Bai Qiu's brother Tie Xiong ran around to raise funds. Two weeks later, the funds were raised, and after negotiation, the lawsuit was withdrawn with a compensation of three hundred yuan to Junzi's husband, avoiding criminal punishment. However, this experience of imprisonment nearly drove Bai Qiu to the brink of mental collapse.

In such distress and struggle, Bai Qiu developed depression and mental oppression, yet at this time, he continued to create new works. In these works, more or less, openly or subtly, they always carried the imprint of this married woman. In May of the 44th year of the Meiji era, he published his second poetry collection, titled "Memories," which solidified his position in the poetry world.

In this "Memories," there is a section called "Fragment," which is sung for Junzi---

That is someone else's wife

It is the unique story of Francesca

As we speak, the baby cries again

Crawling around nearby

And you, just seem indifferent

That is someone else's wife

“A moment apart is unbearable, sorrow like a fox's enchantment”

“In the heart, dead silence when I can't see you, the cherry blossoms white and dazzling at dusk”

“On the morning you leave, I hear the crisp footsteps on the stone road, snow falls like the fragrance of apples”

（The above are poems from Bai Qiu's collection "Flowers of the Paulownia"）

Bai Qiu's poetry collection "Flowers of the Paulownia"

There is also a poem dedicated to “Sophie, who brings me sorrow”---

The white moon has come out, Sophie.

Come out and take a look, Sophie.

Like forget-me-nots

That, that blue sky, Sophie.

（The above is the first section of this poem's six sections, where "Sophie" is also Bai Qiu's affectionate name for Junzi. It can be seen that as love deepens, the poet's works increasingly celebrate this love.)

"Wild Exposure"

When about to die, increasingly

Yearning for life

To abandon this body and expose it in the fields

Only then will one know what true tears are

Because she is someone else's wife, so we each walk our own path

Until one has become utterly tainted

One can only wander on the road of sin that one cannot stop

-----The above was published in the April issue of "Zhu Luan" in the second year of Taisho (1913)

-----The above was published in the April issue of "Zhu Luan" in the second year of Taisho (1913)

Map of Miura Peninsula

Hakushu Memorial Hall (Miura City, Kanagawa Prefecture)

A few years ago, the Hakushu family went bankrupt, and the burden of family life fell on him, the eldest son. In the second year of Taisho, he, having lost his reputation, crossed the sea with his family to Misaki at the southernmost tip of the Miura Peninsula. Here, his father and younger brother acted as brokers for a fish market, but soon they failed and returned to Tokyo. Hakushu once resolved to end his life, but later, with the advice and help of friends, he abandoned the thought of suicide. Later, Toshiko divorced her husband and came to Misaki, where she lived for a year. During this time, Hakushu worked hard to shake off his despair and revitalized his spirit through writing. At this time, Shimamura Hōgetsu commissioned him to write lyrics, and his song "The Rain of Shiroshima," composed by musician Ryōden Seiji, later became a hit at a concert in Tokyo.

Misaki Port, Miura

After living in Misaki for a year, Toshiko and Hakushu crossed the sea to Chichijima in the Ogasawara Islands. In July of the third year of Taisho, they returned to Tokyo. In September, the two divorced. From their relationship to its end, although life was extremely difficult, his poetry and tanka creations flourished. However, Toshiko's uninhibited behavior could not be accepted by Hakushu's family. She could be said to be the "witch" in Hakushu's life, marking the darkest period of his life, bringing endless sorrow, just as the poet said: "I fell into tears. I was haggard, sinking, mentally disturbed, my heart desolate, and I felt that darkness surrounded me in all directions."

After that, Hakushu exiled himself to Koiwa Village in South Katsushika, naming his residence "Purple Smoke Grass Society," located in the middle of rice fields. His life remained poor, but his second wife, Eguchi Akiko, unlike his first wife Toshiko, was not vain and worked tirelessly to support him. The two lived a pastoral life, eating cabbage, and during this time, he published the poetry collection "The Sparrow's Egg."

