The model of "Botchan"

People said that the model of "botchan" was Mr. "Mataichi Hironaka".
According to the reseacher of Soseki, Toshihiko Miyazaki (died in 1982), he was a native of Yamaguchi Prefecture and graduated from Doshisha in Tokyo. He arrived at his post of mathmatics teacher in Matsuyama Junior Highschool at the nealy same time as Soseki and transferred to Toyo Branch School(later Saijo Junior Highschool) in Nov. of 1895(Meiji 28), after serving in the school for eight months. After that time, he transferred to Kumagaya Junior Highschool in Saitama Prefecture via Tokushima Second Branch School (later Tomioka Junior Highschool), and he had lived in Kumagaya after retirement.
He had already married when he took up a post in Matsuyama by himself. So he wrote an article "Botchan had not been single in Matsuyama" for the magazine "Bungei-shunju". He eated up four bowl of Shippoku Noodle in Matsuyama, so he was sung in counting song of teachers: "One is Hironaka, Mr. Shippoku Noodle". By the way, Soseki was sung "Seven is Natsume, a ridge-end tile", because he always looked displeased.

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