Seishi Yokomizo, the author who created the famous detective Kosuke Kindaichi, lived as an evacuee in Okada, Okada Village, Kibi District(now Okada, Mabi-cho, Kurashiki City) aza(a small district)Sakura from just before the end of the war until some time after it.
Yokomizo later recalled that his days in Mabi-cho were the happiest period of his life.
The house where Yokomizo lived in Okada Village has been restored and maintained by local residents almost exactly as it was at the time, and is now known as Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence.
It is open for visitors to explore freely on days when it is open.
Here we introduce Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence, now a place where fans and local residents can relax.
The information presented here was current when this article was published in April 2020. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence
Just before the end of the Pacific War, Seishi Yokomizo evacuated to Sakura, Okada, Mabi-cho, to escape the ravages of war.
He lived there for about three and a half years, from April 1945 to July 1948.
The house where Yokomizo lived has been restored and opened to the public as “Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence.”
He evacuated to Mabi-cho because his father's hometown was nearby and relatives lived in Soja.
If you visit the residence, we recommend making it part of the “Meguri: Kindaichi Kosuke Trail,” a walking route where you can immerse yourself in the world of Yokomizo's works.
Seishi Yokomizo, one of Japan's leading writers, said, “Even in my life of nearly 70 years, this may well have been the happiest period.” He recalled his days in Mabi-cho with tears in his eyes.
Highlights of Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence
Here are some highlights of Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence.
The floor plan recreates the house as it was when Yokomizo lived there
The main highlight of the residence is that you can experience the atmosphere of the house just as it was when Yokomizo lived there.
Yokomizo also describes the residence in his essay, Kosuke Kindaichi's Monologue, in which he looks back on that time.
When you enter the gate, on the left is a small garden with large stones and a stone lantern, and on the right was a vegetable garden of five or six tsubo, which my wife and I had been tending with care. Straight ahead from the gate is a waist-high shoji screen, beyond which is a fairly spacious earthen-floored area.
On the left side of the earthen-floored area is a six-tatami room, and farther to the left is a four-and-a-half-tatami room, which served as my study and bedroom.
This is the floor plan of the house from the time Yokomizo lived there.
The floor plan shows that the layout of the residence almost exactly recreates the house as Yokomizo described it.
The earthen-floored area has also been preserved just as it was.
Yokomizo used the four-and-a-half-tatami room at the back as his study and bedroom. (The room with the hina dolls.)
The house had a second floor when he evacuated there, but the first floor was sufficient for everyday living, so the second floor was apparently used to store Yokomizo's books and magazines.
This is how the six-tatami room looks from the four-and-a-half-tatami room that Yokomizo used as his study.
In one corner of the six-tatami room, personal effects that Yokomizo sent to Mr. Kato, who helped him during his evacuation, are also on display.
Mr. Kato was a former teacher who had known Yokomizo even before his evacuation and often visited his home.
They were close, and when Yokomizo returned to Tokyo, Mr. Kato even went to Okayama Station to see him off.
Yokomizo spoke of Mr. Kato as follows:
Ah, Kato Hajime. The greatest thing I gained from my life as an evacuee was probably meeting this man. Without him, neither The Honjin Murders nor Gokumon Island would have been born, and consequently I would not have the popularity I enjoy today.
The local legends and anecdotes Yokomizo heard from Mr. Kato inspired him to write works such as The Honjin Murders and Gokumon Island.
Edogawa Ranpo, another of Japan's leading mystery writers, also visited Yokomizo at this house with fellow writers.
The residence is also one of the venues for the popular annual Kosuke Kindaichi cosplay event.
Details fans will love!
It's fun to see the nameplates reading “Seishi Yokomizo” and “Kosuke Kindaichi” displayed at the entrance.
The residence is also the birthplace of the famous detective Kosuke Kindaichi, so the nameplates make perfect sense!
Beside the entrance is a face-in-hole panel of Kosuke Kindaichi, perfect for commemorative photos. Yokomizo's gentle smile is memorable.
