A Meiji inn on the Shimojuku street of Makabe
Iseya Ryokan Main House (伊勢屋旅館主屋, Iseya Ryokan Shuoku) is a two-storey wooden inn building of the mid-Meiji period at 193 Shimojukucho in the Makabe district of Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture, entered in the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 4, 2000 (Heisei 12).
The Tanaka family had been trading here under the shop name Iseya since the closing years of the Edo period. Its second-generation head ran a restaurant called Seishuro, the best known establishment of its kind in the town. The building that stands today is attributed by the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education to Tanaka Manzo, three generations before the present household, and the registration record places it in the Meiji period (1868 to 1911), more precisely in the middle Meiji years. No single construction year is documented.
The plan measures 5 ken by 4 ken, and the upper floor is a full storey rather than the low Tsushi-nikai loft found in older merchant houses of the region. The building area is 77 square meters. Three guest rooms on the second floor each have a Tokonoma alcove, an arrangement that tells you the house was built to receive paying guests rather than to store goods.
Iseya still operates. Meals and lodging keep the rooms in use, which is one reason the interior fittings have survived rather than been stripped out.
Why Iseya Ryokan Main House is on the national register
The building carries registered structure number 08-0048. It was registered under the criterion covering buildings that contribute to the historic landscape of the country, and the registration was gazetted on December 20, 2000. A second building on the same plot, Iseya Ryokan Storehouse, was registered on the same day under a different criterion.
What the criterion recognises here is the frontage. Shimojuku is one of the streets of Makabe where the Edo period town plan survives with its buildings, and the Iseya facade holds a prominent place in that row. The Makabe district was selected as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings on June 29, 2010 (Heisei 22), the first such district in Ibaraki Prefecture, and the registered buildings along its streets are the reason.
Iseya Ryokan Main House also documents a specific kind of business. Registered buildings in Makabe are mostly merchant houses and storehouses; an inn that grew out of a restaurant is less common, and the plan with its three upstairs rooms records how that trade was housed. As a Registered Tangible Cultural Property, the building is not frozen. The owner may repair and adapt it, with notification required for major alterations, and that is what has allowed it to stay in business.
What to look at
Start with the roof. It is laid in Sangawara-buki pantiles, and the two ends are not treated alike: the west end is hipped (Yosemune-zukuri) while the east end is gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri). Seen from the street the roofline changes character halfway along, and the gabled end presents a flat triangle of wall where the hipped end slopes away. The asymmetry is the single most useful thing to photograph, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs description singles it out as what makes the building stand out in the streetscape.
Then step back far enough to take in the whole two storeys. Makabe has plenty of low-eaved Machiya with dark plaster; Iseya Ryokan Main House sits higher and reads as a public building meant to be found by travellers.
Behind the main range, toward the middle of the plot, stands the small white storehouse that shares the registration. From the street you can generally see only its roof. The two buildings are best understood together, the inn facing the road and the storehouse keeping valuables at the back.
Inside, if you are staying or eating, the upstairs rooms are the point. Look at how the alcoves are finished and how the ceiling heights sit against the window lines.
Visiting Iseya Ryokan Main House
Iseya Ryokan Main House is a working inn in private ownership, not a museum. The exterior can be seen at any time from the public street, and the plaque in front of the entrance marks the registration. The interior is open to those who stay overnight or book a meal. Reservations are required, by telephone on 0296-55-0176. There is no admission charge for looking at the building from outside.
Photography of the exterior from the street is unrestricted. Inside, ask the owner first, and avoid photographing other guests.
The town is at its busiest during the Makabe Hina Matsuri, held each year from early February to March 3, when houses along these streets display their family doll sets and open their front rooms to passers-by. It is the easiest time of year to see something of the ground floor without booking, though it is also the most crowded.
By train, take the JR Mito Line to Iwase Station; a taxi from there takes about 20 minutes. The Sakuragawa city bus Yamazakura GO runs from Iwase Station toward Tsukubasanguchi and stops at Shimojuku, a few steps from the building. From Tsukuba Station on the Tsukuba Express, a city bus reaches Tsukubasanguchi in about 50 minutes, where you change for the Sakuragawa bus and ride a further 20 minutes. Drivers should allow about 20 minutes from the Sakuragawa-Chikusei interchange and use the Makabe Takajomachi car park, which has 65 free spaces for ordinary cars, then walk. Information checked in September 2026; confirm current times and prices before travelling.
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Q&A
- Can I go inside Iseya Ryokan Main House, and is there an admission fee?
- There is no admission fee and no ticketed tour. The building is a working inn, so the interior is open to overnight guests and to visitors who have reserved a meal by telephone. The exterior can be viewed from the street at any hour.
- When was Iseya Ryokan Main House built, and when was it registered?
- The registration record dates it to the middle of the Meiji period, within the range 1868 to 1911; no exact year survives. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on December 4, 2000, with the gazette notice following on December 20 of the same year.
- How do I get to Iseya Ryokan Main House by public transport?
- Iwase Station on the JR Mito Line is the usual railhead, about 20 minutes away by taxi. The Sakuragawa city bus Yamazakura GO also runs from Iwase Station toward Tsukubasanguchi and stops at Shimojuku, right by the building. Coming from Tsukuba Station, ride about 50 minutes to Tsukubasanguchi and change there.
- Can I take photographs of Iseya Ryokan Main House?
- Yes, from the public street, where the roof and the whole two-storey front are visible. For interior photographs, ask the owner and be considerate of other guests, since this is a private business rather than a public exhibit.
- What is the difference between Iseya Ryokan Main House and Iseya Ryokan Storehouse?
- They are two separately registered buildings on one plot. The main house of 77 square meters faces the street and holds the guest rooms; the storehouse of 15 square meters stands behind it toward the middle of the site and was built for secure storage.
Basic Information
| Name | Iseya Ryokan Main House (伊勢屋旅館主屋) |
|---|---|
| Location | 193 Shimojukucho, Makabecho, Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure), register number 08-0048 |
| Year Designated | Registered on December 4, 2000 (Heisei 12) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Wooden, 2 storeys, tiled roof, building area 77 square meters, 5 ken by 4 ken |
| Owner | Private owner |
| Public Access | Working inn. Exterior visible from the street; interior for staying and dining guests, by reservation |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database: Iseya Ryokan Main House
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00001998
- Cultural Heritage Online: Iseya Ryokan Main House
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/137768
- Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education, Cultural Properties of Ibaraki: Iseya Ryokan Main House and one other building
- https://kyoiku.pref.ibaraki.jp/bunkazai/bunkazai-registered-6565/
- Sakuragawa City: The Townscape of Makabe
- https://www.city.sakuragawa.lg.jp/tourism_guide/learn/page000455.html
Last verified: 2026.09.05