Itinerary
Dogo: Historic Architecture and Haiku Walk
Dogo is closely tied to the poet Masaoka Shiki, and historic buildings and haiku monuments are scattered across the district. This is one example of a route for taking in the literature and the townscape. Many other places are not listed here; feel free to combine whatever catches your interest from the indexes.
This is one example of a route. It includes only a few of the many places in Dogo and is not a ranking. The order and the timings are rough guides, so feel free to rearrange them. Please check opening hours, closing days and prices on each place's own page and on the official sources.
- 1 Dogo Onsen Honkan
A wooden building from the Meiji era. A starting point for the walk.
The symbol of Dogo Onsen: a three-story wooden public bathhouse. Rebuilt in 1894 (Meiji 27), it is a National Important Cultural Property. Preservation and repair work was completed in December 2024, and the entire building is now open.
- 2 Yu Jinja Shrine
An old shrine watching over the hot spring quarter, set at the top of a stone stairway.
A shrine on Kanmuriyama hill, revered as the guardian deity of Dogo Onsen. Its principal deities are Onamuchi-no-Mikoto and Sukunahikona-no-Mikoto. A legend tells that hot water which had stopped after an earthquake began to flow again through prayer.
- 3 Dogo Park (Yuzuki Castle Ruins)
A park laid out on the ruins of Yuzuki Castle, where the layers of history are underfoot.
A park developed on the ruins of medieval Yuzuki Castle. It was the seat of the Kono clan, military governors of Iyo Province, and is designated a National Historic Site. It features reconstructed samurai residences and earthworks, a museum, and an observation deck.
- 4 Matsuyama Municipal Shiki Memorial Museum
A museum tracing the life and work of Masaoka Shiki.
A museum on the life and work of Masaoka Shiki, the haiku poet born in Matsuyama, next to Dogo Park. Exhibits include a partial reconstruction of Gudabutsuan, the house where Shiki lived with the novelist Natsume Soseki, along with materials on Shiki, the Masaoka family and Matsuyama's literary history.
- 5 Statue of Masaoka Shiki
A statue of Shiki, one of the emblems of this town of haiku.
A bronze statue of the haiku poet Masaoka Shiki in Hojoen plaza in front of Dogo Onsen Station. In reference to Shiki's love of baseball, he is depicted wearing a baseball uniform.
- 6 Dogo Onsen Annex Asuka-no-Yu
An annex whose design draws on the history and the arts of Dogo.
An annex of Dogo Onsen opened in 2017. A bathhouse incorporating the architectural style of the Asuka period, it features an open-air bath, a grand hall, and special bathrooms that recreate the Yushinden imperial bath chamber.
This route covers only some of the places in Dogo. The complete list of places we cover is available from the indexes below.