Just inside the entrance, in the earthen-floored area, you can see a local tourist map and a timeline of Yokomizo's life.
The area is almost unchanged from the time, though the far end of the earthen-floored area seems to have been the kitchen.
You can see how things have changed over the many years.
There is a stamp for Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence and a notebook for visitors to sign, so be sure to leave a memento of your visit.
I also stamped a notebook as a keepsake.
As you step up from the earthen-floored entrance after taking off your shoes, you are greeted by the silhouette of Kindaichi Kosuke.
Beautiful flower beds in season, too!
In the garden of Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence stands a statue of Yokomizo Seishi.
The statue was created based on a photograph of Yokomizo taken at the residence.
If you visit at the right time of year, you can enjoy the sight of black tulips and black sunflowers in bloom, fitting the atmosphere of Yokomizo's works.
When I visited to report on the site, the tulips were not in bloom, but flowers were blooming in a flower bed shaped to spell out “Kindaichi.”
Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
How Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence was restored
Yokomizo Seishi's wartime residence was originally a private home. While Yokomizo was evacuated there, he lived in the house with the help of his sister-in-law, Mitsue Harada.
After Yokomizo returned to Tokyo, another owner lived there.
After the house had stood vacant for a time, Mabi heard that it was going to be demolished, so the town purchased the present-day Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence in 2002, the year marking 100 years since Yokomizo's birth.
Until then, it had been an ordinary home with fluorescent lights and the like, but when Mabi purchased it, the house was restored to look as much as possible like it did when Yokomizo lived there.
When Yokomizo's sons visited the residence, they reportedly said, “It's just as it was when we lived here.”
Today, Kurashiki City entrusts its management and operation to the management association.
The residence has a splendid garden, which is maintained by staff from the Silver Human Resources Center.
Thanks to the care provided by the association members, “Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence” has been transformed into a sacred place for Yokomizo fans.
Valuable stories from people who knew Yokomizo during his evacuation!
I was able to speak with a member of the residence's management association.
The house where Yokomizo lived remains just as it was, and fans visit from all over Japan and even from overseas.
In the past, many visitors were fans from the Kadokawa film boom, but recently, more women have been visiting as well.
I also heard stories from people who knew Yokomizo during his time in evacuation.
Yokomizo was frail and did not like riding in vehicles, so people in the neighborhood would sometimes pedal a bicycle for him, carrying him on the rear rack as they went to Kurashiki.
Some of those who manage the residence remember seeing Yokomizo, during his evacuation, wearing an overcoat and wandering around the neighborhood, lost in thought.
One person who shared stories that became the basis for works such as The Honjin Murders was reportedly amazed that Yokomizo could build on just a few stories they told him and write a complete tale.
I think it was his time in Okada Village that enabled Yokomizo to rise to become a nationally beloved author.
Although the residence has become a sacred place for Yokomizo fans, the association members have something they are concerned about.
The members are growing older, and no younger people have joined to take over.
We hope to ensure that this residence, now a sacred place for Yokomizo fans, can be passed on for many years to come.
From the Writer
Yokomizo was evacuated to Okada Village for only about three and a half years.
But regardless of how brief that time was, I could feel how deeply the local people love Yokomizo's character and works.
The land of Okada Village had become what could be called a “second home” for Yokomizo.
The residence is a recommended place where you can enjoy two things: learning about the life of author Yokomizo Seishi and visiting the birthplace of the great detective.
The places in Mabi that served as settings for his works have been developed as the Meguri: Kindaichi Kosuke Trail, which you can explore on foot.
Explore it along with the wartime residence.
Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence Information
| Name | Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence |
|---|---|
| Address | 1546 Okada, Mabi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-698-8558 |
| Parking | Available |
| Opening hours | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Closed | Monday, Thursday, Friday |
| Admission (tax included) | Free |
| Website | Yokomizo Seishi's Wartime Residence / Cultural Promotion Division / Kurashiki City |
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