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About
The Villa of Bansuiso is a French-styled residence located on the center of Matsuyama City, the capital of Ehime Prefecture.

It was designated as an Important Cultural Property in 2011.

In 1922, the French-styled building was built as a villa of Count Sadakoto Hisamatsu, the heir to the lord of Matsuyama domain. It was named Bansuiso, that means abundant (‘Ban’) green (‘sui’) House (‘so’).

Right before the Prince-Regent (later Emperor Showa) visited to Ehime prefecture, the design was partially changed as a guest house to welcome him.

Count Sadakoto Hisamatsu graduated from Saint-Cyr army officer’s school in France, and later worked as a military attaché in Paris. He lived in France for total of fifteen years. Bansuiso, reflecting the count’s appreciation for French style building, was one of the best places for social gatherings of the various circles and celebrities at that time in Matsuyama. Royal family members were sure to stop over Bansuiso when they visited Matuyama.

Bansuiso was designed by Shichiro Kigo, a young and energetic architect. Sadakoto commissioned Shichiro to build a pure French style building, and then Shichiro visited Europe and North America for several months, studying about the newest Western architectures at the time. Bansuiso is the oldest reinforced concrete building in Ehime Prefecture, even also equipped the flush toilets and shower.

Bansuiso has one basement floor and three floors above ground, with an area of ​​887.58㎡. The magnificent style of Bansuiso is Neo-Renaissance, and all aspect ratio of the building consist by the golden ratio, 1:1.618.

However, the uniqueness is seen in its asymmetric appearance. Western architecture is usually symmetrical, but Bansuiso was built in the imbalance that is one of Japanese aesthetics.

In Bansuiso, you can see some Japanese style adopted. For example, the Dining Room has a coffered ceiling which we can often see in Shinto shrines and Buddhism temples. The garden is also the mixture of western style and Japanese style.

Today, Bansuiso is open for sightseeing and for various concerts, cultural events and exhibitions as a venue.

Near to Bansuiso, there is Saka no Ue no Kumo Museum, a museum inspired by the novel Saka no ue no kumo (Clouds above the Hill), written by Ryōtarō Shiba, which story is about the times of Meiji Era focusing on the important figures as Shiki Masaoka, Yoshifuru Akiyama  and Saneyuki Akiyama.

The museum is visited by a lot of people also because it is designed by Tadao Ando, an architect of renown.

Bansuiso relating to the Japanese great writers - Soseki Natsume and Shiki Masaoka
The Hisamatsu family and the family of Shiki Masaoka had a particularly close relationship. Takusen Kato, who was Shiki Masaoka's uncle and fluent in French, accompanied Sadakoto to study in France. Meanwhile, Sadakoto established a scholarship system and support Shiki when he came to Tokyo for his study.

On the premises of Bansuiso there is the site of Aishotei, which was a restaurant-inn and the first accomodation of Soseki Natsume, who came to Matsuyama from Tokyo as an English teacher at Matsuyama middle school. In 1895, Soseki took his lodgings for three months on the second floor of Aishotei.

Soseki wrote to Shiki Masaoka, who was close friends at the university and was from Matsuyama, how he liked the location saying that “My accommodation is in almost a paradise with a superb view on the mountainside of the courthouse”.

Today, on the site there is a coffee shop bearing the same name, Aishotei, and you can have coffee and tea being embraced by nature.

During the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895, Shiki Masaoka longed to go to Dalian as a journalist even though he had tuberculosis since he was 20 years old.

He had hemoptysis on the way back to Japan, and returned to his home in Matsuyama for recuperation.

At that time, Soseki and Shiki met again since their graduating from the university.

Also, behind the main building of Bansuiso there was Gudabutsu-an until its collapse in 2010*,  which was a reproduction of the second accommodation of Soseki Natsume at Matsuyama.

"Gudabutsu" was his pseudonym for haiku, and he named the house as that.

* On July 12 in 2010, a landslide caused by heavy rainfall for three hours completely destroyed Gudabutsu-an.

In the summer of 1895, Shiki Masaoka stayed at Gudabutsu-an with Soseki for fifty-two days. Shiki here started to write the Haiku Compendium, which later became the norm of haiku for Japanese people.

He also taught in Shofukai, which was the earliest example of Haiku association in Japan, and Soseki joined it and made haiku, who later became one of Japanese great writers.

History
1922  Built as a residence and guesthouse by Sadakoto Hisamatsu

1945  After the War, the U.S. Occupation Force seized Bansuiso and used as their officers’ lodgings

Meanwhile, the ownership changed from Hisamatsu family to Matsuyama Chamber of Commerce

1947  the U.S. Occupation Force left and Matsuyama Chamber of Commerce used Bansuiso

1952  The court possessed Bansuiso and used as Matsuyama Family Court

1954  Ehime Prefecture possessed to welcome again Emperor Showa

Started to be used as the Ehime Prefectural Folk Art Center

Started to be used as a luxury restaurant of French meals

1979  The name changed to Ehime Prefectural Museum of Art

1985  Designated as a cultural property by Ehime Prefecture

2008  Large-scale renovation has been processed

2009  By the Designee Management System, WIN Co., Ltd. started to manage Bansuiso (up to the present)

2011  On November 29, the main building and the former-gate keeper’s house were designated as a National Important Cultural Property

Information
Bansuiso is accessible located on the central area of Matsuyama City, near to the Matsuyama castle.


 * Address

〒790-0001 3-3-7, Ichibancho, Matsuyama-shi, Ehime

Tel: 089-921-3711


 * Opening hour: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Closed: Mondays (except national holidays)


 * Entrance fee (for the 2st floor. 1st floor is free) : Adult 300 yen, Child 100 yen

※There is group discount from 20 people.


 * How to Get There

Streetcar: About a 5 minute walk from Okaido Streetcar Station

Parking: Free parking. Approximately 20 car parking spaces available