In the sixth year of Taisho (1917), 31-year-old Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, along with his contemporaries Yū Yoshii and Hideo Nagata, after a night of revelry in Yoshiwara, suddenly thought of their reclusive friend Hakushu and planned to visit him. They went to Koiwa Village to invite him to the Kawajimi restaurant in Shibamata, drinking until nine in the evening. Under the influence of alcohol, they insisted he return to Tokyo with them. Hakushu wanted to go home, but could not refuse them, so he got off at Edogawa after one stop from Shibamata and walked home with a lantern.

Poetry collection "The Heretical Sect"

Friends recalled how, eight years ago, when the "Pan God Society" was just established, Hakushu had just published "The Heretical Sect" with great enthusiasm. At that time, Hakushu had a dignified elder demeanor, was cheerful, and liked to take care of others, eating and drinking heartily at gatherings. Now, however, he was so downcast that it was hard not to feel sorrow. This time, friends came to encourage him, but even when Hakushu got drunk, he was unwilling to relive old dreams with them.

Sugiyama Miyako "Women’s Reminiscence - The Life of Kitahara Hakushu's Wife, Eguchi Akiko"

To raise funds for a new house at Denjō-ji in Odawara, Akiko had conflicts with Hakushu's family. In the eyes of Hakushu's younger brother, Tetsuo, his brother felt frustrated and irritated that his poetry was not as good as before, while at that time, Akiko had fallen in love with newspaper reporter Ikeda Hayashi. Hakushu was furious about this, and Akiko went to consult Tanizaki Jun'ichirō about the matter. Tanizaki agreed that the two should separate, which angered Hakushu and led to a break in relations with Tanizaki.

Their short five-year marriage ended, and Akiko wrote a poetry collection titled "The Heart of Tsuwabuki," in which "The Port of Farewell" was written for her lover Ikeda. It expressed her feelings as she bid farewell at the port when he went to Berlin. Akiko later fell into a life of prostitution in Oi, Shinagawa Ward, and in her later years, she indulged in overeating, ultimately ending her life in depression, covered in excrement, as detailed in writings by Setouchi Jakuchō.

Hakushu's third wife, Kikuko, was a virtuous housewife skilled in French cooking. At 36, Hakushu finally found a life partner, and thereafter, life went smoothly. First, he and his wife went to Karuizawa, where he wrote the famous work "Larch." A year later, their eldest son Ryūtaro was born, and influenced by the child and the children's song movement, he began actively engaging in the creation of children's songs and stories. His poetry creation erupted once again, as he pursued the tranquil spirit of Bashō and the Eastern philosophy of Laozi, exuding a clear and subtle fragrance in his words. The poet was meticulous in his choice of words, with restrained and clear language, achieving the simplicity and purity of ink wash painting.

For Hakushu, Akiko was the best wife. His life with Toshiko and Akiko was fraught with thorns, and it was only after finding Kikuko that he settled down. These three wives were indispensable to him; life is like this. In fact, the people you meet, no matter how they are, are all right; this is destiny, the so-called fateful encounter, meeting the right person at the right time.

Yanagawa Hakushu Festival

Perhaps due to overly rich nutrition, Hakushu developed diabetes and suffered from eye disease in his later years, relying on weak eyesight for dictation writing. In the 17th year of Shōwa, he was hospitalized due to kidney disease and diabetes, but soon insisted on leaving the hospital to return home. He began to organize and edit three children's songs and dozens of works, striving to complete his art.

At the turn of autumn and winter, he showed signs of difficulty breathing. After receiving a strong injection, he shouted, "I won't lose!" When his condition stabilized slightly, he wanted to eat. His wife gave him apple juice, but at that time he could only eat liquid food. He surprisingly finished two slices of apple, and those present couldn't help but admire him. His son Ryūtaro opened the window to let fresh air in, and Hakushu said to him, "Today, November 2nd, is my day of rebirth! You must remember, it is my shining anniversary, a brand new start." After saying this, he took his last breath at his home in Asagaya, Suginami Ward, Tokyo, at the age of fifty-seven, and was ultimately buried in Tamari Reien.