Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum

The Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum (山寺芭蕉記念館) was established in 1989 as part of the cultural building boom in Yamagata, Japan celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the city. About 20 minutes by train (Senzan Line between Yamagata and Sendai) from Yamagata Station, it sits on the south side of the steep river valley facing Yamadera to the north, the historic temple founded in 860, a sightseeing destination.

The Museum focuses on the life of Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694) who perfected the art of haiku, the concise 5-7-5 syllable verse form now appreciated and written around the world. Many writings by Basho, and literati and artists from his time and later, are regularly displayed. Special exhibitions on related themes are also regularly mounted in the gallery.

The facility includes many traditional Japanese style meeting rooms and tea rooms used for tea ceremonies and other cultural programs, including seminars on literature and haiku taikai poetry writing contests　(俳句大会）, in both Japanese and English. The buildings in traditional sukiya-zukuri (数寄屋造り）tea ceremony room style were designed by architect Masao Nakamura. Information is available in English on the exhibitions and on Basho's life and his major work Oku no Hosomichi "The Narrow Road to the Deep North," his travel journal of haiku and paintings based on his trip to the area.

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