Whose garden did this huge boulder wash into? [Ashiya Quiz]

If you know the answer, you can prove you’re an Ashiya expert! Welcome to the “Ashiya Quiz.”

Here’s today’s question ↓

If you haven’t seen the answer yet, give it a try♪

This massive boulder is currently displayed with an explanatory plaque in front of a museum dedicated to a famous literary figure in Ashiya.

It weighs an incredible 15 tons! See it up close and you’ll be amazed by just how enormous it is—and that a rock this big actually came tumbling down from the mountains!

So, have you figured out the answer yet?

The correct answer is c. Junichiro Tanizaki.

The huge boulder was swept onto Tanizaki’s former residence in Okamoto, Higashinada Ward, Kobe, during the Great Hanshin Flood of 1938. It then remained there as a garden stone for 50 years.

Today, it stands in front of the Tanizaki Junichiro Memorial Museum of Literature in Isecho, Ashiya.

Here’s the map ↓

The address is 12-15 Isecho, Ashiya, Hyogo.

The Tanizaki Junichiro Memorial Museum of Literature is currently holding its special summer exhibition, “The ‘Literary Master’ Boom of the Taisho Era: The Media Strategy of Bunsho Club.”

The exhibition focuses on the recent boom in manga and games that reimagine famous authors as handsome characters and traces the trend back to its origins. Sounds fascinating!

On Saturday, July 24, Ashiya Luna Hall will also host a lecture as part of the “Zangetsu Festival,” commemorating Junichiro Tanizaki’s birth. The lecture will explore Tanizaki’s lifestyle as portrayed in his literary works and essays. The guest speaker is physician and novelist Michiru Fushino.

For more information about the exhibition and lecture, please visit the official website of the Tanizaki Junichiro Memorial Museum of Literature!