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The Thatched-Roof Birthplace of a Dutch-Style Physician Who Laid Foundations for Modern Japanese Medicine

About this spot

Near Niihiyama Shrine, a simple thatched-roof house is carefully preserved in a mountain-foothills settlement. This was the home where Genboku Ito, a Dutch-style physician who devoted himself to preventing smallpox and laid the foundations of modern Japanese medicine in Japan, spent his youth. Ito studied under Siebold and later became the first Dutch-style physician to serve as the Shogun's personal physician. The vaccination center he established in Edo with fellow scholars is said to be the source of what is now Tokyo University's Faculty of Medicine. Standing within the house, with its earthen floor and wooden rooms intact, you quietly sense the origins of this great figure who rose from a farming village to transform Japan's medical care. To conclude your journey, feel the long flow of time stretching from the Yayoi period to the modern era.

Tips

Admission is free, but opening days and visiting hours may be limited, so check in advance. Since it is just a short walk from Niihiyama Shrine, it's convenient to park at the shrine and walk to visit both. The house retains its original structure with steps and uneven floors, so watch your footing.