Dogo Park is also a forest of words. Here, you’ll find a stone monument engraved with a haiku poem by Matsuo Bashō, along with many others bearing the words of poets, including Masaoka Shiki.

Masaoka Shiki, who was born in Matsuyama, once wrote of Dogo Park in this way: “Looking out, far on the open sea, many boats—the wind in their sails feels cool.”

Take a moment to imagine the scene and the feeling these words evoke. Another poet influenced by Shiki, Tsuchiya Bunmei, left this poem:

“The nights at Iyo’s hot springs grow still; on Isaniwa’s Yuzuki Hill, an owl cries.” Though the words are few, they seem to carry the coolness of the air, the color of moonlight, and the depth of the forest—as if a small window had opened onto the night.

Here, you might try shaping a single line of your own. “After the bath.” “Forest.” “Wind.” “Sound.” “Light.”

Gently place together the words that stayed with you most during your walk on this hill. You don’t need to say them out loud.

That small line of words can become a quiet bookmark—one that softly recalls the time you spent here in Dogo Park.

*This guide was created based on documents and interviews and includes some interpretation done by us at ON THE TRIP. Theories differ between experts, so try to find out what really happened on your travels!