The wing that shows its roof to the road
Mukaitaki Entrance Building is part of a hot-spring inn at Yumoto in Higashiyamamachi, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, built in the early Taisho years between 1912 and 1925 and listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 20 December 1996. It is two storeys of timber under a tiled roof, covering 636 square metres.
Despite the name, this is no mere vestibule. At 636 square metres it is the largest of the four listed buildings here, well beyond the 360 square metres of the next largest guest wing. The Kitsune-yu bath is in this building too.
It stands on the road and turns a broad Irimoya-zukuri roof towards it, with a large hall on the upper floor. Its registration number, 07-0001, is the first in Fukushima Prefecture.
Why it was listed
Mukaitaki Entrance Building was listed for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The other three buildings here were all listed as models of design; this one alone was judged on different grounds.
Position explains it. Of the four, only this building meets the road, and this roof is what anyone walking through Higashiyama Onsen recognises as Mukaitaki. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it indispensable to understanding the historic character of the spa.
It was the view from the street, not the carpentry, that counted. Within one property, the buildings facing out and the buildings within were assessed on different tests.
The roof, and the fox bath
The roof registers first. The broad hipped-and-gabled form faces the road, and because the site falls away you look up at it from the street. Judge the ridge height and the projection of the eaves from there.
The bath called Kitsune-yu keeps the name by which the spring was known in the Edo period. The bathhouse that served the Aizu domain's designated rest house is still in this same building.
The upper hall is unusually large for an entrance wing. Most of those 636 square metres belong to the bath and that hall rather than to any lobby. The name describes only a part of what the building does.
Visiting
Mukaitaki Entrance Building belongs to a working inn. The interior is space for staying guests, and it is not open to people who simply want to look around.
The exterior can be seen from the road through Higashiyama Onsen: this roof, and the roofs of the guest wings stacked behind it. Photography from the public road is unrestricted, but be mindful of guests arriving and leaving.
Directions and the terms on which the inn operates are set out on the page for Mukaitaki.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Mukaitaki Entrance Building
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- Can Mukaitaki Entrance Building be visited?
- It belongs to a working inn, so only staying guests go inside. The exterior can be seen from the road at any time.
- What is inside Mukaitaki Entrance Building?
- The Kitsune-yu bath and, on the upper floor, a large hall. Between them they account for most of its 636 square metres.
- When was Mukaitaki Entrance Building built?
- In the early Taisho years, between 1912 and 1925, at the same time as the hanare on the same site.
- What is the registration number of Mukaitaki Entrance Building?
- 07-0001, listed on 20 December 1996, the first registration number in Fukushima Prefecture.
- Why was Mukaitaki Entrance Building listed under a different criterion?
- Because it is the only one of the four that meets the road, and it was the view from the street that counted. The others were judged on their construction.
Basic Information
| Name | Mukaitaki Entrance Building |
|---|---|
| Location | 200 Kawamukae, Yumoto, Higashiyama-cho, Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 1996 (Heisei 8) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber frame, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 636 square metres |
| Owner | Mukaitaki Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Exterior visible from the road; interior is space for staying guests |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Mukaitaki Entrance Building (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000021
- Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Aizu Higashiyama Onsen Mukaitaki)
- https://www.mukaitaki.com/cultural_assets/
Last verified: 2026.09.17
