Yanai Kizō 柳井貴三 Shared Roots in Bitchū-Matsuyama

I’ve been examining a series of five Meiji-era postcards sent by Yanai Kizō (柳井貴三) to Maeda Yoshihiko, a Western-style painter and educator based in Kobe. These cards offer subtle but fascinating insights into their relationship—and into a shared regional history rooted in Bitchū-Matsuyama (present-day Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture).

The Yanai family had served for generations as physicians to the Itakura clan, lords of the Bitchū-Matsuyama Domain. Kizō himself became a doctor and moved to Tokyo at the beginning of the Meiji era. Maeda’s family also came from this same domain, serving as retainers and samurai. It’s very likely their families knew each other under the old feudal structure.

Here’s a summary of the postcards:

Four were sent from Musashi Tokyo Ryōgoku:

August 3, 1889

January 4, 1890

August 11, 1891

October 13, 1891

Each of these cards includes a reference to 六要堂 (Rokuyōdō) alongside Maeda’s name and Kobe address. (We’ve discussed Rokuyōdō—possibly the name of Maeda’s studio or publishing imprint—in earlier posts.)

The earliest card in the series, sent on January 5, 1889, comes from Musashi Tokyo Kanda. It’s distinct in that Yanai addresses Maeda as 先生 (sensei)—a term of respect that may indicate a teacher-student relationship, professional admiration, or both. Interestingly, this honorific disappears from the later postcards. Did their relationship become more casual over time?

There are other quiet clues here too. The move from Kanda to Ryōgoku could reflect a change in Yanai’s residence or professional setting, possibly indicating career progress or relocation within Tokyo. These postcards don’t just document communication—they hint at enduring ties between two individuals whose lives bridged the world of feudal retainers and Meiji-era professionals.

If anyone has insights into Yanai Kizō’s medical career or the broader connections among former Bitchū-Matsuyama retainers during the Meiji period, I’d love to hear your thoughts. 

Note: Translator on Reddit was able to decipher Yanai's name.