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 is a place loved by many famous people who have left their mark on history, including the first Prime Minister of Japan, Hirobumi Ito, and Shigeru Yoshida, who served as Prime Minister after the war, as well as Natsume Soseki and Hakushu Kitahara, who lived and stayed there.
Here we will introduce places associated with famous people who are still alive.

Why not rediscover the charm of Kanagawa by visiting places associated with famous people and thinking about those people and the history of the time?

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

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

The former Yoshida Shigeru residence (Oiso Town Local History Museum Annex), located within Oiso Shiroyama Park , was built in 1884 (Meiji 17) by Yoshida Shigeru's adoptive father, Kenzo, who purchased the land and built it as a vacation home, where Yoshida lived from around 1945 (Showa 20) until his death in 1967 (Showa 42). The residence was destroyed by fire in March 2009 (Heisei 21), but was subsequently rebuilt and has been open to the public since 2017 (Heisei 29).

entrance

Kaede no Ma (reception room)

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

Exhibition/rest room

His favorite coat, walking stick, cigar case, documents, etc. are on display.

Shigeru Yoshida was known as the "Japanese Churchill." His Western clothing was British-style, with his trademarks including suits made in London, England, pince-nez, walking sticks, hats, and cigars.

Golden Room (living room)

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

Shigeru Yoshida Bronze Statue

It stands facing the United States, the site of the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951. On a clear day, you can see Izu Oshima, the Izu Peninsula, Sagami Bay, the Boso Peninsula, and more from near the statue.

[Former Yoshida Shigeru Residence (Oiso Town Local History Museum Annex)]
Address: 418 Nishikoiso, Oiso-machi, Naka-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture (inside Oiso Castle Park)
Tel: 0463-61-4700
Opening hours: 9:00-16:30 (last entry at 16:00)
Closed on Mondays, the 1st of each month (or the following weekday if that day falls on a public holiday), and the New Year holidays (December 29th to January 3rd)
Admission fee: Adults ¥500 (¥450) / Junior and senior high school students ¥200 (¥150) *Until March 2020 *Prices in parentheses are group rates
*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 Ito Hirobumi! Over 100 years of history and visited by famous people from all walks of life
[Motoyu Kansuiro] (Hakone)

Main building exterior

Annex exterior

Kansuiro is a historic hot spring inn that opened as a therapeutic hot spring resort in Tonosawa, Hakone in 1614. Starting with Mito Mitsukuni, who stayed there in the mid-Edo period, many people have visited Kansuiro and made it their regular lodging, including Princess Kazunomiya and Princess Tenshoin Atsuhime, who were prominent figures in the turbulent end of the Edo period, Hirobumi Ito, Kogoro Katsura, and Heihachiro Togo, who led Japan in the aftermath of the Meiji Restoration, and modern literary figures Soseki Natsume and Toson Shimazaki.

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

The hotel has three elegant large halls made of fine wood such as cedar, cherry, and paulownia.

Large hall "Jindaikaku"

The large hall is made of the finest Jindai cedar* discovered in the Hakone mountains. The ceiling is a double-folded coffered ceiling.
*Jindai Cedar: Cedar wood that is over several hundred years old and has been buried underground or underwater for over 1,000 years.

The museum also displays famous books and paintings left by famous people from various fields who visited Kansuiro.

Calligraphy of "Kansui-ro" by Ito Hirobumi

The rooms range from traditional-style rooms made with plenty of fine wood to rooms with open-air baths.The rooms are full of character and emotion, showcasing the craftsmanship and attention to detail of the artisans, and have the atmosphere of good old Japanese architecture.

Taisho bath

(Image provided by) Motoyu Kansuiro

The hot spring is 100% free-flowing from the source, and the water quality is a simple alkaline spring with a pH of 8.9, which is highly effective for skin beautification. It is a high-quality natural hot spring that is gentle on the skin and warms the body to the core. There are also open-air baths, private baths, and a rock bath healing stone spa.

Kaiseki-style cuisine (example)

(Image provided by) Motoyu Kansuiro

The cuisine is a kaiseki-style meal that changes monthly and makes generous use of the bounty of the mountains of Hakone and the seafood of Sagami Bay and Odawara.

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

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

Front of the entrance

The former Ito Hirobumi Kanazawa Villa, located within Nojima Park , is a rustic seaside villa with a thatched hipped roof built in 1898 by Ito Hirobumi, the first Prime Minister of Japan, who played a major role in the dawn of constitutional politics, including drafting the Constitution of the Empire of Japan. It is said that Ito Hirobumi chose Kanazawa, a scenic location similar to his hometown of Yamaguchi, to build his villa, and the house has been visited by Emperor Taisho and the Crown Prince of Korea, among others.

