An Inn at Hosokute on the Nakasendo
The Daikokuya Ryokan Main House (大黒屋旅館主屋) is a two-storey timber inn of 1859 at Hosokute-juku on the Nakasendo in Hiyoshi-cho, Mizunami City, Gifu Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on May 15, 2007. Before the Meiji Restoration the family served as the post town's freight agent and as the designated official inn of the Owari domain (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a two-storey timber building with a tiled roof and a building area of 240 square metres; registration number 21-0109. Mizunami City lists it as privately owned.
The Owari Lord's Inn at Hosokute
According to the Gifu Visitors Bureau, Hosokute was the 48th post town on the Nakasendo from Edo and appears in Hiroshige's Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaido. It began as a temporary stop because the four and a half ri between Okute to the east and Mitake to the west was hard going for travellers.
Daikokuya was the designated inn of the Owari domain and still runs as a restaurant inn, with its udatsu firewalls, entrance gate, formal step and raised reception room surviving from those days (Gifu Visitors Bureau).
Why It Was Registered
The Daikokuya Ryokan Main House was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that, as the former freight office and Owari inn, it conveys the look of the post town.
What to Look For
The Daikokuya Ryokan Main House faces south onto the old Nakasendo. It is seven bays by nine, gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) with pantiles and a pent roof across the front (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Udatsu firewalls rise at both gable ends, and the front wall has clapboard below and black plaster above (Agency for Cultural Affairs). From the highway, the raised firewalls and black walls give the post town a weighty frontage.
Staying at Daikokuya
The Daikokuya Ryokan Main House is still an inn, so the interior is seen by staying or dining there (Gifu Visitors Bureau). It is about 20 minutes by taxi from JR Mizunami Station on the Chuo Line, or 20 minutes by car from the Mizunami Interchange on the Chuo Expressway. The address is 7905-1 Hiyoshi-cho, Mizunami City.
Q&A
- When was the Daikokuya Ryokan Main House built?
- In 1859 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What was Daikokuya in the Edo period?
- The freight office and designated Owari domain inn of Hosokute-juku on the Nakasendo (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What does the Daikokuya Ryokan Main House look like?
- A gabled building with udatsu firewalls at both ends and a black-plastered front over clapboard (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Is Daikokuya still an inn?
- Yes, it runs as a restaurant inn (Gifu Visitors Bureau).
- When was the Daikokuya Ryokan Main House registered?
- On May 15, 2007.
Basic Information
| Name | Daikokuya Ryokan Main House (大黒屋旅館主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 7905-1 Hiyoshi-cho, Mizunami City, Gifu Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2007/5/15 (Heisei 19) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 240 square metres |
| Owner | Private (Mizunami City) |
| Public Access | Operating as an inn |
References
- Daikokuya Ryokan Main House (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00006175
- Daikokuya Ryokan Main House (Mizunami City)
- https://www.city.mizunami.lg.jp/kankou_bunka/bunkazai/1001296/1002389.html
- Nakasendo Hosokute-juku (Gifu Visitors Bureau)
- https://www.kankou-gifu.jp/spot/detail_3532.html
Last verified: 2026.10.07