Senzairo

About Senzairo

Senzairo (千歳楼) is an inn at the northern edge of Yoro Park in Yoro Town, Yoro District, Gifu Prefecture, whose main building of 1880, Ryuhokaku wing of the Taisho era and Seihokaku wing of the early Showa era were registered as Registered Tangible Cultural Property structures on October 7, 2014. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as an elegant wooden inn on a scenic site overlooking the Nobi Plain.

According to the inn, it was founded in Yoro in 1764. Soon after Yoro Park was laid out in 1880, it was rebuilt on a hill 500 metres below the falls, the finest viewpoint (Senzairo).

Three Buildings

The two-storey main building has a projecting carriage porch and a great 28-mat hall upstairs. Ryuhokaku adjoins it to the north in a staggered line, and Seihokaku continues north beyond a corridor. Both wings are built out on stilts on the east side to command the view (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Ryuhokaku is a sukiya-style wing with exposed framing finished in red plaster and a three-storey moon-viewing platform; Seihokaku has a side room whose ceiling is papered with a silk painting attributed to Takeuchi Seiho (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The main building and Ryuhokaku were registered as contributing to the historic landscape, and Seihokaku as a model of design.

The inn notes that its guests since the Meiji era have included members of the imperial family as well as Takeuchi Seiho, Yokoyama Taikan, Kitahara Hakushu and Tanizaki Jun'ichiro (Senzairo).

Staying and Dining at Senzairo

Senzairo still operates as an inn and also serves meals to non-staying guests. Check-in is from 3:00 p.m. and check-out by 11:00 a.m. Meal-only service runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at lunch and from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the evening (Senzairo). The address is 1079 Yoro Park, Yoro Town; telephone 0584-32-1118.