神奈川を愛した歴史的著名人たちゆかりの地 9選

Kanagawa Prefecture is dotted with places associated with "literary figures and artists."

Kanagawa Prefecture was loved and inhabited by many famous figures who left their mark on history, including the first Prime Minister of Japan, Hirobumi Ito, Shigeru Yoshida (who served as Prime Minister after the war), Soseki Natsume, and Hakushu Kitahara.
Here, we introduce places associated with famous people who are still alive today.

Why not rediscover the charm of Kanagawa by visiting places associated with famous people, reflecting on their lives and the history of the time?

(1) The home of Shigeru Yoshida , a prominent politician of the postwar era.
[Former Shigeru Yoshida Residence] (Oiso)

Shigeru Yoshida (1878-1967) was a prominent post-war politician who served as a foreign ministry official before the war, holding positions such as consul, secretary, and ambassador in various foreign countries, and later served as Prime Minister for a total of five terms (6 years and 2 months).

The former residence of Shigeru Yoshida (now the Oiso Town Local History Museum Annex), located within Oiso Shiroyama Park , was built in 1884 by Kenzo Yoshida, Shigeru Yoshida's adoptive father, who purchased the land and built it as a summer villa. Shigeru Yoshida lived there from around 1945 until his death in 1967. The residence was destroyed by fire in March 2009, but reconstruction work was carried out, and it has been open to the public since 2017.

entrance

Maple Room (Reception Room)

It was used as a reception room and contained Shigeru Yoshida's desk and sofa set.

Exhibition/rest room

The exhibition features his favorite coat, walking stick, cigar case, and other documents.

Shigeru Yoshida, sometimes called the "Japanese Churchill," adopted a British style of dress. His trademarks included suits tailored in London, England, pince-nez glasses, a walking stick, a hat, and a cigar.

Gold Room (Living Room)

This is the reception room where distinguished guests were entertained. It offers a panoramic view of the Hakone mountains, Mount Fuji, and Sagami Bay.

Shigeru Yoshida bronze statue

The statue faces the United States, the site where the San Francisco Peace Treaty was signed in 1951. On a clear day, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Izu Oshima, the Izu Peninsula, Sagami Bay, and the Boso Peninsula from near the statue.

[Former Shigeru Yoshida Residence (Annex of Oiso Town Local History Museum)]
Address: 418 Nishi-Oiso, Oiso-machi, Naka-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture (within Kanagawa Prefectural Oiso Shiroyama Park)
〈TEL〉0463-61-4700
<Opening Hours> 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM (Last entry at 4:00 PM)
<Closed days> Mondays and the 1st of every month (if the 1st falls on a holiday, the next weekday) / New Year holidays (December 29th to January 3rd)
<Admission Fee> General: ¥500 (¥450) / Junior and Senior High School Students: ¥200 (¥150) *Until March 2020 *Prices in parentheses are for groups
*After April 1, 2020: Adults ¥510 (¥460) / Junior and senior high school students ¥210 (¥160)
<URL> http://www.town.oiso.kanagawa.jp/oisomuseum/

(2) Named by Hirobumi Ito! Over 100 years of history and visited by prominent figures from various fields.
[Motoyu Kansuiro] (Hakone)

Main building exterior

Exterior view of the annex

Motoyu Kansuirou is a historic hot spring inn that opened in 1614 in Hakone Tonosawa as a therapeutic hot spring resort. Beginning with Tokugawa Mitsukuni, who visited the inn in the mid-Edo period, many prominent figures who played a significant role in the turbulent end of the Edo period, such as Princess Kazunomiya, Tenshoin Atsuhime, Ito Hirobumi, Katsura Kogoro, and Togo Heihachiro, who led Japan immediately after the Meiji Restoration, as well as leading figures of modern Japanese literature such as Natsume Soseki and Shimazaki Toson, have visited Kansuirou and made it their regular lodging.

The current building consists of a three-story wooden main building constructed in 1919 and a four-story annex built in 1924. As one of the few high-rise wooden buildings in Japan, it has been designated a registered tangible cultural property of Japan.

The building features three grand halls, each constructed with exquisite woods such as cedar, cherry, and paulownia.

The grand hall "Jindai-kaku"

A grand hall constructed using the finest ancient cedar* discovered in the Hakone mountains. The ceiling is a double-layered coffered ceiling.
*Jindai-sugi (ancient cedar): Cedar wood from trees that have been buried underground or underwater for over 1000 years and are several hundred years old.

