The building the others were measured against
Mukaitaki Hanare is a detached guest building at 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 a single-storey timber building under a tiled roof, covering 103 square metres.
It is the only single-storey building of the four here, and the smallest. Against 636 square metres for the entrance wing and 360 square metres and 248 square metres for the guest wings, this one was built to another measure entirely.
It went up at the same time as the entrance building, under Tatsugoro Honma, a master carpenter of Aizuwakamatsu. Its registration number is 07-0002.
Why it was listed
Mukaitaki Hanare was listed as a model of design.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes connected rooms worked in a thorough Shoin-zukuri manner with an alcove and staggered shelves, and calls it the building against which the others at Mukaitaki were measured. That phrase fixes its standing here.
The other three buildings are said to be the work of a carpenter brought from Tokyo. The hanare was built by a carpenter of Aizuwakamatsu. A local man's building became the pattern for what followed.
Connected rooms on one floor
What to look for is how complete the building is at a small size. Within 103 square metres on one floor sit connected rooms with an alcove and staggered shelves.
Connected rooms are divided by sliding partitions and run together when the partitions are removed. The shoin manner means a room fitted with alcove, staggered shelves and a study bay. The Agency calls the treatment thorough because none of those elements was left out.
Standing apart at the back of the grounds, its relation to the other buildings reads only across the roofs. A low single-storey roof in front of wings of two and three storeys is itself a statement about what this building is for.
Visiting
Mukaitaki Hanare is a guest room in a working inn. Only staying guests go inside, and as a detached building it is treated particularly as guests' space.
It stands at the back of the grounds and cannot be seen from the road. The exterior is visible only from within the inn.
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 Hanare
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- What kind of building is Mukaitaki Hanare?
- A single-storey timber building of 103 square metres, with connected rooms in the shoin manner, fitted with an alcove and staggered shelves.
- Who built Mukaitaki Hanare?
- Tatsugoro Honma, a master carpenter of Aizuwakamatsu. The other buildings here are said to be the work of a carpenter from Tokyo.
- Why is Mukaitaki Hanare called a model?
- Because the Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as the building the others at Mukaitaki were measured against. It went up with the entrance wing and set the pattern.
- Can Mukaitaki Hanare be visited?
- It is a guest room in a working inn, so only staying guests go inside. It stands at the back of the grounds, out of sight of the road.
- What is the registration number of Mukaitaki Hanare?
- 07-0002, listed on 20 December 1996.
Basic Information
| Name | Mukaitaki Hanare |
|---|---|
| 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, single storey, tiled roof, building area 103 square metres |
| Owner | Mukaitaki Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Exterior from within the grounds; interior is space for staying guests |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database: Mukaitaki Hanare (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00000022
- Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Aizu Higashiyama Onsen Mukaitaki)
- https://www.mukaitaki.com/cultural_assets/
Last verified: 2026.09.17
