Yakumo Koizumi Japanese room and old Samurai residence loved by literary legend

Patrick Lafcadio Hearn
later known as
“Yakumo Koizumi”
who will write a number of literature pieces, came to Japan for the first time in 1890.

He came to the middle school in Matsue, Shimane as a English teacher and married Setsu Koizumi who he met there.

He acquired Japanese nationality and changed his name to Yakumo Koizumi.
The house in which Yakumo and Setsu lived their newly-wed period still remains in its original form.

Yakumo wished to
“live in old Samurai residence with garden”.

He is said to prefer watching three Japanese gardens surrounding main house from Tatami in Japanese room.
He enjoyed walking around the garden in
“pure Japanese”
style with Yukata and Geta and lots of his books were written in this house.

Desk on Tatami in the Japanese room looking down to the garden.

This office with the match of Tatami and European desk has indescribable zest as if it’s Yakumo himself who lived in both Europe and in Occident.

The house of Matsue which Yakumo loved through his life.
Quiet time is passing through Japanese room, Tokonoma and in the garden just like it used to have.

Tags:tatami samurai Japaneseroom YakumoKoizumi residence matsue