As one of the four haiku masters of Japan, poet Masaoka Shiki was a bright, yet fleeting, light in Japanese literature.
The Shiki Memorial Museum is dedicated to the works and life of local 19th-century scribe, Masaoka Shiki. It also covers a great deal of Matsuyama’s history, exploring the world in which the poet lived. In this intriguing attraction learn about Shiki’s influence on the Japanese literary traditions of haiku and tanka. Haiku has three lines with 17 syllables while tanka has five lines and 31 syllables.
Reserve an English-speaking guide in advance to aid your understanding of the museum. You can also rent the multilingual audio guide and read various English signs that provide an insight into Shiki’s life and poetic style. Listen to how his works are said to have modernized the haiku and tanka traditions.
Find numerous other surprising facts about the poet, who died from tuberculosis at age 34 at the beginning of the 20th century. He worked as a journalist in China, following the First Sino-Japanese War, and is believed to have helped make baseball popular in Japan. He was so influential in the art form that critics generally refer to pre-Shiki and post-Shiki periods.
Inspect some of the artist’s paintings and notes displayed in the glass cabinets. Other exhibits here explain the early development of the city.
Explore the leafy surroundings of Dōgo Park that encloses the museum. The sight is a popular stop on the Saka no Ue no Kumo walking trail.
There is a fee to enter the museum, which opens daily from morning until late afternoon. It stays open for an extra hour in summer.
The Shiki Memorial Museum is in the eastern part of Matsuyama. Take the tram to the Dōgo Park or Dōgo Onsen stops and walk east through the park to get here. Make sure to see neighboring sights such as the Yuzukijo Museum, the Botchan Karakuri Clock and the Isaniwa Shrine.
