Tojinmurasha

Enjin Sonsha: The Scholar's Retreat Where Japan's Greatest Kanji Dictionary Was Born

Tucked within the tranquil grounds of the Morohashi Tetsuji Memorial Museum in Sanjo City, Niigata Prefecture, stands a modest yet profoundly significant building known as Enjin Sonsha (遠人村舎). This small wooden structure, now a nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property, served as the editorial workspace where the renowned Sinologist Morohashi Tetsuji devoted himself to compiling the Dai Kanwa Jiten — the largest Chinese-Japanese character dictionary ever created. With its understated beauty and deep literary roots, Enjin Sonsha offers visitors a rare window into the quiet dedication behind one of the greatest lexicographic achievements in history.

The Story of Morohashi Tetsuji

Morohashi Tetsuji (1883–1982) was born in the village of Niwatsuki in what is now Sanjo City, in the rural Shimoda district of Niigata Prefecture. Raised in a family that valued education — his father ran a private school — the young Morohashi grew up surrounded by the natural beauty of the Ikarashi River valley and the towering cliff of Yagi-ga-hana, landscapes he would cherish throughout his life.

After graduating from Tokyo Higher Normal School, Morohashi embarked on a distinguished academic career in Chinese classical studies. He traveled to China twice, deepening his understanding of the vast world of kanji and classical literature. It was during these journeys that he first recognized the need for a truly comprehensive Chinese-Japanese dictionary.

In 1928, Morohashi agreed to undertake the monumental task of compiling what would become the Dai Kanwa Jiten for the publisher Taishukan. The project, originally envisioned as a modest two-volume reference, ultimately grew into a fifteen-volume masterwork containing over 50,000 character entries and 530,000 compound words — the largest kanji dictionary in the world. The endeavor spanned decades, surviving the devastation of the 1945 Tokyo air raids that destroyed the printing plates and most of the working materials. Morohashi persevered, rebuilding the project from surviving proof sheets, and the dictionary was finally completed in 1960. He received the Order of Culture in 1965 and lived to the age of 99.

The Meaning Behind the Name

The name Enjin Sonsha (遠人村舎) draws its poetic inspiration from the celebrated Chinese poet Tao Yuanming (365–427), specifically from his poem "Returning to My Home in the Fields" (帰園田居). In one evocative line, Tao writes: "Dimly visible, a village far from people" (曖曖遠人村), describing the hazy outline of a distant settlement seen from his rural retreat. For Morohashi, the name embodied his aspiration to withdraw from the distractions of the world and devote himself fully to the painstaking work of dictionary compilation. This literary allusion beautifully captures the spirit of scholarly seclusion that defined Morohashi's years of labor within these walls.

Architectural Features and Cultural Property Designation

Enjin Sonsha is a single-story wooden building constructed during the Meiji era, with a total floor area of approximately 21 square meters. Its architecture reflects the refined taste befitting a scholar's study. The roof features a gabled (kirizuma) design with a combination of flat tile (ichimonji-gawara) and metal sheet roofing around the edges.

The interior consists of two rooms — a four-and-a-half tatami room and a three-tatami room — connected by a half-ken (approximately 90 cm) wide corridor running along the northwest side. The exterior walls are clad in cedar bark, while the interior showcases carefully selected round timber in its construction, creating an atmosphere of rustic elegance appropriate for a place of deep intellectual pursuit.

The building was officially registered as a nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 19, 2014, under the criterion of serving as a model of architectural design. The registration recognized both its architectural merit and its irreplaceable historical connection to the compilation of the Dai Kanwa Jiten.

A Journey Through Time: The Building's Relocations

Enjin Sonsha has an unusual history of relocation that mirrors the life journey of its famous occupant. The building was originally constructed during the Meiji period and later situated within the grounds of the Morohashi family residence in Nishi-Ochiai, Tokyo. In 1937 (Showa 12), it was relocated from Kyoto to the Morohashi estate in Nishi-Ochiai, where it served as the editorial workspace for the Dai Kanwa Jiten during the critical years of the late 1930s.

In 1996 (Heisei 8), the building was relocated once more — this time to the grounds of the Morohashi Tetsuji Memorial Museum in Sanjo City, next to Morohashi's birthplace. Here, it was carefully restored and opened to the public, allowing visitors to experience the intimate space where one of the greatest scholarly achievements in Japanese history took shape.

Highlights and Points of Interest

Visiting Enjin Sonsha offers a deeply contemplative experience. The compact interior allows visitors to imagine Morohashi seated at his desk, surrounded by towering stacks of reference materials, meticulously reviewing proofs of the vast dictionary. The cedar bark exterior and hand-selected timber of the interior create a harmonious blend of natural materials that speak to the Meiji-era craftsmanship and the scholar's refined sensibility.

The building stands alongside Morohashi's birthplace, a designated cultural property of Sanjo City, within the larger grounds of the Morohashi Tetsuji Memorial Museum complex. The surrounding Japanese garden adds to the serene atmosphere, and visitors can stroll freely among these historical structures at no charge. The adjacent memorial museum houses an extensive collection of Morohashi's personal effects, calligraphy, and materials related to the Dai Kanwa Jiten, including a striking wall panel displaying all 50,000 parent characters from the dictionary.

Visitor Information

Enjin Sonsha is located within the grounds of the Morohashi Tetsuji Memorial Museum in Sanjo City's Shimoda district. The building, along with the birthplace and garden, can be viewed free of charge during museum hours (9:00 AM to 4:30 PM). The museum's exhibition hall requires a separate admission fee of 500 yen for adults; students are admitted free of charge. The museum is closed on Mondays (or the following day if Monday falls on a national holiday) and during the year-end/New Year period (December 29 to January 3).

By car, the site is approximately 50 minutes from the Sanjo-Tsubame Interchange on the Hokuriku Expressway via National Route 289. By public transport, visitors can take the Echigo Kotsu bus from JR Higashi-Sanjo Station (approximately 40 minutes) bound for Yagi-ga-hana Onsen, alighting at the Morohashi Tetsuji Kinenkan-mae stop. The Roadside Station (Michi-no-eki) Kangaku no Sato Shitada, located directly across from the museum, offers local produce shopping and dining at the farmhouse restaurant Teigetsu-an Goku.

Nearby Attractions

The Shimoda district of Sanjo City is blessed with stunning natural scenery and several worthwhile attractions near the memorial museum:

• Yagi-ga-hana: A dramatic 200-meter-high quartz porphyry cliff face rising above the Ikarashi River, selected as one of Niigata's Top 100 Scenic Views. It is also a designated breeding site for peregrine falcons and offers spectacular seasonal colors.
• Yagi-ga-hana Onsen Ii-yu-ratei: A popular hot spring day-use facility located near the cliff, offering outdoor baths with panoramic views of Yagi-ga-hana.
• Kitaimagawa Rice Terraces: Selected as one of Japan's 100 Best Rice Terraces, these beautifully tiered paddies create a quintessential Japanese rural landscape.
• Michi-no-eki Kangaku no Sato Shitada: A roadside station offering local farm produce at the Saiyuki direct sales shop and regional cuisine at the Goku farmhouse restaurant.
• Snow Peak Headquarters: The world-famous outdoor equipment brand Snow Peak has its headquarters and campground in the Sanjo area, offering unique glamping and outdoor experiences.