A Taisho-Era Inn on the Old Izumo Road
The Nishiyama Honkan Inn (西山本館) is a timber inn of two storeys, partly three, built in the late Taisho period (1919 to 1926) facing the old Izumo highway at Jushiyokamotomachi, Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 26, 2015. It is also a component of the Japan Heritage story of Onomichi as a miniature garden city shaped by the Onomichi Channel (Agency for Cultural Affairs, Onomichi City).
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a timber building of two storeys, partly three, with a tiled roof and a building area of 425 square metres, renovated in 1952; registration number 34-0147.
An Inn of Port Town Onomichi
According to the Onomichi City Culture Promotion Division, the inn was built in the Taisho period and hosted many people from the port and shipyards, and it keeps Western-style rooms for foreign guests. Together with the storehouses around the port, it recalls the prosperity of the port town.
The Onomichi council for history and culture describes it as a rare surviving three-storey timber building of the Taisho period with a nostalgic air.
Why It Was Registered
The Nishiyama Honkan Inn was registered as a building that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes its carefully finished sukiya-style tatami rooms and three Western-style rooms for foreign seamen, calling it a timber inn full of port-town atmosphere.
What to Look For
The Nishiyama Honkan Inn is a complex arrangement of two-storey and three-storey wings, planned so that every guest room faces the garden (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The rooms include finely finished sukiya-style tatami rooms and three Western-style rooms for foreign seamen (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The linked wings and the Western rooms tell the history of an inn in an international port (Japan Heritage portal).
Getting There
The Nishiyama Honkan Inn is at 3-27 Jushiyokamotomachi, Onomichi City. The Japan Heritage Onomichi website gives its hours as 9:00 to 16:00, closed on Thursdays and from December 29 to January 1. Check with the inn about stays and other use.
Q&A
- When was the Nishiyama Honkan Inn built?
- In the late Taisho period (1919 to 1926); it was renovated in 1952 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Who stayed at the Nishiyama Honkan Inn?
- Many people from the port and shipyards; Western-style rooms for foreign guests remain (Onomichi City).
- What is special about the Nishiyama Honkan Inn building?
- Two- and three-storey wings are combined so that every guest room faces the garden (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Is the Nishiyama Honkan Inn part of Japan Heritage?
- Yes, it is a component of the Japan Heritage story of Onomichi (Japan Heritage portal).
- When was the Nishiyama Honkan Inn registered?
- On March 26, 2015.
Basic Information
| Name | Nishiyama Honkan Inn (西山本館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3-27 Jushiyokamotomachi, Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2015/3/26 (Heisei 27) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 2 storeys (partly 3), tiled roof, building area 425 square metres |
| Owner | Not listed (Agency for Cultural Affairs database) |
| Public Access | Hours 9:00 to 16:00, closed Thursdays (Onomichi City listing) |
References
- Nishiyama Honkan Inn (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00010512
- Nishiyama Honkan (Japan Heritage portal)
- https://japan-heritage.bunka.go.jp/ja/culturalproperties/result/1265/
- Nishiyama Honkan (Japan Heritage Onomichi official website)
- https://nihonisan-onomichi.jp/bunkazai16_nishiyama-honkan/
Last verified: 2026.10.10