Onsen in Matsuyama, Japan
D?go Onsen Honkan public bathhouse
D?go Onsen
(
道後?泉
)
is a
hot spring
in the city of
Matsuyama
,
Ehime Prefecture
on the island of
Shikoku
,
Japan
.
History
[
edit
]
Botchan's room
D?go Onsen is one of the oldest
hot springs
in Japan, with a history stretching back over 1000 years. The springs are mentioned in the
Man'y?sh?
(written c. 759) and, according to legend,
Prince Sh?toku
(574?622) used to partake of the waters.
D?go Onsen was the favorite retreat of writer
Natsume S?seki
(1867?1916) when he was working near Matsuyama as a teacher in what was at the time rural Shikoku. In Soseki's loosely autobiographical novel
Botchan
, the eponymous main character is a frequent visitor to the springs, the only place he likes in the area.
Description
[
edit
]
D?go Onsen is famous for the D?go Onsen public bathhouse, which was organized by D?go Yunomachi mayor
Isaniwa Yukiya
and built in 1894.
[1]
Built on three levels for maximum capacity, the baths remain popular and are usually crowded at peak times, such as in the early evening before dinner.
While D?go is largely engulfed in the
suburban sprawl
of modern-day Matsuyama, the area around D?go retains the feeling of a
resort town
, with guests from all over the country wandering the streets in
yukata
robes after their bath. D?go is easily accessible from central Matsuyama by tram and has regular bus services to and from the air and ferry ports.
Yushinden
[
edit
]
Yushinden is a bath room specially reserved for the Imperial Family. Yushinden is on the east side of the main building. The name is taken from a Chinese classic.
[
clarification needed
]
Yushinden was built in 1899 in the traditional architecture of
Momoyama period
.
The Gyokuza no Ma is a bath room for the exclusive use of the Emperor.
[2]
Legends
[
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]
In D?go, two legends were handed down.
Legend of the egret
[
edit
]
Long ago, many egrets (herons) lived in D?go. One day, an egret who injured his shin found a hot spring there. He soaked his shin every day in the hot water. Eventually the
egret
became well and flew away. People who watched this situation soaked in the hot spring and their health improved. The news spread that the hot spring was beneficial for one's health, and the spring became popular.
[3]
Legend of Tama no ishi
[
edit
]
A long time ago, there were two small gods,
?kuninushi
no Mikoto and
Sukunabikona
no Mikoto.
They came from
Izumo
to D?go. Sukunabikona no Mikoto contracted a bad illness and his days were numbered. Okuninushi no Mikoto made Sukunahikona no Mikoto soak in the hot spring. Sukunahikona no Mikoto regained his health and danced on a stone in the hot spring as proof of his vigor. At that time, his footprint was left, and there is now a stone called Tama no ishi that is exhibited at D?go Onsen.
[2]
In popular culture
[
edit
]
The present building of the D?go Onsen public bathhouse partially inspired the design of Yubaba's bathhouse in
Spirited Away
.
[
citation needed
]
Features
[
edit
]
The first floor (Kami-no-Yu) is separated into two baths for men and one for women.
The second floor (Tama-no-Yu) consists of two baths: one for men and one for women. There are four bathing plans with different rates.
[4]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Dogo Onsen"
. Japan Guide
. Retrieved
16 May
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Akimasa Watanabe
Matsuyamajo to Dogo Onsen
[Matsuyama Castle and Dogo Onsen] (Matsuyama: Ehimebunkasousho, 1983) page 200-201
- ^
Akimasa Watanabe.
Matsuyamajo to D?go Onsen
[Matsuyama Castle and D?go Onsen] (Matsuyama: Ehimebunkasousho, 1983) page 200
- ^
"Dogo Onsen - Ehime Travel Guide | Planetyze"
.
Planetyze
. Retrieved
2018-02-06
.
External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
D?go Onsen
at Wikimedia Commons
33°51′7″N
132°47′11″E
/
33.85194°N 132.78639°E
/
33.85194; 132.78639