Waters of Literature: The Dogo Walked by Masaoka Shiki and Natsume Soseki

Shiki, Soseki, and Dogo at a Glance

(Confirmed on 2026/10/23 against guidance from Matsuyama City, the Matsuyama City Shiki Memorial Museum, and the official Dogo Onsen website.)

Masaoka Shiki, Born in Matsuyama

Masaoka Shiki was born in Matsuyama in 1867 (Keio 3) and died in 1902 (Meiji 35). His real name was Masaoka Tsunenori (つねのり). The Matsuyama City Shiki Memorial Museum describes Shiki as a haiku poet and tanka poet; in addition to haiku and tanka, he wrote new-style poetry, novels, criticism, and essays.

Admission Fees and Opening Hours at the Shiki Memorial Museum

The Shiki Memorial Museum is inside Dogo Park (1-30 Dogo Park).

Soseki's Posting in Matsuyama and Gudabutsu-an, Where He Lived With Shiki

Natsume Soseki came to Matsuyama in 4/1895 (Meiji 28) as an English teacher at Matsuyama Middle School. It was the year after Dogo Onsen Honkan was rebuilt. In April of the following year he moved to Fifth High School in Kumamoto, so he lived in Matsuyama for about 1 year.

Soseki's lodgings were called "Gudabutsu-an" (愚陀佛庵). From 8/1895 to 10/1895, Shiki moved there at Soseki's suggestion, and the two lived together for 52 days. Matsuyama City's tourist guidance also describes the period as "a little more than 50 days."

The Gudabutsu-an building stood behind Bansuiso and collapsed in a landslide in July 2010. Matsuyama City rebuilt it as a 2-story wooden building on the former pool site of Bansho Elementary School in Nibancho (二番町四丁目6-1), and it opened on 2026/7/24. It is open from 10:00 to 19:30, closed on Wednesdays and during the New Year holidays, and admission is free.

In October 1895, Soseki is said to have used a private room on the third floor of Dogo Onsen Honkan with Shiki. The northwest corner room was named "Botchan's Room" in 1966 (Showa 41), and visitors to the Honkan can see it.

The Birth of "Botchan Yu"

Soseki's experiences in Matsuyama fed into his later novel Botchan, published in 1906. The hot spring visited by the protagonist is thought to be modeled on Dogo Onsen, and the Honkan is still called "Botchan Yu."

The Botchan Karakuri Clock in Hojoen, in front of Dogo Onsen Station, was created in 1994 (Heisei 6) as a project marking 100 years since the Honkan was built. Every hour from 8:00 to 22:00, characters from the novel appear. The Botchan Ressha was restored and began service in 2001 (Heisei 13).

The Man Who Built Dogo Onsen Honkan: Isaniwa Yukiya

The present Honkan was rebuilt under Isaniwa Yukiya (いさにわ ゆきや), the first mayor of Dogo-Yunomachi, and was completed in 1894 (Meiji 27). The official Dogo Onsen website says that despite strong opposition, he pressed ahead with the idea that "we must make something that others cannot imitate even 100 years from now." The story of the rebuilding is in the history of Dogo Onsen, and the structure of the building is in the architecture of Dogo Onsen Honkan.

Following the Haiku Monuments: Literature in the Hot-Spring Town

Hojoen has a foot bath, the karakuri clock, and the yukama that once supplied hot water at the Honkan. Along with the statue of Masaoka Shiki and the haiku monuments standing at Ishiteji Temple and other sites, these traces invite visitors to follow the literature of the hot-spring town.

Sources:

• Matsuyama City Shiki Memorial Museum
• Visitor Information | Matsuyama City Shiki Memorial Museum
• "Gudabutsu-an" Is Opening | Matsuyama City
• Rebuilding Plan for Gudabutsu-an | Matsuyama City
• History of Haiku in Matsuyama | Matsuyama City
• Natsume Soseki and Botchan | Matsuyama City
• Isaniwa Yukiya | Matsuyama City
• Botchan Karakuri Clock | Matsuyama City
• Dogo Onsen Honkan | Dogo Onsen (Official)
• About Dogo Onsen | Dogo Onsen (Official)
• Botchan Ressha | Iyotetsu

Last confirmed: 2026/10/23