Prefectural Government Announcer Goes! Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature - Announcer Tetsuya Ishikawa
Shugoro Yamamoto was a literary figure with deep ties to Kanagawa who loved Yokohama as his second hometown.
About 5 minutes up a gentle slope from Motomachi-Chukagai Station, the Kanagawa Modern Literature Museum in Minato-no-Mieru-Oka Park is holding an exhibition of works by Shugoro Yamamoto to mark the 50th anniversary of his death.
*The contents of this article have been photographed and published with permission from the Museum of Modern Literature.
Shugoro's works include many famous works, such as his early masterpiece "Nihon Fujidoki" (The Way of the Japanese Woman), "The Fir Tree Remains" and "Aobeka Monogatari", which have also been adapted for film and stage.
My favorite among them is "Sabu".
Sabu is a story about the protagonist, Eiji, who loses his glorious life due to a false accusation, and how he changes as he comes into contact with human warmth.
One such craftsman that Eiji shares is Sabu. Although he is the title of the work and a very important character, Sabu is actually a minor character.
When reading Shugoro's works, one can sense that he was a writer who had a deep love for humanity.
In the exhibition room, which is designed to look like a scroll when viewed from above, handwritten diaries, manuscripts, stage scripts, etc. are on display, allowing visitors to enjoy Shugoro's life story and the world of his many works. The same exhibition was held in 1991, but many materials have been donated since then, and this time the content is more substantial. The draft of the unfinished work "Chūbun no Musume" (The Bride of the Order), which was donated in September of this year, was also on display.
Learning about the author's life and experiencing the feel of a unique handwritten copy is a different pleasure from just reading their work.
In addition to its shape, the building of the Museum of Modern Literature is designed with attention to detail, such as the lights being designed with a lily, the flower of Kanagawa Prefecture, and the use of manuscript paper and pen motifs. The museum also has a collection of over 1.2 million items, and in addition to Shugoro, materials on many other authors are stored in a thorough system.
In particular, with regard to Natsume Soseki, who is currently on permanent display, all of the museum's materials can be viewed online as a digital archive, and letters can also be viewed with transcriptions, making this a very comprehensive experience that fans of his work will not want to miss.
"There are only good novels and bad novels." Shugoro Yamamoto is an uncrowned novelist who has refused to accept any literary awards, believing these words to be true.
On an ordinary Saturday, I had the opportunity to come into contact with a great writer who lived during wartime.
