Michinoku ni koko ni ya izuku Shiogama no ura to wa nashi ni keburi tatsu miyu

陸奥にここにやいづくしほがまの
浦とはなしに煙立つ見ゆ

Roma-ji: Michinoku ni koko ni ya izuku Shiogama no ura to wa nashi ni keburi tatsu miyu
English Translation: Am I in Michinoku?
Where then can this place be?
Not the bay
of Shiogama, and yet
I see the smoke rising.
Meaning: Is this somewhere in Michinoku? It is not the bay of Shiogama, yet I see smoke rising as if from salt kilns.
Commentary: Miscellaneous Poems 695

Headnote: "Composed on seeing smoke rising from the hearths of the people"
Seeing smoke rise from the people's hearths, the poet says it is as if he were in Michinoku, though this is not Shiogama bay famed for the smoke of salt-making, rejoicing in the people's prosperity. It draws on the tale of Emperor Nintoku, who judged the land's well-being by the smoke of the people's hearths, and shows Sanetomo's heart as a ruler.
The Ruijū text reads line 2 as koko ya izuku, lacking ni.

Line 1 means "in Michinoku," using words from the Kokinshū eastern song on which 570 of this book was based.
Line 2 means "where is this place?" ya interrogative.
Line 3 means "of Shiogama," shiogama meaning both the place and the kettle for boiling salt.
Line 4 means "though it is not the bay."
Line 5 means "I see smoke rising," the smoke of the people's hearths.
Author: Minamoto no Sanetomo
Source: Kinkaishu
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