Long ago, there was a man. Convinced he was of no use to anyone, he thought, "I will not stay in the capital. I will go east to look for a land fit to live in," and set out. He went with one or two old friends. There was no one who knew the way, and they wandered as they went.
They came to a place called Yatsuhashi, Eight Bridges, in the province of Mikawa. It was called Eight Bridges because the river divided in eight directions like a spider's legs, and eight bridges had been built across it.
By the marsh they got off their horses, sat in the shade of a tree, and ate dried rice. In the marsh, irises (kakitsubata) were blooming beautifully. Seeing them, someone said, "Put the five syllables ka-ki-tsu-ba-ta at the head of each line and compose a poem on the feelings of travel." So the man composed:
"Like a Chinese robe worn until it is soft and familiar, I have a wife I am close to, and so I think with longing of how far I have come on this journey."
At this, everyone's tears fell on the dried rice until it swelled and softened.
The poem is an acrostic with ka, ki, tsu, ba, ta at the head of each line. More than that, it layers pivot words, nare (softened / familiar), tsuma (hem / wife), haru (starched / far) and ki (worn / come), and links them with words associated with clothing: Chinese robe, wear, soften, hem, starch. For all its craft, the ache of thinking of someone left in the capital comes straight through.
Later Ogata Korin painted his "Irises" screens and "Eight Bridges" screens based on this episode. In Chiryu, Aichi, the place name Yatsuhashi survives, still famous for its irises.