The museum also displays famous books and paintings left behind by prominent figures from various fields who have visited Kansuirou.

The calligraphy of "Kansuirou" by Hirobumi Ito

The rooms range from traditional-style rooms featuring abundant use of fine wood to rooms with private open-air baths. Each room is uniquely designed, showcasing the craftsmanship and attention to detail of the artisans, and exudes the atmosphere of old-world Japanese architecture.

Taisho-era bath

(Image provided by) Motoyu Kansuiro

The hot spring is 100% natural spring water flowing directly from the source. The water quality is a high-quality alkaline simple spring with a pH of 8.9, which is excellent for beautifying the skin. It is gentle on the skin and warms you to the core. In addition, there is an open-air bath, private baths, and a bedrock bath healing stone spa.

Kaiseki-style cuisine (example)

(Image provided by) Motoyu Kansuiro

Our cuisine is a monthly changing kaiseki-style meal featuring an abundance of ingredients from the mountains of Hakone and the seas of Sagami Bay and Odawara.

[Kansuiro]
Address: 88 Tounosawa, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture
<TEL> 0460-85-5511
<URL> https://www.kansuiro.co.jp/

(3) A villa built by Hirobumi Ito, who loved scenic views.
[Former Ito Hirobumi Kanazawa Villa] (Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama City)

Front of the entrance

Located within Nojima Park , the former Kanazawa villa of Hirobumi Ito is a rustic, thatched-roof seaside villa built in 1898 by Hirobumi Ito, the first Prime Minister of Japan, who played a major role in the dawn of constitutional government, including drafting the Constitution of the Empire of Japan. It is said that Ito preferred Kanazawa, a scenic area that resembled his hometown of Yamaguchi, and built the villa there. Emperor Taisho and the Crown Prince of Korea also visited the villa.

In November 2006, it was designated as a Yokohama Designated Tangible Cultural Property. However, due to the building's significant deterioration, demolition and investigation work was carried out in 2007, and it was decided to restore it to its original form, including parts that no longer exist.

The residence displays numerous documents and furnishings related to Hirobumi Ito. These exhibits offer a renewed understanding of Prince Ito's achievements and character.

exterior

It consists of three buildings: a guest room building, a living room building, and a kitchen building. The most formal guest room is positioned in a location with a good view of the sea, and the other buildings are connected by corridors in a staggered arrangement known as "gankou."

[Guest Rooms (High-class guest rooms)]

The guest room building was used when members of the imperial family, including the Emperor and Crown Prince, visited the residence.

Tatami-floored corridor

The interior was covered with wooden planks, while the washroom for washing hands was covered with tatami mats. The toilet used by Prince Hirobumi was located in the private living room building, and the toilet bowl was a simple wooden structure.

Seiran no Ma (The Room of Clear Breeze)

The glass panes in the guest room doors were shipped from Belgium because they could not be produced in Japan at the time of construction. Even today, you can see the distortions and air bubbles that indicate they were hand-blown.

During the return of the sails
Pine trees from the Meiji era are planted everywhere around the building. It's such a peaceful and beautiful sight that you'll want to gaze at it forever.

A calligraphy piece written by Hirobumi Ito himself.
The gold folding screen placed in the alcove was painted by Hirobumi Ito in Kanazawa. "Shunbo" was Ito's pen name. The painting, which likens the lotus flower to the flower of a gentleman, embodies Ito's unwavering devotion to his country.

[Living Room Building (Private spaces such as Prince Hirobumi's study and bedroom)]

The living room was named after Utagawa Hiroshige's ukiyo-e print "Kanazawa-e (Eight Views of Kanazawa)."

Autumn Moon

Viewing the evening glow

The name "Akizuki no Ma" comes from "Seto no Shūgetsu" (Autumn Moon over Seto).
The title "Yūshō no Ma" (Room of Evening Glow) comes from "Nojima no Sekishō" (Evening Glow of Nojima).

bathroom

A wooden box-shaped bath made of Japanese cypress, which guests who came to the house also used.

Peony garden

Every year from mid-April to early May, the garden is filled with the peony, Kanazawa's national flower. Events are also held to coincide with the blooming season.