In November 2006, the building was designated a Yokohama Tangible Cultural Property, but due to its significant deterioration, it was demolished and surveyed in 2007, and a decision was made to restore it to its original appearance, including the parts that no longer exist.

Inside the residence, many documents and furnishings related to Ito Hirobumi are on display, allowing visitors to learn more about his achievements and personality.

exterior

It consists of three buildings: a guest room, a living room, and a kitchen. The formal guest room juts out in a position with a good view of the ocean, and the other buildings are connected by corridors in a formation known as ganko.

[Guest room building (formal guest rooms)]

The guest room wing was used when the Emperor, Crown Prince, and other members of the Imperial family visited the residence.

Tatami-floored corridor

The inside is wooden floored, and the washroom for washing hands is covered with tatami mats. The toilet used by Prince Hirobumi is located in the living room wing of the private space, and the toilet is a simple wooden structure.

Seiran Room

The plate glass used in the glass doors of the guest room wing was shipped from Belgium because it could not be produced in Japan at the time of the building's construction. Even now, you can see the distortions and bubbles that are characteristic of hand-blown glass.

Returning Sail Room
The area around the building is filled with pine trees from the Meiji period, creating a serene and beautiful landscape that you'll want to gaze upon forever.

Calligraphy by Ito Hirobumi himself
The gold folding screen placed in the alcove was painted by Ito Hirobumi in Kanazawa. "Shunbo" is Hirobumi's pen name. The comparison of the lotus as a gentleman's flower embodies Ito Hirobumi's sincerity to his country.

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

The living room's name is taken from Utagawa Hiroshige's ukiyo-e print "Kanazawa-e (Eight Views of Kanazawa)."

Shugetsu Room

Looking into the evening light

"Akizuki no Ma" is from "Seto Akizuki"
"The Sunset Room" is from "Sunset on Nojima"

bathroom

Guests visiting the residence also use the box bath made of sawara wood.

Peony garden

Every year from mid-April to early May, the garden is filled with the Kanazawa flower, the peony, and many events are held to coincide with the blooming of the flowers.

[Former Kanazawa Villa of Hirobumi Ito (inside Nojima Park)]
Address: 24 Nojimacho, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture (inside Nojima Park)
Tel: 045-788-1919
Opening hours: 9:30-16:30 (Peony Garden: 9:00-17:00)
*Until 17:30 in April and May (Peony Garden: 9:00-18:00) *Until 15:30 in December and January (Peony Garden: 9:00-16:00)
Closed on the first and third Mondays of each month (or the following day if Monday is a public holiday)
*Open every day in April and May *Every Monday in December and January (or the following day if Monday is a holiday)
*New Year's holiday (December 29th to January 3rd)
Admission: Free
<URL> http://www.hama-midorinokyokai.or.jp/park/nojima/hakubuntei/

[There are more! Places associated with famous people]

4. It was called the "inner chamber of Meiji politics."
[Meiji Memorial Oiso Garden] (Oiso)

Oiso was known as the "inner chamber of Meiji politics" because many important figures in Meiji politics gathered there and built villas and mansions, including eight former prime ministers of the Meiji period, including Ito Hirobumi, Yamagata Aritomo, and Okuma Shigenobu.

The Oiso Residence Garden includes the former residence of the first Prime Minister, Ito Hirobumi, called Sorokaku, as well as the former villas of Okuma Shigenobu, Saionji Kinmochi, and Mutsu Munemitsu.
*Currently closed to the public. In the summer of 2020, the former Mutsu Munemitsu villa and the gardens of the former Okuma Shigenobu villa are scheduled to be open to the public.

Former Sorokaku (former residence of Hirobumi Ito, former villa of the Yi royal family)

(Photo provided by) Oiso Town Local History Museum

Ito Hirobumi moved his villa from Odawara in 1896 and named it "Sorokaku." The building was rebuilt after the Great Kanto Earthquake, but both the Western-style and Japanese-style buildings remain in their original condition. As a representative building of the villa area of Oiso, it has been designated 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 a major earthquake and rebuilt as a villa for the Yi royal family, who owned it at the time. For this reason, it is referred to as the "site" of Hirobumi Ito's residence.

