Main Building of Asakichi Ryokan: An Inn Entered on the Third Floor
The Main Building of Asakichi Ryokan (麻吉旅館本館) is a late Edo-period timber inn building, dating from between 1830 and 1867, in Nakanocho, Ise City, Mie Prefecture, and was entered on the national register as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 9 February 2005.
It stands on sloping ground just east of the pilgrim road linking the Inner and Outer Shrines of Ise, and it is the core of the five registered buildings at Asakichi. The structure is timber, 3 storeys with a 2-storey part, covering 273 square metres, under a hipped roof (Yosemune-zukuri) of pantiles.
The layout is the surprise. Because the building follows the lane up the hill, the main entrance is on the third floor. Below it, the second floor holds the kitchen and the family quarters, and guest rooms occupy the first and third floors, so guests bound for the lowest rooms walk down from the front door.
Why It Was Registered
The Main Building of Asakichi Ryokan is registration number 24-0052, listed under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape of the country, with the registration announced on 28 February 2005.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out two features: an irregular plan shaped to the terrain, and a complicated roof that follows the stepped arrangement of floors. On level ground an inn would settle into a rectangle. Here the plan bends with the slope and the floors step up one behind another, so the roof breaks into many planes and the ridges meet at angles a flat site would never produce.
The Agency dates the building to the late Edo period. Ise City, citing its municipal history, notes that much of the Asakichi complex was rebuilt in 1839, a date inside the Agency's range.
What to Look For
Look at the roofs. From the bottom of the lane, the hipped roofs of the Main Building of Asakichi Ryokan rise one behind another, and the Agency's comment about their complexity makes immediate sense.
Then notice where the door is. Walking uphill, you reach a point where the third-floor entrance sits level with the lane: the front door of an ordinary building would be at ground level, but here it is on the top floor.
From the third floor an overhead corridor crosses the lane to the Front Storehouse opposite. Looking up from the steps, the bridge and the wall of the Main Building fill the same frame.
Visiting the Main Building
The building is part of a working inn, and only overnight guests go inside; there are no visitor hours or admission fees. Guests enter through the third-floor door and move between floors on stairs.
Otherwise, view the exterior from the lane beside it: from the bottom for the stacked roofs, from higher up to see how the entrance meets the lane. Ask the inn before taking photographs indoors.
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Q&A
- What is the Main Building of Asakichi Ryokan?
- A late Edo-period timber inn building in Nakanocho, Ise City, of 3 storeys with a 2-storey part and 273 square metres in area. It stands on a slope beside a lane, with the main entrance on the third floor, the kitchen and family quarters on the second, and guest rooms on the first and third.
- Why is the entrance of the Main Building of Asakichi Ryokan on the third floor?
- The building sits on a steep slope and the lane beside it climbs to the level of the upper floor. The main entrance opens at that level, and guests heading to first-floor rooms walk down the stairs.
- When was the Main Building of Asakichi Ryokan registered as a cultural property?
- It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 9 February 2005, as number 24-0052, under the criterion of contributing to the historic landscape.
- How old is the Main Building of Asakichi Ryokan?
- The Agency for Cultural Affairs dates it to the late Edo period, between 1830 and 1867. Ise City notes that much of the Asakichi complex survives from a rebuilding in 1839.
- Can I go inside the Main Building of Asakichi Ryokan without staying?
- No. It is part of a working inn and only overnight guests go inside. The exterior can be seen from the lane beside it.
Basic Information
| Name | Main Building of Asakichi Ryokan (麻吉旅館本館) |
|---|---|
| Location | 109-3 Nakanocho, Ise City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2005/2/9 (Heisei 17) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, 3 storeys with a 2-storey part, tiled roof, building area 273 square metres |
| Owner | Asakichi Co., Ltd. |
| Public Access | Working inn; interior for overnight guests only. Exterior visible from the lane |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Main Building of Asakichi Ryokan (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00004584
- Cultural Heritage Online: Main Building of Asakichi Ryokan (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/117464
- Ise City: Main Building of Asakichi Ryokan (Japanese)
- https://www.city.ise.mie.jp/cul_spo_edu/culture/bunkazai_shiseki/bunkazai/yukei/1005926.html
Last verified: 2026.09.27
