Tōson Memorial Museum, Literary museum in Magome-juku, Japan
The Tōson Memorial Museum is a literary museum in Magome-juku, Nakatsugawa, built in 1947 to designs by architect Taniguchi Yoshirō on the site of the Honjin where Shimazaki Tōson was born in 1872. Its buildings include his grandparents' retirement house, a memorial library and a permanent exhibition room. The collection of about 6,000 items ranges from the poetry collection Wakanashū to his last work, Tōhō no Mon.
Shimazaki Tōson was born in 1872 at the honjin of Magome-juku, the post-town inn of his family; that birthplace burned in the fire of 1895. The present building was designed by architect Taniguchi Yoshirō and erected in 1947 on the honjin site. In 1950 the Tōson Kinenkyō foundation was set up to run the museum, and it opened in 1952 as Japan's first literary museum after Tōson's eldest son, Shimazaki Kusuo, donated about 5,000 items.
The museum stands on the site of the Magome-juku honjin, the post-town inn where Shimazaki Tōson was born in 1872. The building is called Tōson-dō, and the compound includes his grandparents' retirement room, a video corner, and three library rooms. The collection of about 6,000 items includes manuscripts of works such as Arashi and Yoake Mae.
The museum is in the heart of Magome-juku and is easy to reach on foot as you walk along the main historic street. The spaces inside are small and focused, so taking your time with each display makes the visit more rewarding.
One room in the museum is a reconstruction of Tōson's study from his home in another prefecture, rebuilt here with original furnishings. This detail is easy to pass by quickly, but it gives a direct sense of how he arranged his daily writing space.
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