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HAIKU POET MOPPO TOMITA AND HIS BEST FRIEND SEIFU

  The great earthquake of　Kanto in 1923(Taisho 12) brought 
deaths many people by earthquakes and the following fiers.
  The poet Moppo Tomita burnt to dead at riverside of 
Higashi-Mukojima of Sumida River was one of them. 
  He was born in Ele restaurant, couldn't walk due to 
sickness suffered in infant days. People rumored it as 
grudge of eels and he couldn't stay at the restaurant any 
more. He worked in Yuzenzome dying craftsman's to be a 
inhouse disciple overcoming the disability. Living together 
with mother and other brothers in a poor compound flat, 
earned money by makinng dolls or cheap confectionery goods, 
doing his best to sustain living. Only relief he found in 
those days was haiku poems he liked from the childhood.
  Then Seifu Arai appeared as real Messiah for his life. He 
was a rich man running movie theater in　Aaskusa town, 
university student(Moppo didn't go to it) who had robust
body. Those two had contrary characters but they made very 
close friends.
  Mr.Arai, not only introduced Moppo's works to literature 
world as new wave of it but also took care of his living. He
was in nominal and in real terms an excellent volunteer.
  Here is one of Moppo's masterpieces;

        On Autumn Sunset, 
          a Spider Extends String on my Shoulder

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