Fukusaki Municipal Kunio Yanagita and Matsuoka-ke Family Memorial Museum

Kunio Yanagita and the Matsuoka Family

Kunio Yanagita was born into the Matsuoka family, which had produced physicians and scholars for successive generations. Kunio’s grandmother, Kotsuru Matsuoka, also practiced medicine, but felt a strong calling to Confucianism from an early age and strove to educate the local children. She was an excellent scholar equipped with a vast amount of knowledge that excelled in the written arts.

Kunio’s father, Misao Matsuoka, otherwise known as Yakusai, practiced medicine following in the footsteps of his grandfather. He was also well-versed in Confucianism and Japanese literature, and later went on to become a teacher of Yusensha town school in Himeji, rendering great contributions to local education.

Kunio’s mother, Take, was from the old Oshiba family of Hojo (currently Kasai City), Although she received no formal learning, she had a superior memory and is said to have even corrected Chinese readings for her children.