きさかた　　　　　　　せいし　　　　ねぶ　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
「象潟や　雨に西施が　合歓の花」

25. Kisagata, Akita

Kisagata is one of most famous sights of the northern region of Japan.

The place is also known for the silk tree and the sorrowful beauty it conceals.

Basho wrote a haiku expressing the beauty of the place comparing it to the peerless beautiful of Seishi a woman in China who died in misfortune.

 

Ki-sa-ga-ta ya        (Ah Kisagata !)

a-me ni Se-i-shi ga    (Seishi in the rain)

ne-bu no ha-na       (like flower of silk tree)

“Ah Kisagata !  Seishi in the rain is a flower of the silk tree.”

Season word: Nebu no hana = flower of silk tree (Summer)