[Former Kanazawa Villa of Hirobumi Ito (located within Nojima Park)]
Address: 24 Nojima-cho, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture (within Nojima Park)
〈TEL〉045-788-1919
<Opening Hours> 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM (Peony Garden: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
*Open until 17:30 in April and May (Peony Garden: 9:00-18:00) *Open until 15:30 in December and January (Peony Garden: 9:00-16:00)
<Closed days> The 1st and 3rd Mondays (If it falls on a holiday, the following day)
*Open every day in April and May. *Closed every Monday in December and January (or the following day if Monday is a holiday).
*Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29th to January 3rd)
<Admission Fee> Free
<URL> http://www.hama-midorinokyokai.or.jp/park/nojima/hakubuntei/

[There are still more! Places associated with famous people]

(4) It was called the "inner sanctum of Meiji politics"
[Meiji Memorial Oiso Residence and Garden] (Oiso)

Oiso was known as the "inner sanctum of Meiji politics" because many prominent figures of the Meiji era gathered there and built villas and residences, including eight former prime ministers such as Ito Hirobumi, Yamagata Aritomo, and Okuma Shigenobu, who were active as prime ministers during the Meiji period.

The Oiso Estate Gardens include the former residence of Japan's first Prime Minister, Ito Hirobumi, known as "Sorokaku," as well as the former villas of Okuma Shigenobu, Saionji Kinmochi, and Mutsu Munemitsu.
*Currently closed to the public. The former villa site of Mutsu Munemitsu and the garden area of the former villa of Okuma Shigenobu are scheduled to be opened to the public in the summer of 2020.

Former Canglang Pavilion (site of Ito Hirobumi's residence and former villa of the Yi royal family)

(Image provided by) Oiso Town Local History Museum

In 1896, Hirobumi Ito moved his villa from Odawara and named it "Sorokaku." Of the buildings rebuilt after the Great Kanto Earthquake, the Western-style and Japanese-style sections retain their original appearance. As a representative building of the villa area of Oiso, it is designated as a tangible cultural property by the town.

*The former Sorokaku, which was the main residence of the Ito family, was transferred to the Yi royal family in 1920 after Hirobumi's death. It was later destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake and rebuilt as a villa for the Yi royal family, who were the owners at the time. Therefore, it is referred to as the "site" of Ito Hirobumi's residence.

The current Canglang Pavilion

(Image provided by) Oiso Town Local History Museum

Museum

(Image provided by) Oiso Town Local History Museum

Former Shigenobu Okuma Residence and Former Furukawa Residence (Exterior View)
(Image provided by) Oiso Town Local History Museum

Former Shigenobu Okuma Residence / Former Furukawa Residence (Kamishiro Room)
(Image provided by) Showa Memorial Park Office, Oiso Branch

Shigenobu Okuma (1838-1922) served as Prime Minister in 1898 and 1914, organized Japan's first party cabinet, and founded Waseda University.

*The residence purchased by Okuma in 1897 withstood the earthquake and retains almost its original appearance, so no "marks" have been added. It was later sold to the Furukawa family and managed as a second residence.

Former Mutsu Munemitsu Villa Site and Old Furukawa Villa Japanese Garden

(Image provided by) Showa Memorial Park Office, Oiso Branch

Mutsu Munemitsu (1844-1897) served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the second Ito Hirobumi cabinet and worked diligently to revise the unequal treaties.

Mutsu Munemitsu's former villa site / Former Furukawa villa, Japanese-style room

(Image provided by) Showa Memorial Park Office, Oiso Branch

*The former Mutsu residence was a villa (second home) used for medical treatment. After the death of Mutsu Munemitsu, it became a second home for the Furukawa family, into which his second son (Junkichi) was adopted. After being partially destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake, it was rebuilt by the Furukawa family, and the rebuilt villa has been managed to this day.

[Meiji Memorial Oiso Residence and Garden]
Address: 85 Nishi-Oiso, Oiso-machi, Naka-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture, and other locations.
<TEL> 0463-79-8700 (Showa Memorial Park Office, Oiso Branch)

(5) Commemorating the achievements of Kitahara Hakushu, a poet who wrote many children's songs.
[Hakushu Children's Song Museum] (Odawara)

exterior
(Image provided by) Odawara City Kamome Library

The Hakushu Children's Song Museum is a facility that commemorates the achievements of the poet Kitahara Hakushu (1885-1942), who is known for writing many children's songs such as "Karatachi no Hana," "Kono Michi," and "Machiboke." Hakushu moved to Odawara in 1918 at the age of 33 and spent eight years there until 1926.

The Hakushu Children's Song Museum is a villa built around 1924 (Taisho 13) by Count Tanaka Mitsuaki, a former Minister of the Imperial Household, during the time when Kitahara Hakushu was living in Odawara. It is a Japanese-style building with an impressive, light, tower-like design, and is designated as a nationally registered tangible cultural property.

