A Hexagonal Building of 1936, Registered in 2022
Gamagori Classic Hotel Rokkakudo (former Gamagori Hotel Shubido) (蒲郡クラシックホテル六角堂（旧蒲郡ホテル聚美堂）) is a building of 1936 at 451-1 and adjoining lots, Takeshima-cho, Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture, entered on the national register of tangible cultural properties on 17 February 2022. The quantity is one building: timber, single storey, tiled roof, with a footprint of 77 square metres. It belongs to Gamagori Classic Hotel Co.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs writes: a former sales pavilion standing beside the approach to the main building. Single-storey timber on a hexagonal plan, with a six-sided roof laid in glazed blue tiles and a sacred jewel at its apex. Three entrances are opened, and the interior is a single columnless room with a coved ceiling. It is now partitioned into four rooms in use. It forms the gateway to a lodging in the Japanese manner.
This building was a sales pavilion. Its former name, Shubido, points the same way, a place where art and goods were sold. It was not built for guests but set beside the drive as a small shop.
A Hexagonal Plan and a Six-Sided Roof
The plan is a regular hexagon, and at 77 square metres the building is small.
The roof pitches on six sides to match, with a sacred jewel at its apex. The jewel is a motif of Buddhist halls, and with a hexagonal plan the building comes close to the form of one.
The roof is laid in glazed blue tiles, which differ from ordinary pantiles in both color and surface. A small building gathers together a colored roof and a crowning jewel, both features that draw the eye.
There are three entrances. Half of the six faces open and the other three are walled, so the building can be entered from any direction.
One Columnless Room Under a Coved Ceiling
The interior is a single room without columns, under a coved ceiling.
Columnless means nothing stands within. On a hexagonal plan with no column at the centre, the interior reads as one open volume. For laying out goods, the absence of columns is an advantage; use and structure answer to each other.
A coved ceiling is raised at the centre with the perimeter stepped up to meet it. The form belongs to buildings of high rank and appears in Buddhist halls and formal reception rooms. Giving a small shop a coved ceiling lends it that standing.
The Agency also records the present state: it is now partitioned into four rooms in use. The original single columnless volume has since been divided. What is registered is the building, not the partitions now within it.
Forming the Gateway
The Agency closes: it forms the gateway to a lodging in the Japanese manner.
The Gamagori Classic Hotel Rokkakudo is not the main building. It is a small structure beside the approach to it. That it was registered nonetheless rests on the part it plays, setting a Japanese treatment at the entrance to the drive.
The main building carries a hip-and-gable roof on a reinforced concrete frame, giving a Japanese exterior. The Rokkakudo is single-storey timber with glazed tiles and a crowning jewel. Scale and structure differ, but the direction taken is the same.
Four buildings including this one were registered together on 17 February 2022: the main building, the Takeshima restaurant (former Tokiwakan plum annexe), the Rokkakudo and the Oshukutei (former Tokiwakan annexe tea house). Each carries its own registration, and the former names divide them into two lines. The Rokkakudo belongs with the main building to the former Gamagori Hotel line.
Using the Building
The Rokkakudo is now in use for dining. Seeing the interior means becoming a customer.
Hours and conditions of use can change, so check before travelling. Registration brings no opening days and no admission charge.
The exterior stands along the approach to the main building and can be seen in passing. The hexagonal plan and the color of the glazed tiles are visible from outside.
From Gamagori Station on the JR Tokaido Main Line it is about five minutes by car or fifteen minutes on foot.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Aichi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Gamagori Classic Hotel Rokkakudo (former Gamagori Hotel Shubido)
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Q&A
- When was the Rokkakudo built and registered?
- It was built in 1936 and entered on the national register of tangible cultural properties on 17 February 2022. It counts as one building: timber, single storey, tiled roof, footprint 77 square metres.
- What was it originally?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a former sales pavilion standing beside the approach to the main building. Its former name, Shubido, points the same way. It was a small shop set beside the drive, not a building for guests.
- What marks the building?
- A single-storey timber structure on a hexagonal plan, with a six-sided roof in glazed blue tiles and a sacred jewel at the apex. Three entrances open, and the interior was a single columnless room with a coved ceiling. The jewel and the coved ceiling belong to Buddhist halls and formal rooms, lending standing to a small building.
- Is the interior still one room?
- No. The Agency records that it is now partitioned into four rooms in use. The original single columnless volume has since been divided. What is registered is the building, not the partitions now within it.
- Can the Rokkakudo be seen?
- It is now in use for dining, so seeing the interior means becoming a customer. Registration brings no opening days and no admission charge. The exterior stands along the approach to the main building and can be seen in passing.
Basic Information
| Name | Gamagori Classic Hotel Rokkakudo (former Gamagori Hotel Shubido) (蒲郡クラシックホテル六角堂（旧蒲郡ホテル聚美堂）) |
|---|---|
| Location | 451-1 and adjoining lots, Takeshima-cho, Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) |
| Year Designated | 2022 (17 February), registered |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey, tiled roof, footprint 77 square metres. 6-sided plan, roof pitching on 6 sides in glazed blue tiles, sacred jewel at the apex. 3 entrances; interior 1 columnless room with a coved ceiling. Built 1936 |
| Owner | Gamagori Classic Hotel Co. |
| Public Access | Now in use for dining; the interior is reached as a customer. No opening days or admission charge are set |
References
- Cultural Heritage Online: Gamagori Classic Hotel Rokkakudo
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/520684
- Cultural Heritage Online: Gamagori Classic Hotel Main Building
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/587713
- Gamagori tourism association
- https://www.gamagori.jp/spot/750
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: the registration system for tangible cultural properties
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/
Last verified: 2026.09.05