旅館明治について_en | 【公式】信玄の湯湯村温泉旅館明治太宰治ゆかりの宿│山梨県甲府

About Ryokan Meiji

The inn where Dazai took up his pen and was soothed by the hot springs

Ryokan Meiji in Yumura Onsen is where Dazai Osamu stayed twice to write.
This space, filled with tranquility and warmth, has been reborn for the modern traveler.

Ryokan Meiji in Kofu’s Yumura Onsen is the inn chosen by Dazai Osamu for his creation. Enjoy the famous hot springs that are said to have healed Lord Shingen, and relax in the modern, Western-style guest rooms. You can also enjoy the restored public bath, Washi-no-Yu, or take a day trip to the baths.

湯村温泉は、武田信玄ゆかりの「信玄の隠し湯」として知られます。弘法大師空海が開湯したと伝わる古湯で、泉質は傷の治癒に優れるアルカリ性単純温泉。信玄は合戦で傷ついた兵士の療養や自らの湯治のため、城下近くで守りやすいこの温泉を重用しました。温泉寺の僧侶が兵の看護にあたったという伝承も残ります。現在も温泉街には信玄が腰かけたとされる「腰掛石」や、信玄の寄進品を伝える温泉寺などが点在し、戦国の面影を色濃く感じられる地となっています。

Takeda Shingen and Yamanashi Prefecture

Yumura Onsen is known as "Shingen's Hidden Hot Spring" due to its connection to Takeda Shingen. Legend has it that this ancient hot spring was discovered by Kobo Daishi Kukai, and its alkaline, simple hot spring water is known for its healing properties. Shingen favored this hot spring, located near the castle and easily defended, for the recuperation of soldiers wounded in battle and for his own healing. Legend has it that monks from Onsenji Temple nursed the soldiers. Even today, the hot spring town is dotted with the "Koshikakeishi" (seat stone) where Shingen is said to have sat, as well as Onsenji Temple, which preserves items donated by Shingen, creating a strong sense of the Warring States period.

Dazai Osamu and Ryokan Meiji 01

It is said that Dazai Osamu first visited Yumura Onsen between January 1939 (Showa 14), when he married Ishihara Michiko and moved into his new home in what is now Asahi 5-chome, Kofu City, and that September, when they moved to Mitaka, Tokyo. At the time, Yumura Onsen had around ten inns built around several hot springs.In the novel "Beautiful Girl," published in October 1939, the protagonist, who is believed to be a writer, spots a beautiful girl of 16 or 17 years old at a public bathhouse in Yumura, about a 20-minute walk from his home. The bathhouse is described as "immaculate, bright with pure white tiles, filled with sunlight, and giving off a feeling of purity."

Osamu Dazai and Ryokan Meiji 02

When Dazai wanted to concentrate on his writing, he often stayed at inns away from home. His favorite place to stay was the Meiji Inn in Yumura Onsen. In early February 1942, in a postcard addressed to an editor in Tokyo, he listed the inn's name as "Meiji-ya" and wrote, "It's so cold here, mornings and evenings, it's tiring. I'm hoping to hang in there for the whole of February." During his stay, he worked tirelessly, proofreading his collection of fiction, "Josei" (Women) (published by Hakubunkan in June of the same year), and writing his original work, "Seigi to Smile" (published by Kinjo Publishing in June of the same year).He also stayed at the Meiji Inn the following year in March 1943 (Showa 18), where he continued writing his original work, "Mitsutomo the Right Minister" (published by Kinjo Publishing in September of the same year), which he had been struggling to complete. In addition, in his novel "The Words and Deeds of Professor Kimura," published in January 1943, the protagonist visits Yumura Onsen in February, "locks himself in a room in an old inn, and begins work," before abandoning his work and attending a festival for the Jizo statue of protection from evil spirits at Entakuji Temple.

Dazai Osamu and Yamanashi 01

For novelist Dazai Osamu (1909 (Meiji 42) - born in Aomori Prefecture in 1948), known for works such as "Run, Melos" and "No Longer Human," Yamanashi is a place with deep ties to him, along with his birthplace of Aomori and his final resting place, Tokyo. After moving to Tokyo to enroll at Tokyo Imperial University in 1930 (Showa 5), Dazai studied under Ibuse Masuji (1898 (Meiji 31) - born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1993). However, setbacks in his political activities, disownment from his family, and failure to win the Akutagawa Prize led to an unstable mental state, leading to a decadent lifestyle in which he attempted double suicides and other suicides.Furthermore, after an operation for acute appendicitis, he became addicted to the painkiller Papinal due to his excessive use, and was repeatedly admitted to and discharged from hospital. Worried about Dazai's well-being, Ibuse Masuji recommended that he recuperate at Tengachaya, located on Misaka Pass in what is now Fujikawaguchiko Town, Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi Prefecture. Dazai stayed there for around two months from September 1938 (Showa 13), where he worked to recover both physically and mentally.

