Ichiyo Higuchi, a talented woman of the Meiji era, lived here in 368, Ryusenji, Shitaya (present Ryusen 3-chome, Taito-ku) and wrote the masterpiece Takekurabe based on this address. Before she passed away due to tuberculosis at the early age of 24, she published Ohtsugomori, Nigorie, Jusanya and many more pieces. In 2004, she appeared on the face of \5,000 bill.

In this museum, original manuscript of Takekurabe, oblong cards of tanka poetry in her own hand, letter addressed to Tosui Nakarai(her respected teacher), and other documents are displayed. Also, this museum exhibits a street of Ryusenji where she lived, her desk, the miniatures of the Takekurabe world, and contemporary culture and daily life materials.

Ichiyo Higuchi (her real name is Natsu) was born in Tokyo in 1872 and spent happy girlhood. However, her father died when she was 17 years old, she had to fight against poverty to support her mother and sister.　She decided to get income by writing novels, but it was too difficult for women to have manuscript fee because it was the age of feudalism and state of women was low. 　Nevertheless, she never gave up to be a novelist and she left many masterpieces,　'Otsugomori''Takekurabe''Nigorie''Juusan‐ya'were important in Japanese modern literature. 　One of her excellent works named 'Takekurabe'was based upon her experience : She herself, her mother and sister lived together at Ryusenji town running a small general store. When 'Takekurabe'was announced, she received a high admiration from famous novelist. Dr. Ohgai Mori said that he had no hesitation to call Ichiyo a real poet. This fact meant she received the highest fame as a novelist. Many residents lived inRyusenji town were moved by Ohgai's praises for Ichiyo's great activities. On May 1961,Ichiyo's memorial museum, which was the first woman novelist independent museum in Japan, was established by Taito City. Deterioration of the museum advanced after some 40 years and Ichiyo came to be printed on new 5,000 yen bill. This museum was rebuilt on November 2006 at the same place for those two reasons. We are ready to show more excellent exhibition than before and visitors can enjoy the new museum and adjacent 'Ichiyo Memorial Park'altogether. We are happy if you can get what her short 24-year-life and her figure was by seeing some manuscripts or letters by herself and understanding the pieces.