Special Exhibition: "100 Years Since His Death – Master and Mentor: Nakarai Tosui and Higuchi Ichiyo"

The special exhibition "100 Years Since His Death – Master and Mentor: Nakarai Tosui and Higuchi Ichiyo" will be held at the Taito City Ichiyo Memorial Museum (3-chome, Ryusen).

Nakarai Tosui (1861–1926) was Higuchi Ichiyo's mentor in fiction writing, and also someone for whom she secretly held romantic feelings. Born into a family of physicians serving the Tsushima Domain, he traveled to and from Korea from an early age, and in his youth, while staying in Busan, he was active as a journalist.

Furthermore, as a fiction writer for the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun, he published many novels from the Meiji era through the Taisho era, and left a diverse body of work, including writing lyrics for nagauta and utazawa. He was already a popular author in the mid-Meiji period, yet he was kind and caring, guiding Ichiyo to become a novelist and working hard to help get her works published.

This exhibition, held in the milestone year marking 100 years since Tosui's death and 130 years since Ichiyo's death, looks back on the life of Tosui, who had an immense influence on Ichiyo's life. It reintroduces his character, his writings, and his relationship with Ichiyo.

Event Information

• Period: Saturday, October 24, 2026 – Sunday, December 20, 2026
• Opening hours: 9:00–16:30 (last admission at 16:00)
• Closed: Every Monday (the following weekday if Monday is a public holiday); closed December 21–27 for exhibit changeover
• Admission: Adults 300 yen, elementary/junior high/high school students 100 yen (free for those living or studying in Taito City who are of high school age or younger, among others)
• Inquiries: Taito City Ichiyo Memorial Museum 03-3873-0004