A Hot-Spring Bathhouse of about 1931
The Shin Onsen Public Bath (公衆温泉新温泉) is a typical public hot-spring bath of Hitoyoshi of around 1931 in Koyamachi, Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on February 27, 2023 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a single-storey timber building with an iron-sheet roof and a building area of 192 square metres; registration number 43-0200.
A Bandai and a Four-Square Plan
Shin Onsen is a public bath of around 1931 in the hot-spring quarter of Hitoyoshi (Agency for Cultural Affairs). A single-storey hip-and-gable building entered from the gable end, it has a canopy over separate entrances for men and women and an attendant's raised seat, the bandai, inside.
The changing rooms and baths form a four-square plan with many glass doors, and the trussed roof has a vaulted steam vent (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The Agency describes it as typical of the public hot-spring baths that lined the town from the Taisho to the Showa period.
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it as a model of design.
What to Look For
Look for the bandai, the four-square plan and the vaulted steam vent in the trussed roof (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
The owner is not listed in the Agency record. According to the Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun (April 2023), it was damaged in the Kumamoto floods of July 2020 but escaped demolition. No official information on whether it is open was found.
Q&A
- When was it built?
- Around 1931 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- How do you enter?
- Separate doors for men and women.
- What is the roof like?
- Trussed, with a vaulted steam vent.
- Why does it matter?
- It is a typical Hitoyoshi bath.
- When was the Shin Onsen Public Bath registered?
- On February 27, 2023 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Shin Onsen Public Bath (公衆温泉新温泉) |
|---|---|
| Location | 80-10 Koyamachi, Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2023/02/27 (Reiwa 5) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Single-storey timber, iron-sheet roof, 192 m² |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency database |
| Public Access | No official information on access |
References
- Shin Onsen Public Bath (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00014552
- Registration certificates for Shin Onsen and two other buildings in Hitoyoshi (Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun, April 2023, in Japanese)
- https://kumanichi.com/articles/1017535
Last verified: 2026.10.28