Current Sorokaku

(Photo provided by) Oiso Town Local History Museum

Museum

(Photo provided by) Oiso Town Local History Museum

Former Okuma Shigenobu Villa and Former Furukawa Villa (exterior)
(Photo provided by) Oiso Town Local History Museum

Former Okuma Shigenobu Villa and Former Furukawa Villa (Kamiyo Room)
(Photo provided by) Oiso Branch of the National Showa Memorial Park Office

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

*The mansion that Okuma purchased in 1897 survived the earthquake and has remained almost unchanged since its original appearance. It was later sold to the Furukawa family and managed as a second home.

Site of Mutsu Munemitsu's Villa and Former Furukawa Villa Japanese Garden

(Photo provided by) Oiso Branch of the National Showa Memorial Park Office

Mutsu Munemitsu (1844 (Tenpo 15) - 1897 (Meiji 30)) was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the second cabinet of Ito Hirobumi, and worked hard to revise the unequal treaties.

Mutsu Munemitsu Villa Site and Former Furukawa Villa Japanese-style room

(Photo provided by) Oiso Branch of the National Showa Memorial Park Office

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

[Meiji Memorial Oiso Garden]
Address: 85 Nishikoiso, Oiso-cho, Naka-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture, and other locations
Tel: 0463-79-8700 (Oiso Branch Office of the National Showa Memorial Park Office)

5. Commemorating the achievements of Hakushu Kitahara, 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, including "Karatachi no Hana," "Kono Michi," and "Machibouke." Hakushu moved to Odawara in 1918 at the age of 33, and spent eight years there until 1926.

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

Interior

(Image provided by) Odawara City Kamome Library

In addition to original nursery rhymes, the museum also has a section for Mother Goose, a traditional British nursery rhyme that Hakushu translated into Japanese for the first time.

◎ A little episode ◎
Hakushu wrote in his commentary that his masterpiece, "Karatachi no Hana," was painted on May 13, 1924, while he was living in Odawara, and that it was inspired by childhood memories and the karatachi flowers he saw on a mountain path near his home. As a result of this anecdote, Odawara city erected a monument to the "Karatachi no Hana Path," and citizens planted karatachi trees.

[Hakushu Children's Song Museum (Odawara Literary Museum Annex)]
Address: 2-3-4 Minamimachi, Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Access: 20 minutes walk from the east exit of Odawara Station
TEL: 0465-22-9881 (Odawara Literary Museum)
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (last entry at 16:30)
<Admission fee> *Same as Odawara Literature Museum
Adults: ¥250 (¥180 for groups of 20 or more)
Elementary and junior high school students: 100 yen (70 yen 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 stayed for long periods
[Amano-ya (Main Building) Currently the Yugawara Museum of Art] (Yugawara)

Amano-ya (New Building)
*The new building is currently closed and has been demolished and no longer exists (Image provided by Yugawara Museum of Art)

Amano-ya was founded in 1877 (Meiji 10). It was a long-established inn that represented Yugawara, and was a regular lodging for famous people such as Ito Hirobumi and Natsume Soseki, and even appeared in Natsume Soseki's novel "Light and Darkness." However, the new wing closed in 2005 (Heisei 17). The main building was renovated and reopened as the "Yugawara Art Museum" in 1998 (Heisei 10), and was renamed the "Yugawara Municipal Art Museum" in 2006 (Heisei 18), and is still bustling with visitors today.

Yugawara Museum of Art (formerly Amano-ya Main Building)
(Image provided by) Yugawara Museum of Art

In 2006, the Hiramatsu Reiji Museum was opened to exhibit the works of Hiramatsu Reiji, a Japanese painter active at the forefront of the Japanese art world, and the museum was renamed the Yugawara Municipal Museum of Art, along with a permanent exhibition hall to display the museum's collection. In 2017, the Hiramatsu Reiji Visible Atelier was opened, and the Japanese painter's studio is open to the public at any time.

The adjacent museum cafe, "and garden," serves tofu and yuba dishes, and you can enjoy a foot bath using Yugawara hot spring water on the terrace seats.

[Yugawara Municipal Museum of Art]
Address: 623-1 Miyagami, Yugawara-cho, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture
TEL: 0465-63-7788
Opening hours: 9:00-16:30 (last entry at 16:00)
Closed: Every Wednesday (open on public holidays), December 28th to December 31st, and temporary closures such as when changing exhibits
Admission fee: Adults ¥600 (¥500), elementary and junior high school students ¥300 (¥200)
*( ) indicates a group of 15 or more people. *Free for those with a disability certificate. Town residents receive a discount.

Writers and painters who loved Yugawara visited here!

