About Yosano Akiko
She was born on December 7, 1878, as the third daughter of Surugaya, a Japanese confectionery store located in Kaimachi, Sakai Ward, Sakai City.
She spent her impressionable childhood in Sakai, helping out with the family business and joining literary societies. At the age of 22, she moved to Tokyo, married her poetry teacher Yosano Hiroshi (Tekkan), and became the mother of 12 children. Her representative works include the poetry collection "Midaregami" (Drowsy Hair) and the poem "Kimi Shinitamafu Koto Nare (Do Not Die)."
Although he is famous as a poet, his activities have not been limited to poetry alone, and he has expanded the scope of his world of expression by translating The Tale of Genji into modern Japanese and writing critical essays on social and educational issues. His critical essays in particular continue to convey universal messages that are relevant even today.
She passed away on May 29, 1942, at the age of 63. Every year on the anniversary of her death, a memorial service called "Hakuoki" is held in Sakai.
Fee for viewing
Fee for viewing | Individual | Groups (10 people or more) |
Adults (including university students) | 300 yen | 240 yen |
A high school student | 200 yen | 160 yen |
Junior high school and younger | Free | Free |
*The admission fee above includes admission to both the Sen no Rikyu Tea Ceremony Hall (1st floor) and the Sen no Rikyu Tea Ceremony Hall.
・Group rates for 10 people or more
・Admission to the permanent exhibition is free for people with disabilities and their caregivers, people aged 65 or older who live in Sakai City, and preschool children.
・Special exhibitions may incur additional admission fees.
・Admission to the permanent exhibition is free for people with disabilities and their caregivers, people aged 65 or older who live in Sakai City, and preschool children.
・Special exhibitions may incur additional admission fees.
Kurama Temple Collection
Collection of the Louvre Museum
Kurama Temple Collection
Memorial Hall Layout
Highlights of the exhibition
1. "Forest of Poetry"
Experience the world of Akiko's poetry through video and audio. Poems are changed with the seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
Petals and fallen leaves are projected onto the floor, and they change in response to people's movements, allowing adults and children alike to enjoy the world of Akiko's work.
Furthermore, there are touch panels in each corner of the museum that introduce Akiko's messages, her wide range of interactions, and places associated with her. Please feel free to touch the screens to have a look.
Furthermore, there are touch panels in each corner of the museum that introduce Akiko's messages, her wide range of interactions, and places associated with her. Please feel free to touch the screens to have a look.
2. "Akiko's Book Design"
Many of Akiko's books have been designed by top artists, and are colorful and artistically excellent. Looking inside the case, you can see the beautiful binding in full detail, including not only the front cover but also the back cover and frontispiece.
3. "A place for creativity"
It recreates the image of the study where Akiko wrote.
There is also a replica of Akiko's handwritten folding screen of hundred poems on display, allowing visitors to see her beautiful handwriting up close.
In addition to watching videos of Akiko in her younger days, you can also listen to her voice reciting The Tale of Genji and her own tanka poems.
4. "The trajectory of my life with Hiroshi"
This exhibit introduces the lives and achievements of Akiko and Hiroshi, who were teacher, student, comrade, and husband and wife.
There is a display case with drawers, and by opening the drawers you can see materials such as karuta cards and photo albums.
5. "The House of the Parents Who Became Girls"
It is a near-life-size reproduction of Akiko's birthplace, Surugaya.
The house, built by her father, who had a taste for the West, is unusual for the time for its large clock and Western-style 2nd floor, allowing you to experience the atmosphere of the Western-style home where Akiko spent her childhood. The accounting office where Akiko would read literary works while tending the store has also been recreated, and is introduced as the starting point of Akiko's literary career.