It is said that there used to be pines on the shore in Tezukayama. They have been called “Himematsu on the shore” from the far past, but the fact is that there was not a “shore” in front of Sumiyoshi High School. That is a view added by later generations. In this context, “Hime” may be a praising word, or may mean that a god put a treasure in the tree. Settsu-meisho-zue, a guidebook of Settsu Area in the Edo Period, says “Himematsu on the shore” are the pines in front of Sumiyoshi High School. Also, Settsu-meisho-zue-taisei, the second complete edition of the guidebook, says, “There are a group of pine trees which lead to a riverbank in the east of Kishu-kaido,” an old highway from Osaka to Wakayama. They are leftovers of the ancient pines on the shore. We do not call them “Himematsu on the shore,” but we often call all of them “Hamamatsu on the shore of Sumiyoshi.” The pine forest area had been spread out over for many years. There are traces of “Himematsu on the shore.” That is a rumor told by later generations. However, they have been treasured as “Gohonmatsu on the shore” by people in the region for many years. There are only four pines now, because one pine died. People in the region have treasured these four pines for a long time.
I would ask how old they are, if “Himematsu on the shore” were humans.
The more new rice fields are reclaimed, the more “Himematsu on the shore” disappear.
