What the Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building Is
The Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building (法師温泉長寿館本館, Hōshi Onsen Chōjukan Honkan) is a two-story timber inn building from the early Meiji era on the east bank of the Hoshi River in Nagai, Minakami Town, Gunma Prefecture, registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 3, 2006.
It holds the inn's entrance and front office on the ground floor, with guest rooms above, which makes it the face of Chojukan. The inn says it was built when the business opened in 1875. The Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives only "early Meiji" and names no specific year.
The building is long and narrow on a north-south axis: 30 meters by 14 meters, with a footprint of 368 square meters. It has a gabled roof in the Kirizuma-zukuri form, covered in overlapping sheets of cedar bark.
Why the Main Building Was Registered
The Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building was registered under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country, as registration number 10-0188.
Cedar-bark roofing is made from bark stripped from cedar trees and laid in overlapping courses. Here that same material from the surrounding forest covers a roof running 30 meters along the Hoshi River valley. The "landscape" named in the registration criterion is, in concrete terms, this view.
The inn says the assessment also took note of the segai-zukuri and dashibari-zukuri framing. In segai-zukuri, brackets project from the outer posts to carry a beam, and the rafters rest on that beam so the eaves reach well beyond the wall, keeping rain and snow off the walls and veranda. The Agency's description of the Main Building also records its eaves as segai-zukuri.
What to Look For at the Main Building
The Roof and Its Smoke Vent
A smoke vent rises from the ridge of the Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building: a small raised roof that lets smoke and moisture escape from inside. Find it on the brown expanse of cedar bark before walking up to the door.
The Entrance and Upper Facade
Over the entrance sits a separate small gabled roof that marks the doorway clearly. A handrail runs across the front of the upper floor. From the front, the division between office below and guest rooms above can be read straight off the facade.
Step up from the earthen floor and you are in a double-height hall hung with calligraphy by Meiji-era poets and a household Shinto altar. To the left is the room with the Irori hearth, where, the inn says, a wood fire burns all year round.
Rooms Where Writers Stayed
No two upstairs rooms share the same plan. The inn points to Room 20, associated with the poets Yosano Akiko and her husband Tekkan, and Room 16, where the painter Higashiyama Kaii stayed. Some rooms have been refitted with private toilets; others still share toilets down the hall.
Visiting the Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building
The Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building is part of a working inn and is not open for architectural tours. Its exterior can be seen from the front of the inn; stand back a little to take in the whole cedar-bark roof and the smoke vent.
Only overnight guests can enter the upstairs rooms. If you hope to stay in a particular room, such as one linked to a writer, ask the inn when booking whether that can be arranged. The entrance hall and hearth room serve as a gathering place for guests.
The inn's website sets out no photography policy. Avoid photographing areas where other guests may appear, and ask at the front desk if in doubt. Travel directions and day-bathing conditions are covered on the Hoshi Onsen Chojukan page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building
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Q&A
- When was the Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building built?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the early Meiji era. The inn describes it as built at its founding in 1875.
- When did the Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building become a Registered Tangible Cultural Property?
- It was registered on August 3, 2006, as number 10-0188. Hoshi-no-Yu and the Annex were registered the same day.
- What is the roof of the Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building made of?
- Overlapping cedar bark. A smoke vent sits on the ridge of the gabled roof, and the eaves project deeply in the segai-zukuri manner.
- Can I stay in the Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building?
- Yes. The guest rooms are upstairs and each has its own layout. Some rooms have no private toilet, so check when booking.
- Can I see the Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building without staying overnight?
- The exterior is visible from the front of the inn. There are no building tours, and only overnight guests can enter the rooms.
Basic Information
| Name | Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building |
|---|---|
| Location | 650 Nagai, Minakami-machi, Tone-gun, Gunma Prefecture, and others |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered August 3, 2006 |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 30 meters by 14 meters; footprint 368 square meters |
| Owner | Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Operating inn. Exterior visible; guest rooms for overnight guests only |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Database of National Cultural Properties: Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005582
- Cultural Heritage Online: Hoshi Onsen Chojukan Main Building
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/190310
- Hoshi Onsen Chojukan official website: Rooms
- https://hoshi-onsen.com/rooms/
- Hoshi Onsen Chojukan official website: About
- https://hoshi-onsen.com/about/
Last verified: 2026.09.25
