Yukari’s mansion under construction
Munen Matsuyama was a medical scientist from Kinokawa City who studied under Yukichi Fukuzawa, opened Keio Medical School, and served as its first principal. In order to serve as a base for honoring his achievements, work is progressing on the garden and clinic called Kourou, which was built by Munean’s older brother, Kango, in Momoyama Town. The person at the center of the story is Tadahiro Matsuyama (60), a descendant of Kango who lives in Wakayama City. In February, the “Sonsei-sha/Matsuyama Munan Project” was launched, with the hope of “turning the building into a museum for Munan and others, and a place for healing, learning, and exchange, with a focus on nurturing young people.” are.
Mr. Munan Matsuyama
Munen was born in 1839 at the end of the Edo period. He studied Dutch medicine in Kyoto and started a clinic in the current Yuasa town. In 1966, when he moved to Yokohama with the aim of studying Western medicine, he met Yukichi Fukuzawa and became his student, beginning to study British medicine. “Typhoid Fever Shinron,” Munan’s translation of Flint’s work “Internal Medicine Zensho,” which Fukuzawa brought back from the United States, is known as Japan’s first translation of an English medical book.
Tadahiro Matsuyama pointing to the site of the clinic room
In 1973, Fukuzawa opened the Keio School of Medicine, which taught British medicine. Munean served as the first principal and teacher. In 1975, the affiliated clinic “Sonseisha” was opened. Although the medical school was closed after seven years, it was taken over as the origin of Tokyo Jikei University Medical School. Around the same time, he also founded the predecessor organizations of the current Japanese Medical Association and Medical Association.
Although the mansion is located in Munean’s birthplace, it was built after Munean left his hometown, so he did not live here. However, he still visited there often when he returned home.
When Tadahiro was a child, he often played at his grandmother’s mansion. However, in the mid-1970s, the house became vacant when my grandmother moved away, and it has been completely unoccupied since the early 1990s. The walls and floors had collapsed, and the pillars had been eaten away by termites.
Given this current situation, Tadahiro said, “We must not allow the land associated with local greats to decay,” so three years ago he began mowing the garden’s shrubs and weeds and putting effort into repairing the roof and walls. After launching this year’s project, they began holding Nanpuu courses to learn about Munean’s achievements, and also produced pamphlets.
A mansion that remains in Kinokawa City, “Kuurou”
However, at this point there is no hope that the maintenance will be completed. However, once completed, there are plans to display items related to Wakayama, such as letters exchanged with relatives, and to turn the large grounds into a healing park. “In the future, I would like to use it as a youth development center for the purpose of promoting mental and physical health.If possible, I would like to preserve it as a registered tangible cultural property,” he said enthusiastically.
The maintenance status isＦＢandInstagramNow on display at the Matsuyama Bunan Project.
(News Wakayama/Updated on November 16, 2024)