Interior

(Image provided by) Odawara City Kamome Library

In addition to original children's songs, the museum also features a section dedicated to Mother Goose, the traditional British nursery rhymes that Hakushu was the first to translate thoroughly into Japanese.

◎A little episode◎
Regarding his representative work "Karatachi no Hana" (The Trifoliate Orange Flower), Hakushu wrote in his essay that it was written on May 13, 1924, while he was living in Odawara, and that it was inspired by the trifoliate orange flowers he saw on a mountain path near his home, along with his childhood memories. Because of this anecdote, the city of Odawara erected a monument to the "Karatachi no Hana no Komichi" (Path of Trifoliate Orange Flowers), and trifoliate orange trees were planted by the citizens.

[Hakushu Children's Song Museum (Annex to Odawara Literary Museum)]
Address: 2-3-4 Minami-cho, Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Access: 20-minute walk from Odawara Station East Exit
<TEL> 0465-22-9881 (Odawara Literary Museum)
<Opening Hours> 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Last entry at 4:30 PM)
<Admission Fee> *Includes admission to the Odawara Literature Museum
Adults: ¥250 (¥180 for groups of 20 or more)
Elementary and junior high school students: ¥100 (¥70 for groups of 20 or more)
<URL> http://www.city.odawara.kanagawa.jp/public-i/facilities/literature-museum/douyoukan.html

(6) A hot spring inn where Natsume Soseki also stayed for an extended period.
[Amanoya / (Main Building) Currently Yugawara Town Museum of Art] (Yugawara)

Amanoya (New Building)
*The new building is currently closed and has been demolished; it no longer exists (Image provided by Yugawara Town Museum of Art)

Amanoya was founded in 1877. It was a long-established inn representative of Yugawara, frequented by famous people such as Hirobumi Ito and Soseki Natsume, and even appearing in Soseki Natsume's novel "Light and Darkness." However, the new building closed in 2005. The main building was renovated and reopened in 1998 as the "Yugawara Museum of Art," and was renamed the "Yugawara Town Museum of Art" in 2006. It continues to be a popular destination for many visitors.

Yugawara Town Museum of Art (formerly Amanoya Main Building)
(Image provided by) Yugawara Town Museum of Art

In 2006, the "Reiji Hiramatsu Museum" was opened to exhibit the works of Reiji Hiramatsu, a leading Japanese painter active in the Japanese art world. Along with the "Permanent Collection" exhibiting the museum's collection, the name was changed to "Yugawara Town Museum of Art." In 2017, the "Reiji Hiramatsu Visible Studio" was opened, and the studio of the Japanese painter is opened to the public from time to time.

The adjacent museum cafe, "and garden," serves tofu and yuba (tofu skin) dishes. You can also enjoy a footbath using hot spring water from Yugawara on the terrace.

[Yugawara Town Museum of Art]
Address: 623-1 Miyakami, Yugawara-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture
<TEL> 0465-63-7788
<Opening Hours> 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM (Last entry at 4:00 PM)
<Closed Days> Every Wednesday (open if Wednesday is a public holiday), December 28th to December 31st, and other temporary closures for exhibit changes, etc.
<Admission Fee> Adults: ¥600 (¥500), Elementary and Junior High School Students: ¥300 (¥200)
* ( ) indicates group rates for 15 or more people. * Free admission for holders of disability certificates. Town residents receive a town resident discount.

Did writers and painters who loved Yugawara visit this place?!

《7》Written figures and painters who loved Yugawara visited!?
[Manyo Park] (Yugawara)

Autumn foliage at Manyo Park
(Image provided by) Yugawara Onsen Tourism Association

Manyo Park has been selected as one of "Japan's 100 Best Historical Parks." The park is planted with flowers and plants that appear in the Manyoshu, an anthology of poetry that celebrates Yugawara Onsen.

Many famous people who loved the town of Yugawara, such as Natsume Soseki, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Kunikida Doppo, Tanizaki Junichiro, and Yosano Akiko, may have visited Manyo Park. As you stroll through it, you might feel like you're about to get some great inspiration!

◎Origin of the park name◎
"In the world of Toi and Kawachi, the hot springs that flow forth are not something that can be relied upon, and my child does not speak of them."
(Ashikari no Tohi no Kafuchi ni Izuru Yu no Yo ni mo Tayora ni Koro Iwanaku ni)
*Manyoshu, Volume 14, Eastern Songs, Poem 3368

The steam rising from the hot springs bubbling up by the Toi River in Ashigara drifts and floats unsteadily in the sky, and just as uncertain our relationship is, she never says it (even though it's incredibly uncertain). This is a poem that captures the feelings of a man overwhelmed with anxiety due to his love.

