Tarui-no-Izumi (Izumi, Tarui Town, Fuwa District, Gifu Prefecture)

Flowing ceaselessly through the ages, from the capital Kyoto to the eastern provinces, and back again to Kyoto.

There is a spring that has long soothed and rejuvenated travelers.

Take a moment to sit. Breathe.

Here, many have set their pens to paper.

Though the spring I once saw
remains unchanged,
the reflection it holds
has grown old with time.
– Fujiwara Takaaki (11th century)

Let not your heart
be shallow; for the jeweled
curtains of Izumi,
its waters may yet dampen
even your sleeves.
– Ichijo Kaneyoshi (15th century)

Green onions washed—
gleaming white in the chill,
winter’s sharpness.
– Matsuo Basho (17th century)

On rainy days, it served as a sheltering umbrella;
on sunny days, its great tree offered shade, welcoming travelers.
Sadly, the great zelkova tree fell in a typhoon in 2015.
And yet, the spring has not run dry.

Though I lack the gift of poetry, I too have tried my hand:

The great zelkova—
though it has decayed,
autumn’s scattered threads
mend themselves by
Tarui-no-Izumi’s eternal spring.

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