Matsuo Basho's haiku from Yamadera, "Silence – soaking into the rocks, the cicadas' cry," composed in his travelogue "Oku no Hosomichi," sparked a debate about the specific species of cicada mentioned in the verse.
In Showa 2 (1927), poet Saitō Mokichi (1882–1953) asserted it was an *aburazemi* (large brown cicada), while critic and German scholar Komiya Toyotaka (1884–1966) countered that it was a *niiniizemi* (small cicada with a distinctive chirping sound).
Subsequently, in early July of Showa 5 (1930), a survey involving the capture of cicadas revealed that most of the identified cicadas were *niiniizemi*, with only a very small number of *aburazemi*. Upon learning these results, Mokichi retracted his theory. Incidentally, this revision of his theory also incorporated a reinterpretation of literary analysis.
Around July 13th, when Basho visited Yamadera, *higurashi* (evening cicadas) can also be heard, so while nothing can be definitively stated, it is highly probable that it was a *niiniizemi*.
