishikido".

The lantern appears to Basho like a phantom of the past, unchanged after 502 years. Through its very permanence it becomes emblematic of the passage of time. In this respect it is similar to the monument at Tagajo except this reminds him of actual historical personages. He says that on seeing the lantern a vision appeared before his eyes. This phantom may be the figure of the lantern, but included as a part of that is also the image of Izumi no Saburo. Saburo's virtues are bravery, obligation, loyalty, and filial piety. Although his brothers abandoned all values by going over to Yoritomo in a self-serving way, this one man remained true. Basho is at some pains to acknowledge and admire that steadfastness. Basho saw the lantern dedicated to the memory of Izumi no Saburo and thinks about what it must take to endure the storms and tribulations of 500 years. He sees the lantern itself as being emblematic of Izumi no Saburo. Saburo was true to his father even when it meant going against his elder brothers, and he remained loyal to Yoshitsune. He cared for right and duty rather than personal gain. Basho admired this.

On 5.9 (6.25) Basho left his lodgings at about 8:00 and visited Shiogama Jinja. The day was clear and the morning sun made the shrine ]glitter. Basho was caught up in the fresh beauty of the scene and felt grateful for living in this divine country so blessed by the gods. This passage expresses his gratitude and respect.