Tsuruoka, the city loved by Shuhei Fujisawa, appears in various scenes in his novels. The guideposts are set in 18 different places that are associated with Fujisawa's literature in Tsuruoka City which has the atmosphere of a castle town. The guideposts give visitors information about the sites in his novels.

His novels have a style of decisiveness, clearness and grace, and very detailed climate description. Even if you are not a big fan of Fujisawa’s literature, your imagination will be stimulated, as if you were in the Unasaka domain often described in his works and believed to actually be Tsuruoka. Although he was praised as a leading historical writer, he claims that his novels are not historical but about adventures, a from spiritual adventure of a writer who found a flash of hope in his life.

With imagery rich in Japanese atmosphere, the Unasaka domain which often appears in Fujisawa's novels is set in Tsuruoka. In his book, scenery, climate and even local dishes actually reflect Tsuruoka. Moreover, he praises his hometown with his own aesthetic and a touch of humility. For those who have been away from their home at least once, hometown is the place of their roots and yearning. He describes his strong affection for his hometown in his novels without exaggeration, though they are full of his confidence in the beautiful scenery and climate of his hometown, Tsuruoka.
≪The Birth Place Memorial for Shuhei Fujisawa≫

Fujisawa was born in the Takasaka area, the farming village at the foot of Mt Kimbo, in Tsuruoka City. The Birth Memorial stone was built on the former site of the house where he was born.
≪The Memorial of Our Master Shuhei Fujisawa≫

He started his teaching job in Yutagawa junior high school after he graduated from Yamagata teachers’ training school. It is said that he went to the school by bicycle dressed in a tight-collared school uniform, as he did not own a suit. Although it seemed that his life went very smoothly, in his second year teaching, he had to take leave after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. This was the dawn of writer, Shuhei Fujisawa. In those days, Yutagawa junior high school was in the same building as Yutagawa primary school, then the junior high school was moved to another place and only the primary school still remains. His students and others established the Memorial Stone at Yutagawa primary school.



[Access] From Tsuruoka Station, 20 minutes by bus on the Yutagawa Hot Springs route