Shayokan - Osamu Dazai Memorial Hall

Shayokan is a memorial museum set in the former home of Osamu Dazai, the writer known for major works such as "Run, Melos!", "The Setting Sun," and "No Longer Human." Built in 1907 by Dazai’s father, a wealthy landowner, it originally served as both a shop and residence. The building is notable for its red roof and its Japanese-Western eclectic style with an irimoya (hip-and-gable) roof. An irimoya roof is a layered roof structure combining a hipped roof with a gabled roof above, resembling an open book placed face down. The architect was Sakichi Horie, who also designed many Western-style buildings in Hirosaki such as the Aomori Bank Memorial Museum. Shayokan was designated as an Important Cultural Property building by the Japanese government in 2004. From 1950 to 1996 it operated as an inn, and in 1998 it became the Osamu Dazai memorial museum. Inside, you can see items such as Dazai’s handwritten manuscripts and personal belongings like his cloak, and you can also view video works related to Dazai and Shayokan. Dazai fans should also visit Dazai Osamu’s Wartime Evacuation House (the former Tsushima family new sitting room), located about a three-minute walk away. After touring Shayokan, enjoy souvenir shopping at the Kanagi Tourist Products Center "Madiny" across the street, or listen to live Tsugaru shamisen at the Tsugaru Shamisen Hall.