{7} Writers and painters who loved Yugawara visited!
[Manyo Park] (Yugawara)

Autumn leaves at Manyo Park
(Photo provided by) Yugawara Onsen Tourism Association

Manyo Park was selected as one of Japan's Top 100 Historical Parks. Within the park, plants and flowers that appear in the Manyoshu, a collection of poems about Yugawara Onsen, are planted.

Manyo Park may have been visited by many famous people who loved the town of Yugawara, including Natsume Soseki, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Kunikida Doppo, Tanizaki Junichiro, and Yosano Akiko. You might get some inspiration while strolling around!

◎The origin of the park name◎
"The hot springs that flow from the rivers of Toi in Ashigara are so beautiful that even children can't help but speak."
(The sky is shining brightly at the edge of the hill, and the moon is falling down.)
※Manyoshu Volume 14 Toka 3368 Song

The steam from the hot springs bubbling up on the banks of the Toi River in Ashigara sways and floats unsteadily in the sky, and the girl never says that their relationship is unreliable (it just can't be helped that it is unreliable).The story depicts the feelings of a man who is so in love that he is consumed with anxiety.

*Toi is the former name of the Yugawara area.

This poem is the only one among the 4,500 poems in the Manyoshu that describes the gushing hot springs, and is known as "The Song of Ashikari Toi" and describes Yugawara Onsen.
The original text on this monument was written by Takeuchi Seiho (the original text is on display at the Yugawara Museum of Art). In connection with this poem, around 1952, Dr. Sasaki Nobutsuna, a scholar of waka poetry who lived in Atami, suggested that local people "create a Manyo Park in Yugawara," and with the doctor's guidance and advice, the current Manyo Park was built.

[Manyo Park]
Address: 566 Miyagami, Yugawara-cho, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture
Tel: 0465-63-2111 (Yugawara Town Tourism Division)
Opening hours, admission fees, and closed days: Free entry, open all year round
<URL> https://www.yugawara.or.jp/sightseeing/722/

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

(8) Many works by literary figures with ties to Kamakura are on display
[Kamakura Museum of Literature] (Kamakura)

exterior
(Image provided by) Kamakura Museum of Literature

The Kamakura Museum of Literature was built in 1936 as a Western-style villa belonging to the former Marquis Maeda family, the lineage of the lords of the Kaga domain with a fiefdom of one million koku. The city of Kamakura acquired the building, remodeled and renovated 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 by Kamakura writers such as Kawabata Yasunari and Takami Jun, as well as other literary figures associated with the area, such as Natsume Soseki and Akutagawa Ryunosuke.

Permanent exhibition room
(Image provided by) Kamakura Museum of Literature

Terrace seats outside the lounge
(Image provided by) Kamakura Museum of Literature

Apparently, on a clear day you can see Oshima!

rose garden
(Image provided by) Kamakura Museum of Literature

The rose garden on the south side of the garden has about 250 roses of 200 varieties, and events are held to coincide with the best viewing times in spring and autumn.The garden also offers a wonderful view overlooking Yuigahama Beach.

[Kamakura Museum of Literature]
Address: 1-5-3 Hase, Kamakura City, Kanagawa Prefecture
TEL: 0467-23-3911
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (March-September) / 9:00-16:30 (October-February)
*Last admission 30 minutes before
Closed on Mondays (open on public holidays) *Closed during exhibition changeovers, special reorganization periods, etc.
Admission fee: Collection exhibition: 300 yen / Special exhibition: 300-500 yen (varies depending on the exhibition)
<URL> http://www.kamakurabungaku.com/

Bonus: These famous people are also in Kanagawa!!

[9] Still open today! A long-established restaurant with ties to Ryoma Sakamoto's wife, Oryo
[Tanaka Family] (Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama)

exterior
(Image provided by) Tanaka family

Tanakaya was founded in 1863. Due to its proximity to the port of opening, it was patronized by Takasugi Shinsaku of the Choshu clan, and there is an anecdote that he and Ito Hirobumi and Saigo Takamori plotted to overthrow the shogunate. In addition, Oryo, the wife of Sakamoto Ryoma, a patriot of the late Edo period, worked as a live-in waitress for two or three years in her 30s, introduced by Katsu Kaishu.
The museum also houses items related to Natsume Soseki, such as his writings.

The predecessor of this store was "Sakuraya," which was depicted in the ukiyo-e print "Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido: Kanagawa" by Utagawa Hiroshige.

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

Why not come and enjoy the Edo atmosphere and cuisine?

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

9 Places Associated with Historical Figures Who Loved Kanagawa

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