The photo above is scanned from the brochure of the Sugawara Shrine in Iga Ueno. Also known as Ueno Ten Jingû, or Ueno's Heavenly Shrine, this is where Bashô dedicated his first haikai publication, an anthology of sixty hokku (haiku) by himself and thirty-six other poets from the region, in 1672.

Though this photo shows the shrine empty, on the morning of October 11 over 200 people crowded into its grounds, as this was the starting point for four groups of poets, each led by an important Japanese master. Bill and I joined the group led by Master Kiyoko Uda. Other groups were led by well known Masters Akito Arima, Tsubaki Hoshino, and Hiroko Yamada.

The photo below gives a more realistic impression of the situation! It was taken after our group left the shrine, looking back the way we had come, and shows the shrine from a different direction. Note the white signboard at top left, pointing the way to the "[Ba]sho Memorial Museum" and "[I]gaueno Castle"—two prime tourist attractions in the city. Note the traffic, cars and busses, driving on the left. (Photo by W. J. Higginson copyright© 2004. All rights reserved.)