Dazai Osamu and Yamanashi 02

After descending Misaka Pass in mid-November, Dazai spent around two months lodgings in Kofu before marrying Michiko Ishihara in Kofu in January 1939 (Showa 14), and starting a new life in a rented house in what is now Asahi 1-5-chome, Kofu City. His peaceful life with his wife led to the production of bright, simple, and excellent works such as "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji," "The Female Student," and "Words of a New Tree." After moving to Mitaka, Tokyo in September of the same year, he continued to visit Yamanashi frequently, writing his works in places like Yumura Onsen and Michiko's parents' home. In July 1945 (Showa 20), he was caught in an air raid on Kofu while evacuated to his wife's parents' home, and he describes this experience in "Twilight," published after the war.Dazai returned to his home in Mitaka in November 1946 (Showa 21) from Aomori, where he had been evacuated, and published his masterpieces such as "No Longer Human" and "Shayo," attracting attention from the literary world. However, on June 13, 1948 (Showa 23), he drowned in the Tamagawa Canal with Yamazaki Tomie, and his body was discovered on the 19th. For Dazai, who had led a turbulent life, Yamanashi could be said to have been a place of rebirth that brought stability to his mind and body and revived his desire to create.

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太宰治が初めて湯村温泉を訪れたのは、石原美知子と結婚し、現在の甲府市朝日5丁目に新居を構えた1939(昭和14)年1月から、九月に東京三鷹に移転するまでの間と言われています。当時の湯村温泉は、いくつかの源泉をはさんで、十軒ほどの旅館が建てられていたそうです。

1939年10月に発表された小説「美少女」では、作家と思われる主人公が、家から歩いて20分ほどの場所にある湯村の大衆浴場で、16、7歳の美しい少女を見つけます。浴場は「よごれが無く、純白のタイルが張られて明るく、日光が充満してゐて、清楚の感じである。」と描かれています。

太宰は、執筆に集中したい時、自宅を離れ、旅館に逗留することがしばしばありましたが、湯村温泉で常宿にしていたのが旅館明治でした。1942(昭和17)年2月初旬、東京の編集者宛のはがきに、宿の名前を「明治屋」と記し、「こちらは、朝夕さむくて、閉口してゐます、2月一ぱいは、ねばらうと思つてゐます。」と書かれています。滞在中は、創作集『女性』(同年6月　博文館)の校正や、書き下ろし『正義と微笑』(同年6月　錦城出版社)の執筆など、精力的に仕事に励みました。

また、翌年の1943(昭和18)年3月にも旅館明治に滞在し、難航していた書き下ろし『右大臣實朝』(同年9月　錦城出版社)の執筆を行っています。

このほか、1943年1月に発表した小説「黄村先生言行録」では、2月に湯村温泉を訪れて、「古い旅館の一室に自らを閉ぢこめて仕事をはじめ」た主人公が、仕事を断念して、塩澤寺の厄除地蔵尊のお祭りに行く様子が描かれています。

「走れメロス」や「人間失格」などの作品で知られる小説家の太宰治<1909(明治42)年～1948(昭和23)年　青森県生まれ>にとって、山梨は、生誕の地青森、終焉の地東京とともに、ゆかりの深い場所です。

太宰は、1930(昭和5)年に東京帝国大学入学のために上京後、井伏鱒二<1898(明治31)年～1993(平成5)年　広島県生まれ>に師事しますが、政治活動の挫折や実家からの勘当、芥川賞落選などによって、不安定な精神状態の中、心中や自殺を図り退廃的な生活を送っていました。また、急性盲腸炎の手術後、鎮痛剤のパピナールを多用したため依存症となり、入退院を繰り返していました。

　太宰の身を案じた井伏鱒二は、現在の山梨県南都留郡富士河口湖町の御坂峠に建つ天下茶屋での静養を勧め、太宰は、1938(昭和13)年9月から約二か月間逗留し、心身の回復に努めました。

11月中旬に御坂峠を降りた太宰は、甲府で約2か月下宿した後、1939(昭和14)年1月、甲府の石原美知子と結婚、現在の甲府市朝日1→5丁目の借家で新たな生活をスタートさせました。伴侶との穏やかな生活は、「富嶽百景」「女生徒」「新樹の言葉」など明るく平明な佳品を生み出しました。同年九月、東京三鷹に転居した後も山梨をたびたび訪れ、湯村温泉や美知子の実家などで作品を執筆しています。1945(昭和20)年7月には、疎開先の妻の実家で甲府空襲に遭いますが、この体験を、戦後に発表した「薄明」に描いています。

　太宰は、再疎開先の青森から1946年(昭和21)年11月、三鷹の家に戻り、「人間失格」や「斜陽」などの代表作を発表し、文壇の注目を集めましたが、1948(昭和23)年6月13日、山崎富栄と玉川上水に入水し、19日に遺体が発見されました。

　波乱の生涯を送った太宰にとって、山梨は、心身に安定をもたらし、創作への意欲を蘇らせた再生の地と言えるでしょう。

The articles “Dazai Osamu and the Meiji Inn” and “Dazai Osamu and Yamanashi” were contributed by the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Literature. Some of the notation has been changed to accommodate the horizontal layout.

About Ryokan Meiji

TEL：055-225-6828