The Yunoshimakan Entrance
The Yunoshimakan Entrance (湯之島館玄関, Yunoshima-kan Genkan) is the 1931 entrance building of the Yunoshimakan inn in Yunoshima, Gero City, Gifu Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2010.
It is a timber building of one storey with a partial second floor, roofed in Sangawara-buki pantiles, with a building area of 161 square metres. The connecting corridor separates it from the main building, which lies to the east. Anyone arriving at Yunoshimakan meets this building first.
The walls are finished in black Shikkui plaster. Japanese buildings of the period more often show white or earth-coloured walls, so the black against the grey tiles gives the Yunoshimakan Entrance an unusually heavy, solid look.
Why the Entrance Was Registered
The Yunoshimakan Entrance was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. Its register number, 21-0179, follows the main building at 21-0177 and the corridor at 21-0178, all entered on the same day.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the weight created by the stacked roofs and the black plaster. The entrance of a hot spring inn is where guests are received, and it is also where the inn first tells them what kind of place it means to be. The Yunoshimakan Entrance shows how much presence the inn wanted at its front door when it opened.
The inn notes that fire regulations and heating and cooling have brought changes over the years, but that its buildings keep most of their original appearance. The roofs and walls of the Yunoshimakan Entrance are part of what remains from the early Showa period.
Two Hip-and-Gable Roofs, One Above the Other
Start with the roof. The ground floor carries an Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable roof with its ridge running north to south. In the middle of it sits the second-floor roof, also hip-and-gable, with its ridge turned east to west. Because the two ridges cross at right angles, the building looks quite different from the front and from the side.
Over the west-facing porch, the triangular gable end of a hip-and-gable roof faces you directly. Standing in front of the porch, you see the porch gable, then the upper roof behind it, then the three-storey main building beyond, each rising a little higher as it steps back. The inn itself points out the main building showing behind the entrance as one of the sights.
The sign from 1951, when Yunoshimakan became No. 8 on the government register of international tourist ryokan, still hangs at the entrance. It marked official recognition that the inn met the standard for receiving overseas guests, and it is worth looking for before you step inside the Yunoshimakan Entrance.
Seeing the Yunoshimakan Entrance
You see the Yunoshimakan Entrance from the forecourt as you arrive. The inn's self-guided photo route for guests, Yunoshimakan Meguri, begins with its exterior. The standard view is from the west, framing the porch gable and the upper roof together.
The building is still the working entrance of the inn, used by overnight guests and day-plan visitors. For a calm look at the layered roofs, choose a moment when few people are coming and going. Only guests go inside. Directions and the terms of the day plans are on the Yunoshimakan page.
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Q&A
- Can I see the Yunoshimakan Entrance without staying at the inn?
- Yunoshimakan is a working ryokan and does not run public tours. Only overnight guests and day-plan visitors go in through the Yunoshimakan Entrance. If you want to see only the exterior, contact the inn first on 0576-25-4126, between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
- When was the Yunoshimakan Entrance built and registered?
- The Yunoshimakan Entrance dates from 1931, the year the inn opened. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2010, together with the main building and the connecting corridor, under register number 21-0179.
- What kind of roof does the Yunoshimakan Entrance have?
- Two hip-and-gable roofs, one above the other. The lower one runs north to south, and the upper, second-floor roof sits in its centre running east to west. A hip-and-gable end faces west over the porch. The roofs are covered in pantiles.
- What are the walls of the Yunoshimakan Entrance made of?
- They are finished in black lime plaster. The Agency for Cultural Affairs credits the stacked roofs and the black walls together with giving the Yunoshimakan Entrance its sense of weight.
- May I photograph the Yunoshimakan Entrance?
- The inn lists the exterior of the Yunoshimakan Entrance as the first stop on Yunoshimakan Meguri, its photo route for guests. Choose a quiet moment so that arriving guests are not in the picture.
Basic Information
| Name | Yunoshimakan Entrance |
|---|---|
| Location | 625 Hiraiwa, Yunoshima, Gero City, Gifu Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered in 2010 (Heisei 22) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Building area 161 square metres, timber, 1 storey with a partial 2nd floor |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database (operated by Hidagawa Onsen Tochi Co., Ltd.) |
| Public Access | Working ryokan; exterior visible from the forecourt, interior used by overnight and day-plan guests |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Yunoshimakan Entrance
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00008000
- Cultural Heritage Online: Yunoshimakan Entrance
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/193152
- Yunoshimakan: History (Japanese)
- https://www.yunoshimakan.co.jp/about-history
- Yunoshimakan: About (Japanese)
- https://www.yunoshimakan.co.jp/about
- Yunoshimakan: Yunoshimakan Meguri (Japanese)
- https://www.yunoshimakan.co.jp/tour
Last verified: 2026.09.24
