八重葎

しげれる宿の

さびしきに

人こそ見えね

秋は来にけり

えぎょうほうし

やえむぐら

しげれるやどの

さびしきに

ひとこそみえね

あきはきにけり

The Monk Egyo

With catchweed growing

Wild all over the lodging

This utter loneliness

Creeps up on me

And only autumn comes.

Egyo Hoshi (dates unknown - a poet in the latter half of the 10th century), his name is sometimes read as Ekei. He was one of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets. Joshua Mostow mentions him as ‘Master of the Law Egyo’. At the Kawara In (the famous ‘tiled hall’ built by Minamoto no Toru, author of poem 14) of priest Anpo he met with Motosuke (poem 42), Shigeyuki (poem 48) and Yoshinobu (poem 49); a note above the poem in the Shuishu mentions that it was written at the Kawara In.

作者略伝と語釈

Some commentators relate the theme of autumn to the decline of the Kawari In itself.

What we see on Hokusai’s drawing is the preparation for winter; fruits need picking, there is the winnowing of rice sheaves by a woman and a boy, tobacco leaves are hanging from the roof to dry (tobacco was introduced in Japan in the second half of the 16th century), a horse is being washed and the saddle is readied; birds are flying south. We also see catchweed in front of the house. It looks like the place will soon be left for more comfortable housing.

Hokusai

Yaemugura, catchweed