Haru no Kusa, Aki no kaze—Asakawaen
[Haru no kusa kurete aki no kaze ni odoroki Aki no kaze yamite mata harunokusa ni mo nareri] Source: Heike Monogatari, Sakaro
A shop selling tea that was established in 1938. The flagship store is in Niigata City. When founder Asakawa Seiichi met Aizu Yaichi’s friend Soma Kokko after the war, the founder of Shinjuku Nakamura-ya, he was asked to “take good care of Aizu sensei.” This started his relationship with Yaichi, and the Asakawaen became a regular stopping point for Yaichi during his walks.
The flagship Asakawaen store in Furumachi burned to the ground during the Great Fire of Niigata in 1955. When Asakawa Seiichi returned to Niigata in order to deal with this tragedy, one of his employees gave him this calligraphy as a gift from Yaichi.
Calligraphy: Yamagazuke—Imanari Zukemono Ten
A pickle shop located in Muika-machi, Minami-uonuma City, Niigata. Founder Imanari Shunichiro was a year younger than Aizu Yaichi when they were at the Niigata Junior High School together, and they were also poetry friends.
Shunichiro supported Yaichi both mentally and financially up until his death in 1936. Yamagazuke are vegetables pickled in sake lees developed by the Imanari family, and they were placed on sale as a commercial product around 1932 to 1933. The name Yamagazuke was coined by Aizu Yaichi in association with the Sankashu collection of poems written by Saigyo, which uses the same kanji characters, and that he composed for the title of the calligraphy.
Signboard: Osakaya
A well-established confectionary shop representative of Niigata that was established in 1858. Yaichi was commissioned to create this signboard in 1950, as the shop did not have one at the time. Yaichi was also commissioned to write handing scrolls for decorating the interior of the shop after this, and the relationship continued to flourish. The Osakaya signboard was hung on the Furumachi store from 1951. Confectionary known as Kissakyo was put on sale in 1978 to commemorate 120 years since the shop’s establishment, and the calligraphy used for this was taken from Yaichi’s writings.
Calligraphy: Kamazuka, Akikusa—Satosen
A well-established Niigata confectionary shop that was established in 1927. The Kamazuka Monaka confectionary that was put on sale in 1992 were bite-sized pieces named from a Yaichi work owned by Satosen. Apparently, Satosen shared a relationship based on calligraphy with Aizu Yaichi, and the shop also interacted with people involved in Yaichi’s life, such as the family of his adopted daughter Ranko and the Yamanaka clinic, etc. The Akikusa confectionary that was put on sale in 1959 was named by Murata Saburo, the mayor of Niigata at the time who was acquainted with Yaichi, and it is sold only for a limited period from the fall.
Calligraphy: Niigata Nippo
The local newspaper for Niigata Prefecture. It was established through the amalgamation of three companies in 1942 and named the Niigata Nippo. It was originally established as a different company under the name of Yukan Niigatasha after the war, and Aizu Yaichi was appointed president in May 1946 on the insistence of Sakaguchi Kenkichi. The Niigata Nipposha and Yukan Niigatasha amalgamated on December 31, 1949, and Yaichi became an honored guest of the Niigata Nipposha. This calligraphy has been in use since January 1949. It is said that Yaichi wrote approximately 80 different versions, and this was the one selected.
Calligraphy: Kochutenchi—Takahashi Shuzo
A sake brewing company established during the Ansei Period (1854 to 1859) in Jizomachi, Nagaoka City. The first president’s wife, Takahashi Toshi, was born in Tainai City, Niigata (formerly Nakajomachi), and was a distant relation of Aizu Yaichi. Because of this relationship, Yaichi gave the company this calligraphy for the Kochutenchi※1 brand during a lecture that he held in Nagaoka City in October 1946. The products brewed by Takahashi Shuzo are currently sold as a luxury brand.
※1About[Kochutenchi]
The meaning of this calligraphy is “the heavens, the earth and enchanted lands forgotten in everyday life.” Source: Book of Han.
Northern Culture Museum
The Northern Culture Museum is a museum located within the manor of the landowning Ito family in Soumi, Konan-ku, Niigata City.
Aizu Yaichi lived in the western annex of Northern Culture Museum curator Ito Bunkichi’s villa between July 1946 and his death in November 1956. Yaichi composed the calligraphy for this signboard as a mark of his gratitude. The western annex in which Yaichi lived is located in Minami-Hama Dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata City, which is currently the Niigata branch of the Northern Culture Museum.
