Shiki-An

This is the house where Masaoka Shiki spent the last eight years of his life before his death. Most of Masaoka Shiki’s well-known works were written here.
This structure is one of two row houses in the former Maeda family villa of the Kaga domain, the site is 55-tsubo (180m2) the building area is 21-tsubo (75m2), and rent of 6 yen 50 sen. After Shiki’s death, his disciples made an effort to purchase the land and the house from the former Maeda family.
The year before Shiki died, a loofah shelf was built to provide shade.
The “Shikian Preservation Society Foundation” was approved as a corporation in 1928. Its first chairperson was Shiki’s younger sister, Masaoka Ritsu.
After Ritsu’s death, Shikian was burned down in an air raid in 1945. It was rebuilt in 1950 by Shiki’s disciple Samukawa Sokotsu and others. It is currently maintained and preserved by the “Shikian Preservation Society”.
It is a designated historic site by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.