The Yugyo Willow Tree and Sessho Seki Trail

Discover the legends of Nasu and retrace the footsteps of the haiku poet Basho

The town of Nasu is home to several locations mentioned in poet Matsuo Basho’s book Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North). Nasu is famous for its hot springs, and is also the birthplace of many legends and mythical tales.

Starting at the Yugawa municipal parking lot, the course takes you from Nasu Yuzen Shrine along a rocky track to Sessho Seki—a location famous in Japanese folklore for the tale of the nine-tailed fox. You can retrace Basho's footsteps as you wander the streets of this picturesque mountain town.

The Yugyo Yanagi, or Yugyo Willow, is a half-hour drive out of town. The tree has been the inspiration for many classic poems written by renowned Japanese poets, including Matsuo Basho (1644–1694), the late Heian-period poet Hoshi Saigyo (1118–1190), and the Edo-period poet Yosa Buson (1716–1784).

Highlights

Yugyo Yanagi (Yugyo Willow)

The willow tree that inspired poets of old

The Yugyo Yanagi (Yugyo Willow) was the inspiration for one of Basho’s most famous haiku; he describes the tree surrounded by fields being planted with rice seedlings. The poem alludes to a verse by the classical poet Saigyo, who describes pausing by the roadside beneath the willow. Basho’s haiku suggests that the entire field of rice was planted while he was lost in contemplation of Saigyo’s poem. A stone carved with the haiku was erected here in 1799.

Sessho Seki (Killing Stone)

The legend of the nine-tailed fox

Local folklore tells of an evil nine-tailed fox that was turned into a huge stone by a deity. The thunderous cry of a Buddhist priest broke the stone encasing the fox’s evil spirit into three pieces and scattered them. The Sessho Seki (Killing Stone) is said to be one of the pieces. The volcanic vents in the ground around the stone spew toxic hydrogen sulfide gases, so no vegetation can grow there. In his book Oku no Hosomichi, the poet Basho writes: “The Sessho Seki is located in a mountain recess where a hot spring flows forth. The stone’s poisonous air still remains and the ground is covered in so many dead bees and butterflies that you can barely see the color of the sand.” His haiku about the stone describes how the foul fumes scorch the summer grass red.

Shika-no-Yu Onsen

A traditional hot spring spa by the river

Shika-no-Yu Onsen was reportedly discovered in the early seventh century by a local official hunting an injured deer in the mountains. (Shika-no-Yu means “deer’s hot spring" in Japanese.) The poet Basho wrote about visiting the hot spring in his book Oku no Hosomichi. The present-day Shika-no-Yu Onsen is a quaint, traditional wooden bathhouse. The building was constructed during the Meiji period (1868–1912) and the entrance was completed during the Taisho period (1912–26).

Trail Map

The Yugyo Willow Tree and Sessho-seki Trail

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