Miekichi Suzuki Literary Monument

In August 1905, Miekichi Suzuki, a first-year student at Tokyo Imperial University, came to the village to heal his sorrow and stayed at the Shimoda family, a shipping agent. There, he was touched by the warmth and kindness of the proprietress, her eldest daughter Hatsuyo, and her younger brothers, and his illness gradually improved. At that time, he wrote to Natsume Soseki to update him on his current situation, and this is his debut work, "Plover," which was highly praised by Soseki and brought him to the literary world. The following passage, "I can't even cry near my parents, so I go to the small island offshore and cry," is engraved on a monument at the site of the old Shimoda family mansion. This is a passage from a letter Miekichi wrote to a friend about his feelings during his stay on Nomi Island.