Shiko Kinbun

Introduction

The Ishikawa Shiko Memorial Museum of Cultural Exchange stands at Hirosaka, just south of Kanazawa Castle Park and Kenrokuen, in a Meiji red-brick building that was the main hall of the old Fourth Higher School. After the 1886 Imperial University Ordinance, higher schools were distributed across the country, First in Tokyo, Third in Kyoto and Fourth in Kanazawa; the Fourth opened in 1887 and became the starting point of the city's identity as a place of learning. The novelist Inoue Yasushi entered its science course in 1927, began writing poetry there and graduated in 1930, and remains its best-known alumnus. The building is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property and holds two institutions: the Shiko memorial gallery, free, with school records, uniforms and classroom objects, and the Ishikawa Museum of Modern Literature, JPY 370, covering writers tied to the prefecture and hosting readings. The crucial current fact is the closure: after the Noto Peninsula earthquake the building underwent safety checks and the whole facility has remained shut, with official autumn 2026 material still marking it as closed; reopening must be confirmed with the museum, and the normal 09:00-17:00 hours describe the pre-closure arrangement. The brick exterior, its tower and the green of Shiko Memorial Park are still free to enjoy, and in mid-to-late November the ginkgo and American maples turn colour on one of the pleasantest short walks in central Kanazawa. Place it between Kenrokuen, the castle park and the Shiinoki Guest House for the outside only, rather than following older guides to a ticket counter.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info