Loneliness

Portrait of Matsuo Basho from “Hokusai Manga”, by Katsushika Hokusai

Won't you come and see

loneliness?Just one leaf

from the keri tree

Basho.

alternative translation:

Come, investigate loneliness

 a solitary leaf 

clings to the kiri tree 

 -Basho

https://www.botanic.jp/plants-ka/kiri.htm

E E Cummings version:

ironically, the kiri tree is fast growing and so is often planted on the side of roads; after harvesting, the stump will regrow a new tree.

Ecologically it is important for that reason.

from a playing card:

This Paulownia flower pattern (go-shichi-no-kiri) is the symbol of the Office of the Prime Minister of Japan. It also decorates the Order of the Rising Sun and the Order of the Paulownia Flowers.

....;prints of japan notes: "Kiri is highly valued in Japan for a wide range of uses including cabinet and drawer linings, musical instruments, clogs, floats for fishing nets, and for peeling into exceptionally thin 'scale veneers', mountedon paper and printed to produce special visiting cards..." In the Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan (vol. 6, entry by Matsuda Osamu, p. 166) notes: "The tree has a wide variety of other uses as well: the wood is burned to make charcoal for sketching and powder for fireworks, the bark is made into a dye, and the leaves are used in vermicide preparartions". In 1888 the Meiji Emperor established the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, Palownia Flowers (勲一等旭日桐花大綬章) which is only given to men of the highest rank such as admirals, generals, diplomats, jurists and politicians. It has even been bestowed on foreigners. General Douglas MacArthur (マッカーサー) received it in 1960 and later Mike Mansfield who acted as the American ambassador to Japan from 1977-88. This entire entry originated from my rereading of "The Tale of Genji". The first chapter is Kiritsubo (桐壺). Royall Tyler (ロイヤル・タイラー) in 2001 translates this as "The Paulownia Pavilion", Seidensticker in 1975 as "The Paulownia Court", Suematsu Kenchō (末松謙澄) in 1882 as "The Chamber of Kiri" while Waley (ウェーリー 1925) and McCullough (1994) just call it "Kiritsubo".

wikipedia commons:

 Matthieu Sontag

 

lots of illustrations here.