By Itō Fugyoku
Early Edo period (17th century)
Donated by the Homma family
Itō Fugyoku (1648-97) was a leading figure in the Sakata haiku world; he was also the town doctor for Sakata, and served as personal physician to the feudal lord of the Shonai region. This document was passed down together with the ‘Documents of the Futaki Family.’ The family in question, whose trade name was ‘Kagaya,’ were a wealthy merchant family who served alongside the Kanbayashi and Abumiya families as town senior officials for generations. Fugyoku seems to have been especially close to Kagaya, as he was one of their renters.
This work expresses his love for drinking sake, which he regarded as a virtue. It is thought to have been written during the last few years of his life, before his death at the age of 50.