"Meigetsu The Geisha in Hakata" Prologue

     There is no other place in Japan with as many historical and legendary interesting stories as the Chikuzen area (Mid-west of Fukuoka Prefecture) centering on Hakata District, Fukuoka City.
     There are many stories about the Hakozaki Bunko, Ishidomaru, Yoneichimaru, and many, many others.
     But perhaps no other tale is as colorful, varied, and elegant as the tale of "Meigetsu The Geisha in Hakata".
     The twenty-plus years of her troubled life, from her birth in a samurai family in Bicchu Province (Okayama Prefecture nowadays) to her death as a geisha in Yanagimachi, Hakata, is truly a work of art, a woven rope of courage, duty, and filial piety, dyed with blood and tears.
     The story is even more luminous when the lotus flower blooms out of the mouth of Meigetsu, who was buried under the ground after she returned to the Buddhist teachings prior to her death, adding a religious color to the story.
It must be a source of pride for the people of Hakata to have the story of " Meigetsu" in their city.
     From parents to husband, from husband to benefactor, from benefactor to Buddha, Meigetsu's life is a life of beautiful sacrifice dedicated to these people.
     I am neither a Buddhist nor a native of Hakata, but I have been interested in the story of Meigetsu for some time. I happened to take the opportunity to write a short piece on "Meigetsu The Geisha in Hakata" by referring to several historical materials, legends, and oral inscriptions on Meigetsu, which was serialized in the Kyushu Daily News from September 9 to late November of the first year of Taisho (1989). It was unexpectedly very well accepted and often prompted me to publish it.
     Fortunately, I have recently had a moment of rest and have decided to publish the book after making numerous improvements to the old version. I hope that you will read it with great pleasure.

Early July, 1913
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
At the Kyushu Daily News editorial office in Fukuoka City

Kitamitsu Awamori

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)