Pan no Kai is a salon and cultural movement run by young artists from the late Meiji era that is always mentioned when discussing Japanese coffee and cafe culture.

The reason why this is deeply connected to coffee culture is because artists who were still in their 20s at the time admired the cafes in Paris, and traveled extensively in Tokyo in search of a full-fledged cafe with a similar role. be.
It is said that this association began in 1908, at the end of the 41st year of the Meiji era.

 

<Cover of the first issue of the literary magazine "Subaru", which started at the same time as Bread Club>

The Pan-no-Kai was groundbreaking because it was a place where literary figures and artists, including painters, could interact. Poets who would be active in the literary magazine "Subaru" such as Hakushu Kitahara, Mokutaro Kinoshita, Hideo Nagata, Isamu Yoshii, etc., and painters who were gathered in the art doujinshi "Hosun", Yasuo Hakutei, Kane Yamamoto, Tsunetomo Morita, Kurata. Most of the artists were still young, such as Shirahitsu.

Around this time, the culture of discussing art in cafes in Paris, which had become a dream destination for artists, was introduced to Japan, and they realized that there was a need for exchanges between literature and art in Japan as well, and that there should be a place where people could discuss art. We agreed that it was necessary.

The movement of young artists who began to interact in this way broke away from the naturalistic tendencies of the previous generation and led to the creation of romantic art.

``Subaru'', named by Mori Ogai and first published in 1909, published many truly romantic works, and together with Pan no Kai, led this trend.

 

The name of this society seems to go well with coffee, but of course it has nothing to do with Bread, and is said to have been taken from the Bread Society, an art movement that arose in Berlin at the end of the 1800s. ``Pan'' is a shepherd god who appears in Greek mythology.

 

<Medical scientist and poet Mokutaro Kinoshita (left) and poet Hakushu Kitahara (collected by the National Diet Library), who formed the Bread Association>

When the coterie members of the art doujinshi Hosun, Hakushu Kitahara, Mokutaro Kinoshita, and others tried to hold the first meeting of this bread club, the most difficult task was finding a venue.

This is because in the 1900s, there were almost no full-fledged cafes in Tokyo.

However, in order to imitate the cafe culture of Paris, the members compared the Sumida River to the Seine and were particular about finding a venue on the banks of the river. This was partly because there were quite a few members who felt an affinity for the Edo atmosphere of the downtown area.

Motaro Kinoshita was the one who scrambled to find a venue. Poet and critic Utaro Noda wrote about this situation in his book ``Exotic Style Literature Movement'' as follows:

``Exotic seagulls were swimming on the banks of the Okawa River in Sumida.The steam steamers were blowing out smoke rings like donuts and cutting up and down the waves of the Okawa River.There was nothing quite like a cafe.

The Sumida River reminded me of the Seine in Paris. I was determined to find a venue by this riverside, which had a Western-style and Edo-style feel to it.

At that time, the only coffee houses in Tokyo were Aokido near Hongo Akamon and the newspaper inspection offices that were the predecessors of Milk Hole scattered around town. The others were either beef shops or Western restaurants.

Having no choice but to find a Western restaurant instead of a cafe, I found Daiichi Yamato, a three-story Western-style building near Ryogoku Bridge. It was hot at the beef hotpot restaurant, but they also served Western food and alcohol. It was a dirty house. Still, being in Okawabata gave me a feeling of satisfaction somewhere in my heart.

In this way, on one day at the end of the 41st year of the Meiji era, the first bread gathering was held on the third floor of Daiichi Yamato.'' (Utaro Noda ``Bungei Movement'')

As a result, the first few meetings were held at a beef hotpot restaurant.

 

<``Bread Club'' drawn by Sohachi Kimura based on information from Motaro Kinoshita. Works exhibited at the 5th Shunyokai Exhibition in 1929＞

 

The bread club gradually grew in size, with Hikaru Takamura and Kaoru Koyamauchi participating, and older generations such as Satoshi Ueda and Kafu Nagai also joining from time to time. The venue will change accordingly.

Next, let's take a look at Mokutaro Kinoshita's recollections.

``The first couple of times I lived there (note: Daiichi Yamato), but the house was so poor and without the slightest charm that I quickly got tired of it, and after that, I looked for it. It was a Western restaurant called Sanshuya in Kodenma-cho.This was a downtown-style district of Kitsusui where old-fashioned wholesale stores were lined up, and the house was somewhat reminiscent of the architecture of the First National Bank era. We really liked it because it was a Western-style building with a lot of atmosphere.The housewife was Tsuko Edo, and when there was a competition, she invited some of the best geisha from Yoshimachi, and we went to the art school. I was delighted to be reminded of the ``Nagasaki Banquet Diagram'' that I have preserved.

After that, Eidaitei near Eitaibashi Bridge in Fukagawa often became the venue because of its view of the great river.
Also, much later, a kono's nest was established in Koami-cho, and a foreign country called it ``Maison, Koonos'' (Motaro Kinoshita, ``Reminiscences of the Pan Society'')

After being held at Western restaurants such as Sanshuya in Kodenmacho, Nihonbashi and Eitaitei in Fukagawa, the bread club was held at a shop called ``Maison Konosu'' in Koamicho, Nihonbashi.

Konosu is said to be one of the earliest cafes/bars and cafes/restaurants in Japan, and is said to have served French cuisine and French-style dark roasted coffee.

At this point, the bread club finally realized its original wish and was able to hold a meeting at a cafe-like shop, but by then the size had grown and the number of members who liked alcohol had increased, and the content was grand. It was a drinking party.

These bread gatherings were depicted in works such as Kitahara Hakushu's ``Tokyo Keimono Poetry,'' Motaro Kinoshita's ``Agoto Uta,'' and Junichiro Tanizaki's ``Youth Monogatari.''

Around 1910, the excitement began to decline, and around 1913, the bread club came to an end.

However, the Pan-no-kai, which brought together artists from this era, is said to have left a significant mark on Japanese cultural history. The history of coffee culture is also marked by its pursuit of cafe culture.

Maison Konosu moved from Koami-cho to Nihonbashi Musashi store around 1915 (Taisho 4), and then operated as a French restaurant in Kyobashi Minamidenma-cho until the Great Kanto Earthquake.

During the Taisho era, meetings of various literary organizations such as ``Tokakai,'' ``Mirai,'' and ``Shinshicho'' were held here, and many writers have written about drinking coffee at this shop.

Along with Cafe Printemps and others, it became one of the stores that symbolized the cafe culture that had finally blossomed in Tokyo, but it closed soon after the Great Kanto Earthquake.