*Doi is the former name of the Yugawara area.

This poem is the only one among the 4,500 poems in the Manyoshu anthology that describes the sight of hot springs gushing forth, and it is known as "Ashikari no Doi no Uta" (The Song of Ashikari and Doi) and is a poem about Yugawara Onsen.
The original inscription on this monument was written by Takeuchi Seihō. (The original inscription is on display at the Yugawara Town Museum of Art.) It is said that around 1952, due to the connection to this poem, local residents received a suggestion from Dr. Sasaki Nobutsuna, a scholar of waka poetry residing in Atami, to "create a Manyo Park in Yugawara." With the guidance and advice of the doctor, the current Manyo Park was constructed.

[Manyo Park]
Address: 566 Miyakami, Yugawara-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture
<TEL> 0465-63-2111 (Yugawara Town Tourism Division)
<Opening Hours, Admission Fee, and Closing Days> Free admission, open all year round.
<URL> https://www.yugawara.or.jp/sightseeing/722/

*Due to renovation work on the park starting April 1, 2020, the park and the Yugawara Tourist Information Center will be closed for one year.

(8) Exhibits many works by literary giants associated with Kamakura.
[Kamakura Museum of Literature] (Kamakura)

exterior
(Image courtesy of Kamakura Museum of Literature)

The Kamakura Museum of Literature was originally a Western-style villa belonging to the Maeda Marquis family, descendants of the lords of the Kaga domain, built in 1936. The city of Kamakura acquired the building, renovated and refurbished it, and opened it in November 1985. In May 2000, it was registered as a national tangible cultural property. The museum displays handwritten manuscripts and letters of Kamakura writers such as Yasunari Kawabata and Jun Takami, as well as other writers associated with the area, including Soseki Natsume and Ryunosuke Akutagawa.

Permanent exhibition room
(Image courtesy of Kamakura Museum of Literature)

Terrace seating outside the lounge
(Image courtesy of Kamakura Museum of Literature)

Apparently, on clear days, you can see Oshima Island!

Rose garden
(Image courtesy of Kamakura Museum of Literature)

The rose garden on the south side of the garden boasts approximately 200 varieties and 250 rose bushes, and events are held to coincide with the peak blooming seasons in spring and autumn. The garden also offers a magnificent view overlooking Yuigahama beach.

[Kamakura Museum of Literature]
Address: 1-5-3 Hase, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture
<TEL> 0467-23-3911
<Opening Hours> 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM (March - September) / 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM (October - February)
*Entry is permitted until 30 minutes before closing.
<Closed days> Mondays (open if Monday is a public holiday) *Closed during exhibition changeovers, special maintenance periods, etc.
<Admission Fee> Collection Exhibition: ¥300 / Special Exhibition: ¥300-¥500 (Varies depending on the exhibition)
<URL> http://www.kamakurabungaku.com/

Bonus Episode ~Even these famous people live in Kanagawa!!

《9》Still in business! A long-established restaurant associated with Oryo, the wife of Ryoma Sakamoto.
[Tanaka family] (Yokohama, Kanagawa Ward)

exterior
(Image provided by) Tanaka family

The Tanaka family business was founded in 1863. Due to its proximity to the open port, it was a favorite of Takasugi Shinsaku of the Choshu domain, and there are anecdotes that he, along with Ito Hirobumi and Saigo Takamori, planned the overthrow of the shogunate there. Also, Oryo, the wife of Sakamoto Ryoma, a prominent figure of the late Edo period, worked there as a live-in maid for two or three years in her 30s, introduced by Katsu Kaishu.
The museum also houses items related to Natsume Soseki, such as his calligraphy.

The predecessor was "Sakuraya," which was also depicted in Utagawa Hiroshige's ukiyo-e print "The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō: Kanagawa."

(Image provided by) Tanaka family
"Sakuraya" is the third shop from the top of the hill in the image.

Why not enjoy the atmosphere and cuisine of Edo?

[Tanaka family]
Address: 11-1 Daimachi, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture (approximately 7 minutes on foot from the west exit of JR Yokohama Station)
<TEL> 045-311-2621
<URL> https://www.tanakaya1863.co.jp/

9 Historical Sites Associated with Famous People Who Loved Kanagawa

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